While most people use Halloween as an excuse to conceal their identities, some people use it to remove the feminist masks that they flaunt the rest of the year. Why does our support for women’s choices end when it comes to their Halloween costumes? Never fear, ladies! I am your hypothetical Grandma Aggie here to tell you that Halloweentown has room for all Halloween costumes; not just the ones society deems appropriate for you to wear.
There are monsters on the Internet that I consider virtual vampires. I'm not talking about rad 1987-era Kiefer Sutherland vampires; I'm referring to keyboard villains who suck the life out of everything. How many times have you seen someone complain about feminine costumes they've labeled cliche or overdone? Here is my advice: Do not listen to them.
If you want to rock a Harley Quinn costume this year, then by all means, you should rock it. Fans do not have ownership over certain comic book or movie characters. That is the beauty of life: We're always discovering things. It doesn't matter if you are a lifelong fan; it matters that you are a fan now. Never let another person tell you that your love for a character isn't legitimate. No matter what some might say, Halloween is not an originality contest. Halloween is about getting to be anything you want for a night. The only thing bothering these people is how confident and awesome you look in your costume. Really.
This might be obvious, but you really cannot please everyone. Would these life-suckers be satisfied if you wore a cardboard box that covered the entire length of your body? No. Are they happy with you flaunting a costume that you love? No. When you let other people decide what should or shouldn't make you feel confident, you are letting them win.
Wear a costume that makes you feel like a rockstar. Wear a costume that makes you feel like Beyoncé. Wear a costume that makes you feel good about yourself. Don't let anyone dampen your candy-filled Halloween parade of cuteness. The modesty police can rant in the comment section of Facebook, but in reality, you are the one shining in your killer ensemble.
I cringe into oblivion every time I see a self-described “feminist” use derogatory language to describe a woman’s Halloween costume. The last thing we should do is dilute Halloween down into a day full of judgement. We should always use our time to build each other up, and that includes the Halloween season. Leave the name-calling at home, and join in with the other bad witches on All Hallows' Eve.
