So, what are you going to be for Halloween? I'm totally dressing up as a black cat/playboy bunny/nurse/cop/Hooters waitress/angel/devil/Britney Spears.
No, not really. Actually, I'm not sure what I'm going to be yet. Just something that requires me to wear a full-body jumpsuit under which I can hide my long johns because Halloween is always freezing.
I'm quite sure that a good portion of the women here at this University, however, are going to absolutely ignore weather forecasts and plan on leaving their residences wearing little more than bras and thongs (and angel wings, of course!).
As "Mean Girls" so aptly put it: "In Girl World, Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut, and no other girls can say anything about it. The hardcore girls just wear lingerie and some form of animal ears." It becomes somewhat socially acceptable for ladies to ditch their Polos and Sevens and throw on some Daisy Dukes and a corset. The self-respecting women of this University suddenly forget about feminism and jump at the chance to masquerade as prostitutes.
I have to say, it's hilarious, and I am in no way condemning the skanky outfits. They provide me with a lot of good laughs. How did someone figure out how to make a pumpkin look slutty?! I've got to hand it to girls; we are a clever and resourceful gender.
I did the whole skanky thing first year. I was a Hooters waitress. I had the real shirt they wear and everything -- my dad got it for me (there's something wrong with that statement, I just can't place it...). Last year, however, in my attempt to prove I was no longer a first year trying to be slutty, I was Maverick from Top Gun (overdone, I know) and wore an actual full-body flight suit. I enjoyed the warmth so much in contrast to the previous year that I am again looking into outfits involving jumpsuits (mechanics, fire fighters, Ghostbusters, etc.).
So, is the use of what in modern commercialist America is a children's holiday, problematic as an excuse to buy tiny clothes and fashion a terribly skewed version of a normal icon? No. Not in the slightest. Don't be silly. Historically, when societies have restricted their values to including only what is proper at all times, a backlash of extreme proportions has resulted. Take prohibition and the alcohol abuse of the speakeasies or Victorians and the underground scene of sex addicts, for example.
Women need this one night of release from their prim, mannered existences. You can agree or disagree, but I'm telling you, it's liberating for some women to be able to dress like a tramp for one night, guilt-free. It's not like these ladies are traipsing around their parents -- they're among a population of peers: girls who may also want to express their inner slut. And truth be told, most of the women really don't wear anything that is too distasteful, in my opinion (which may not be valid since I have a tendency to take everything way past the line).
Guys' costumes are a totally different story. There's no inherent urge to wear just your skivvies. You parade around C'ville as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, cowboys, drag queens, Top Gun characters, the guys from the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" video, Zoolander/Mugatu/Hansel and pimps. My God how y'all love you some track suits and sweatbands. I'm always impressed with that one guy who wears the "male genitalia" costume. Cheers to you, buddy, you always brighten my Halloween. Male costumes are about the element of surprise, the delight of Salvation Army and the possibility of looking like an idiot for the sake of making everyone else laugh. You will not be judged because of your scandalous apparel.
So, for the next few nights, just know that the costumes you're seeing may be a gross misrepresentation of a person's true character, and that is okay. The girl from your Civil Rights discussion is not really a dominatrix -- she's just cutting loose for the sake of humor. Most people try to dress in a costume that is exactly the opposite their personality. All University women are still of the caliber to bring home to your parents, we just need to have a little freedom.
Be relaxed about it, don't worry that we ladies have gone down the path of sinfulness never to return and just laugh about all the scantily clad girls freezing their "tails" (haha) off. You're going to see some crazy stuff out there this weekend; I hope you've got a costume worthy of the holiday. And if all else fails, just pin a cotton ball to your underwear and throw on a pair of construction paper ears. Voilà! A bunny!
Lindsay can be reached at McCook@Cavalierdaily.com
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