Posted on: October 26, 2018 Posted by: Kate Shylo Comments: 9

Halloween has always been my favourite holiday. When I was a kid, it was an annual opportunity for many exciting transgressions. Eating candy for breakfast and staying up late watching A Nightmare On Elm Street followed by a week of nightmare induced sleepless nights are just some of the examples. And of course, it meant that I could dress as ridiculously as I wanted to and could finally express my weirdness without judgment. But those innocent times of pumpkin pie filled bellies and trick-or-treating ended way too soon.

By the time I was a teenager, I traded my ghost-face mask for a pair of Minnie Mouse ears and ripped tights. It seems like women go through a rite of passage when it comes to Halloween costume choices. October 31 turns into a beauty contest. Who’s wearing the highest heels this year, who looks best in a “sexy nurse” costume, and whose eyelashes stay glued to their eyelids the longest are the main questions that concern the majority of women. I’m sorry but I can’t write about Halloween without quoting Mean Girls, “it is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.”

Like the movie, this “rule” is completely fictional. I, like many women, have experienced just the opposite and have been slut-shamed, by fellow women most of the time, far too many times on Halloween nights. This has made me pause to contemplate the message I am trying to communicate with my Elvira-inspired outfits. I won’t speak for every woman, however, I believe Halloween, just like any other day of the year, is all about self-expression and experimentations. It’s up to you to see what challenges you and what costume will make you step out of your comfort zone and allow you to try different roles. After all, we are all creative beings who embrace performativity. Experimenting with different looks can be an enriching experience.

Being a half-naked zombie for Halloween is great, if you feel empowered by it of course. But this type of ensemble should not be the only go-to on Halloween. That being said, it is unacceptable to objectify or slut-shame any choice that a woman may make. I personally encourage everyone to take advantage of this amazing holiday this year. Find a Halloween party that will make you dance with your demons until dawn, tap into your most creative self. And ladies, let’s make an effort to not slut-shame each other.  

Kate Shylo is a master student at the University of Amsterdam. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Amsterdammer.

+ posts
  • Columnist (Fall 2018)

9 People reacted on this

  1. I do not even know how I stopped up here, but I thought this post was great. I don’t realize who you might be however certainly you are going to a well-known blogger if you aren’t already 😉 Cheers!

  2. I like what you guys are up too. Such smart work and reporting! Carry on the superb works guys I have incorporated you guys to my blogroll. I think it will improve the value of my website 🙂

  3. Hey, you used to write fantastic, but the last several posts have been kinda boringK I miss your super writings. Past several posts are just a little out of track! come on!

  4. I was suggested this blog through my cousin. I am now not positive whether this post is written by way of him as no one else know such targeted about my trouble. You’re incredible! Thank you!

  5. It is the best time to make some plans for the future and it is time to be happy. I’ve read this post and if I could I desire to suggest you few interesting things or advice. Maybe you could write next articles referring to this article. I desire to read even more things about it!

  6. My spouse and i were absolutely lucky when Raymond managed to deal with his inquiry while using the precious recommendations he obtained using your web page. It’s not at all simplistic to simply choose to be giving away ideas which often many people could have been selling. And we all remember we’ve got the writer to give thanks to for that. The most important explanations you have made, the simple blog menu, the relationships you can make it easier to engender – it is everything spectacular, and it’s really facilitating our son in addition to the family do think this subject is enjoyable, and that is incredibly fundamental. Many thanks for everything!

Comments are closed.