With the rise of the gay liberation and second-wave feminism movements, revealing costumes have gradually become more socially acceptable. According to the Pure Journal, 58% of adults in 2023 planned to wear sexy Halloween costumes. However, as these costumes grow in popularity, so does the backlash of their suggestive nature, equating promiscuity to the degradation of morals.
These outfits are more than just agents of provocative content. Sexy Halloween costumes serve as an empowering tool for self-expression, allowing individuals to reclaim their bodies and challenge societal norms surrounding modesty and sexuality.
Revealing Halloween costumes allows people to experiment with clothing without the restraint of modesty and explore different facets of themselves. Individuals can showcase parts of their personality that they’d usually suppress for fear of upsetting societal standards, providing the liberating ability to have freedom of choice. On Halloween, this standard is momentarily broken as people reclaim their sexual agency through the guise of dressing up.
“It’s really all about choice,” computer science freshman Raeylee Barefield said. “The most empowering thing you can do is do exactly what you want to do.”
The critiques of sexy Halloween costumes manifest as “slut-shaming,” which persists in everyday discussions around bodily autonomy. Outfits that are not intended to be suggestive may appear to be because of societal stigma, even though there is no correlation between clothing, consent and promiscuity. Psychology freshman Lizette Rivas explains how slut-shaming spoiled her quinceañera.
“I had my beautiful dress,” Rivas said. “(The day is about) the girl being celebrated, turning into a woman. Well, that’s around the time when I started developing, so my dress showed more skin. Whenever my (aunts) would come and take pictures with me, they would comment, ‘You couldn’t put a jacket over it?’”
Slut-shaming perpetuates a person’s negative perception of their self-worth, attributed to the process of the looking-glass self, a term in psychology that describes how “individuals base their sense of self on how they believe others view them.” Maintaining these narratives damages the way people view their bodies, especially at young ages. Rivas explained her experience after her quinceañera, which encapsulates the looking-glass self.
“In the moment, I felt embarrassed,” Rivas said. “I was 15, but they kept telling me stuff (that made me feel) ashamed. … It conditioned me into thinking that I should cover up. I can’t wear (certain clothing items now). I physically can, but in my mind, I can’t.”
Many argue that these Halloween outfits demean professions and perpetuate objectification, but this perspective simply lies in the eyes of the audience. Promiscuous Halloween costumes do not inherently suggest sexual intentions. The desire to wear certain clothing can be empowering and a means of uplifting self-confidence. The issue lies in social reactions, not the costume itself.
“As long as what you’re wearing aligns with your beliefs and your morals, then you can continue wearing what you want to,” biology freshman Nishta Bondala said. “(If) it makes you feel confident and you feel comfortable in what you’re wearing … then you should be able to wear it.”
The idea that bodies are something shameful or should be hidden needs to be dismantled. Sexy Halloween costumes are a step toward that, allowing people to explore their identity and reclaim their bodies. Wear what you want this Halloween, and don’t judge others for flaunting their spooky attire.
Lam is a computer science freshman from Mansfield, Texas.
