Slutty Costumes: Self Expression or Creative Cop-Out

31 Oct 2011

Clothes make a statement. Costumes tell a story. ~Mason Cooley

There has been a lot of chatter this Halloween about the slut factor of readymade costumes. I am not opposed to women getting tramped up on Halloween, or any other day for that matter. If a woman wants to display her assets on All Hallow’s Eve by dressing as a slutty nun, why not? Halloween is a unique time of year when we can escape from our real world persona and flaunt our inner attitude. Halloween gives us the opportunity to poke fun at societal ironies, make a statement about its worst fears or just generate a few laughs. The days when Halloween was limited to young children trick or treating door-to-door have gone, now many adults are carrying on the tradition with childlike enthusiasm using extremely adult themes.

Is dressing slutty the only option?

I bet the first woman to dress as a slutty nun shocked, appalled, and created a lot of attention. After all, that is what Halloween is about. Even back in the day there was a bevy of dark temptresses to choose from that allowed your creativity to abound; Elvira, Bride of Frankenstein, and Morticia to name a few. It wasn’t until recently that naughty Dorothy’s, vamped Snow Whites, and dirty maids dominated the costume stores and night. But has all this sex taken shock out of dressing a slut? Has readymade hotness cooled our creativity? One of the best costumes was created from concept to reality by a friend of mine. She shed her daily wears to emerge at an adult Halloween party dressed as Betty COCKer! Picture a retro 1950’s apron, mini skirt, and silver serving tray fully stocked with freshly made Salty Nut Balls. My friend did not allow the ease of readymade costumes or the fact that she wanted to dress sexy hamper her creativity! She still has the ‘wow!’ factor. But I’m guessing that she is unique and that today you would attract more attention if you dressed as a real nun. No bustier, no fishnets, just a habit and a rosary. Have Halloween costumes become so outrageous that boring is the new shocking?

Have adults commandeered the holiday?

Adults playing dress up either in fanciful creativity or slutty icons is a freedom we earned when we became 18. When it comes to packaged readymade options for adults, there are is no boundary off limits. However; I do think that the tights with the word ‘bitch’ down the side and the line of Monster High costumes for young children is a little much. Some are blaming the manufacturers and vendors for these costumes …I say bullshit. Parents are to blame. The manufactures wouldn’t keep making the costumes and the vendors wouldn’t keep selling them if the fucking parents didn’t buy them. Little kids don’t have jobs and bank accounts, the parents hold the purse strings. If my daughter asked to dress-up in a costume that I felt was inappropriate, then I wouldn’t buy it for her. Period! Tantrum be damned. My daughter does not get to make the final decision, I do. That is my job as a parent. Although, my daughter is very observant and sees the rated R wears available and adorned, I do not feel that this necessarily scars her. It is a teaching moment, an opportunity for me to parent so that the choices that others are free to make do not interfere with her developing at her own pace, into a happy, healthy person.

Self Expression or Creative Cop-Out

Ready-made costumes are not good or bad…they are a choice; an alternative option. Readymade costumes not only double as a creative equalizer {i.e. I’m not a creative/artistic person but can still look good on Halloween} but also a status symbol {I have enough money to afford glam costume}. Slutty costumes are currently the choice d’jour but it is still just a choice; one you can make or not make. No one is telling you that you must be a Sexy Nurse for Halloween. The best way to show your disgust with a trend is to vote with your wallet, buy something else. As for slutty dress inhibiting creativity, that is nonsense, remember Betty COCKer? There are plenty of icons that can be perverted into a Halloween wet-dream.