The Lantern

Issue date: 10/30/07 Section: Arts

I wanted to slap the slutty nurse standing next to me at Ugly Tuna Saloona.

She didn't say anything or even look at me - it was just her presence and my boyfriend couldn't keep his eyes off her.

What straight boy doesn't love a busty blonde in a tight, short skirt, I guess.

So I had to step my game up - this girl was indirectly challenging me. I planned on being a reporter for Halloween (yes, it does count as costume) and made some last-minute changes to keep up with the competition.

There would be, of course, hundreds of slutty fairies, animals and nursery rhyme characters running loose all throughout Columbus. As much as I trust my boyfriend, I wanted him looking at me, not the women wearing next to nothing and claiming it was some kind of costume.

So I unbuttoned a few buttons.

Halloween used to be one of my favorite holidays growing up. Unlike most kids, I didn't care about the candy - I just wanted a day to dress up and pretend to be someone else. Somewhere along my evolution from grade school to college, costumes meant less about imitating someone else and more about showing as much skin as possible.

Women take the idea of being someone else to the next level by sexing it up. Not only are they a different person, they're a super-sexy version of that different person.

As we headed out Saturday night, we noticed wearing less for Halloween has definitely become the standard.

"If a girl dresses up as a cat, she going to wear fish nets and a leotard, she's not going to wear a big, fur suit," my friend Layla said.

She rolled up her tight, black skirt and unbuttoned the top half of her sheer white top. She slipped into her 3-inch black, patent leather heels, put on a fedora and slid a plastic gun under her silver belt - obviously she was a sexy gangster.

"I want to be noticed," she told me.

You could definitely notice her black bra. She said Halloween is a chance for women to let go of their inhibitions and dress how they want without being judged as heavily.

My friend, Brooklyn, however, wore a conservative costume. She was a doctor and wore purple scrubs - even her everyday clothes weren't this conservative.

"I'm sure she was more comfortable than me, but I want the attention," Layla said.

Layla is actually shy and said the outfit gave her confidence.

"If I look good, I feel good."

One of my co-workers, a fellow editor, decided to dress up as Ben Franklin for Halloween. When she was telling people about her costume, another woman asked if she was going to be a sexy Ben Franklin. I was curious as well - was she going to hike the pantaloons up or perhaps tug down on a ruffley v-neck top? No, she was just going to be a simple, traditional Ben Franklin and no one could understand why she would dress that way for Halloween.

My male friends made it very clear they enjoy the holiday just because they can see women walking around in skimpy outfits. At one of the parties I went to, one of the women there got straight to the point - her costume was her underwear. And there were guys standing all around her.

"It's become the norm. I kind of expect it," a male friend told me. "I don't mind it."

Another guy friend agreed, under certain conditions.

"I don't mind looking," he said. "But if I had a sister that did that, it would be different. I would be pissed off if a bunch guys were talking to her."

As mad as I was at the slutty nurse, it wasn't her fault. I feel like women are forced to dress up in skimpy outfits each year just to keep up. Although there are women who dress up in conservative costumes, they won't be remembered standing next to the woman wearing a sheer top.

Amanda Dolasinski can be reached at dolasinski.1@osu.edu.

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