Halloween can mean many things to many different people. For some, it's about living in a world for one night of total fright and horror that would make Ted Bundy shiver. For others, it's about guilt-free, candy-induced comas and stomachaches. But for others, it's about assembling costumes that are so scandalous that they make grandmothers and schoolmarms across the nation cringe.
Halloween is a holiday that allows people to dress up and act a different role. However, some students feel that many women use Halloween as an excuse to dress more provocatively.
"The point of Halloween is to dress up and not be yourself, but girls take it to the point where it means they can be as skanky as they want and not be judged," Anna Nix, a sophomore in the School of Communication, said. "It's like 'Mean Girls.' All you need is lingerie and bunny ears and you have a Halloween costume."
Issel Masses, a sophomore in the School of International Service, agrees with Nix.
"Everyone wants to be sexy but they are just looking for an excuse to be slutty," she said.
Tania Plaisamond, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, said, "It's just another excuse for women to dress slutty and wear hooker costumes. It's degrading."
Some say that Halloween allows people the opportunity to express themselves in ways they normally wouldn't, said Gay Young, AU professor and director of Women and Gender Studies at AU.
"This is one of those occasions where you're allowed to push the envelope. ... It's a time when people are performing and whether it's fantasy or a different way of being, performances become exaggerated," Young said.
The idea of exaggerated gender on Halloween might explain why provocative costumes are some of the bestsellers with women.
"There seems to be a trend moving toward the sexier costumes," Ken Emerick, manager of the PartyCity store in Rockville, Md., said. "We sell thousands each year but this is pretty much our best season for them."
Still, for many students Halloween is not about provocative clothing but is instead a time to have fun. Young noted that Halloween is also a time for fewer inhibitions.
"I think that there is a lot of alcohol involved and this might contribute to the way people dress," she said.
Male students on campus have varying opinions on female students' dress during Halloween.
"I think it's great. It's just Halloween and girls normally wouldn't dress like that," Alex Parker, a sophomore in CAS, said.
"I believe there should be some restraint but in most cases women should wear whatever they feel like wearing," said Emerson Williams, a sophomore in CAS.
However, Young advises male students to "be respectful and understand when someone says no, they mean no"
