OPINION: Sluttishness is not a Halloween costume
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, not only because of all the history it entails, like the Pagan holiday Samhain, and the Latino Day of the Dead, but also because of how much I love fall. Halloween is also the time for free candy. Mostly chocolate candy. It really doesn’t get much better than that. However, in recent years, my joy over the holiday has been impeded by the influx of slutty costumes.
My little sister is 11, and she went shopping for a medieval dress for her costume. She is 5 feet 7 inches tall and couldn’t find a dress that was more than bits of cloth sewn together to cover the bare necessities, since she had to shop in the adult costumes because of her height.
I’m all for showing a little skin in a tasteful way, but costumes made of Saran-Wrap or strips of cloth are too much – or rather too little.
Now, before I come off as a total prude, I should clarify my position. I have absolutely no problem with nudity, in the appropriate settings. Art can be very tasteful – the human body is beautiful, and in the right setting it can be a powerful tool to evoke emotion. However, costumes shouldn’t be confused with lingerie. You can get what you want by using your feminine wiles, rather than your physical ones.
Each year, the halloween costumes – whether at the HOWL or at whatever party is happening around town – get shorter and smaller. There are a few yearly appearances: the slutty toga, the slutty cat, the slutty nurse, the slutty maid, the slutty present.
And while all of these costumes are fine if you’re using them in the bedroom, I suppose, there’s a reason they sell them at the Persian Peacock. The whole point of slutty costumes is to solicit sex. The problem comes when ladies walk around wearing dresses in which you can see up the skirts, down the top, and then get upset when they draw attention. Ladies, you will draw attention from guys, but not the healthy kind. If you want to be a sex object, that’s your prerogative. But do it in the bedroom, not in public where I have to look at you.
– Soap Box is a column for Statesman writers to set aside their reporter hats provide commentary. April Ashland is a senior in interdisciplinary studies. Send comments to april.ashland@aggiemail.usu.edu or via Twitter: @AprilAsh2012