Sexual Objectification in our society has seen no end from the moment showing ankles became promiscuous, to having the obligation of showing your ankles. This theory can be seen as more relevant on no other holiday but Halloween. Every Halloween we all see the generic “sexy” costumes such as a “sexy nun”, or a ”sexy policemen”, and a “sexy-whatever us costume designers see our children watching on TV.” Yes, people do buy these costumes in good faith because they want to be seen as “sexy,” but where do we draw the line of just being objectifying to not only women, but men as well? Not only that, but where is the line for just being seen as plain offensive to someone’s culture, religion, or ideals?

This topic addresses an even bigger topic in our society, sexism. Whenever you look at the broad spectrum of costumes at the costume store, do you ever see a men’s costume with the description of being “sexy?” Surely they exist, but it’s hard to find one compared to womens “sexy” costumes. This is an example of society putting pressure on us to look a certain way in order to look and feel good about yourself. However, this shouldn’t be the case, if you want to wear a onesie and be warm on a cold night like Halloween, you shouldn’t feel unappealing or unattractive because your not showing massive amounts of skin. As we get older, we start to forget what the real meaning behind Halloween is. We get too wrapped up in who has the skimpiest costume or who looks the “sexiest,” that we forget that Halloween is supposed to be about eating as much candy as you can while waking up the next morning with a sugar hangover. While we are our own person and make our own decisions, have you ever stepped back and thought that maybe society has programmed you to make these decisions?

This brings up the topic of objectification, as human beings we are subjected to people constantly wanting to judge us and give us their opinions on not only us but on other people as well. This could be one of the reasons why we steer away from that warm and fuzzy onesie costume and turn to the uncomfortable corsets and booty shorts. This is why instead about worrying about how other people look and what they are wearing, we should focus on ourselves and how we are feeling in what we are wearing. If you’re the type of person that enjoys wearing those corsets and booty shorts and it gives you a sense of empowerment and confidence, go for it. However, if you’re not the type of person that feels this way while wearing this type of clothing, you shouldn’t feel pressured to fit into the social “norm.”

Lastly, men and women need to stop making standards for each other. Everyone is beautiful in their own individual way and shouldn’t feel the obligation to please one another. The only person you need to please is yourself, especially on Halloween while you’re stuffing your face in candy. So, this Halloween enjoy your warm and fuzzy onesies while not having to worry about what someone has to say about you.