By now, most people already know what they are going to be for Halloween, whether itIAe a princess, a skeleton or Batman. Unfortunately, it sometimes seems like there is little creativity left when it comes to costume finding. This is definitely understandable because sometimes it seems like almost everything has already been done, and I usually struggle with trying to find something to be.

On a sort of random note that I swear serves a purpose, I was trying to think of an interesting and creative costume this year. I ended up coming to the conclusion that Beetlejuice would be acceptable, so I went about trying to find a cheap costume online since Halloween stores can be super expensive for a poor college student like me. I know it’s sort of strange that I wanted to be Beetlejuice in the first place, but I was going for something out of the norm.

When I finally found a cheap costume, there was an option for the male version of this costume, and then there was the female version of the costume—the “sexy” version. I could not stop laughing. Really? Of all the things to make sexy, they made Beetlejuice sexy. For anyone who doesn’t know what I am talking about, please look up Beetlejuice, and then you will probably understand why that seems absurd.

I do not understand why there needs to be a “sexy” version for a girl’s Halloween costume (by girl, I mostly mean teenage to college age). It has somehow become a social norm to dress promiscuously.

Halloween has been turned from a fun, family night of trick-or-treating into a night where whoever has the least amount of clothes on, but does not cross the line of indecent exposure, wins. This is not necessarily a commentary on Halloween itself because the issue goes back to a deep-rooted societal problem, in my opinion.

I understand that to some that sounds like a load of ultra-feminist bologna, but I promise, it is not. Feminism does play into it a little bit, but it is more so about common decency and respect for people in general.

I do not understand why people, not only women, are defined by how desirable they are. Looks aren’t everything. People use Halloween as an excuse to wear less clothing, which then somehow proves how sexy or beautiful you are. It has become such a trend that even things that are not sexy and not meant to be sexy, like Beetlejuice, have been stripped down and built back up so that they are sexy.

It’s strange how as a girl or young woman, I went from dressing up as a pumpkin and going around the neighborhood with my mom for candy to being expected to wear less and less clothing. It’s a very strange transition—going through the ever-increasing social pressures. Sadly enough, it is a social pressure. I remember feeling like the odd one out because I did not have a “sexy” costume, and all the “cool” kids had them. Therefore, because of a material thing, I was not a “cool” kid. Looking back on it, it’s a bit ridiculous to feel that way. But, nevertheless, I did feel like that.

I wish we could go back to how Halloween was when we were kids because it seems like things were a lot simpler. Seriously though, what happened to the Halloween from my childhood?