Let’s be deadly serious about slut-shaming on Halloween
A sexy nurse, a cute cat, and an undead zombie walk into a bar. No, this isn’t the start of a terrible joke; this is what most people’s evenings will look like on Halloween. The spooky season is fast-approaching, and for many, this means dressing up in the Halloween spirit. This is a time to throw on some Poundland fake blood, grab a bottle of vodka and dance to Ghostbusters with your friends. So why do girls receive so much judgment about how revealing or ‘slutty’ their outfits are?
Slut-shaming isn’t just prevalent on Halloween. For some reason, both men and women subconsciously pass judgment on a woman’s sex life by how much skin she’s showing. This sexist double standard is ingrained in our society: if we stop and think about it, does it really matter to us what someone else chooses to wear? If a person feels confident in themselves to wear whatever they want, this should empower them, not make them feel like they aren’t good enough.
It isn’t just men who slut-shame women for their sexy cat outfits on Halloween. So many women are internally misogynistic when talking about others of the same gender.
A Psychology Today study revealed women use the term ‘slut’ liberally and use it out of jealousy towards others.
Instead of being negative, judgemental and competitive with each other, we need to uplift and support girls in their choices.
Sleep with as many people as you want, or sleep with no-one. Wear a revealing vampire costume on Halloween, or do a Georgia Nicholson from Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging and go as an olive. The choice is yours and anyone that judges you do not understand the empowering feeling of being comfortable in their own body.
By Eve Watson