Halloween, Then and Now

Ahhhh. Fall. The leaves are changing, large puffy jackets are flooding lecture halls and Pumpkin Spiced lattes are back at Starbucks. It can all mean only two things: It is the perfect time to break out the hot cider and spiced rum, and Halloween is coming. And it is time for women to get slutty.

By COED Staff

Halloween has a long and exciting history. Originally called All Hallows Eve, October 31st was a Catholic day of observance to honor the saints. In the 5th century BC, however, the Irish Celts began to celebrate October 31st as the official end of summer. According to their beliefs, the disembodied spirits of people who had died the previous year would come out on that night in search of a new body to possess. Not wanting that to happen, the Irish would dress up in ghoulish costumes and prance around the village, hoping to scare off the spirits.

Halloween today isn't much different. Just as the Irish used to dress up to scare off spirits of dead people, today college co-eds across the country dress up in hopes of finding someone to have sex with. The similarities are uncanny.

With Halloween only seven days away, I ' a strong willed and independent woman ' am forced to question the transformation of Halloween from a Catholic holiday to praise saints to its modern-day form of candy, condoms and Chlamydia.

Doesn't this Halloween tradition degrade women? Women devoted decades to raising their standing in society. We are finally out of the kitchen, running companies and leading nations. And what do modern-day women do with the torch they have been passed? Cover themselves in tight, sheer materials and sensually rub the wax of the torch all over their bodies. Rosie the Riveter (who can totally be skanked up for the ultimate in ironic Halloween attire) would be proud.

Why aren't men walking around in chaps and pleather thongs? Not that I really want to see that. I mean, I live in New York City; I already see it daily. But why can men dress up as football players, Scooby Doo or ghosts and no one judges them for it, but when I attempted to wear a shirt last year that covered my breasts, I was thrown out of a Halloween party ' at my own house!

Most importantly, does anyone else have a problem with not-so-skinny girls wearing not-so-much-clothing? Yes, a hot young college woman will look super sexy when she dresses up as a Slutty Nun, but her friend who had a fight with the freshman thirty and lost ' that Slutty Soccer Mom thing is really not working for her.

Hm. Maybe I am not the best advocate of women's rights. Whatever: My Slutty Dog Walker costume is definitely going to be turning heads. And fending off disembodied spirits. And, with a little luck and a whole lot of leg, getting me a date with Scooby Doo.