I hate to say it, but slut-shaming and Halloween go hand in hand. I'd like to think that I don't judge someone based on their costume, but I do, and I did last night. Mostly because it was 40 degrees outside and there were girls without pants on. But who am I to judge them? If they want to kill it in their baseball jersey or be cat for Halloween, my opinion doesn't matter.
In one of my classes the other day, I overheard and conversation, no I was not eavesdropping. What I heard made me mad. A girl in my grade wasn't invited to a party because the party thrower thought she would "dress like a slut, like always."
First off, it doesn't matter what she wears, if she's comfortable and wants to show off her features that make her confident, she can. She doesn't need anyone's approval of her Halloween costume. Any and every costume is up for criticism on Halloween. Last night I went as Rosie, and I trick-or-treated for UNICEF. There were definitely some people that took a second look at my costume. But I'm a feminist and I chose a strong and independent woman to dress up as.
Why do we slut shame anyways? Some people do it to feel better about themselves, which they shouldn't. All too often in society women are shamed for being sexual. Men can be sexual and they get high fives from their "bros", but when women are sexual, people get uncomfortable.
We can't get mad at girls for dressing the way they do on Halloween, when all the costumes advertised are "sexy". I recently went to Halloween store to look for costumes for my dogs, yes I am that person. There was a full wall with pictures of costumes on it, once you found one you liked you told the worker the number and they would get you the costume. All I saw up on that wall were leather cat costumes and costumes where the butts hang out.
I hope next Halloween you'll think differently about the costumes that everyone wears. They obviously chose that costume for a specific reason. It may represent something they believe in, or characteristics that they already possess. Be careful of what you think as well. Try not to judge a book by it's cover, we all need to work on that!
stay peaceful (and open-minded)!!
Although the statements about the female costumes are correct, there is a small problem with this being a double standard. When girls wear revealing costumes, other girls wearing similar costumes will cheer them on and not care. Girls wearing conservative costumes will be the ones judging them. The same goes for males in a bro-tank. Their other lifting buddies will give them a high five and solute them with a "Hey Bro!". While a guy wearing hipster clothes will mumble "Douche" under their breathe. There may not be as much open criticism for what guys wear, but it is still prevalent.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the statements about the female costumes are correct, there is a small problem with this being a double standard. When girls wear revealing costumes, other girls wearing similar costumes will cheer them on and not care. Girls wearing conservative costumes will be the ones judging them. The same goes for males in a bro-tank. Their other lifting buddies will give them a high five and solute them with a "Hey Bro!". While a guy wearing hipster clothes will mumble "Douche" under their breathe. There may not be as much open criticism for what guys wear, but it is still prevalent.
ReplyDelete