“Duh, I’m a slutty cat.”
With Halloween just around the corner, be prepared to hear that response from at least 10 percent of the random girls you run into on the street, in the bars, or even at your doorstep. The slutty cat phenomena surged in popularity in the early 2000s and has somehow, managed to maintain its hype over the past 15 years. The costume has, however, come under fire in recent years as more and more bloggers, and avid Halloweeners critique those who don it. In general, said critiques are usually a version of the following.
“That’s not creative. A pair of ears and a hot going-out outfit isn’t a costume.”
“Girls shouldn’t dress like that, it's inappropriate.”
“You’re the same as every other basic girl, here; can’t you come up with something original?”
If you say any of these, or you hear anyone saying these, I ask that you please send them this article and promptly tell them, “Shut up, you witch. It’s Halloween -- who cares?!”
Just because it’s a holiday does not give anyone any more right to slut shame anyone for their outfit. If someone wants to dress sexy for themselves, or for others, it doesn’t mean you can just pass judgment on them. People can dress however they so choose, and if that involves wearing a pair of ears, you have no place critiquing them on it. If it was some random day in November, you wouldn’t go up to someone and say, “Wow, jeans and a crop top. Couldn’t you have come up with a more clever outfit than that?” No, because you would get slapped. People lacking creativity, or being unoriginal, wouldn't bother you any other day of the year, and Halloween doesn’t become the magical exception to that rule.
Honestly, the cat outfit just makes sense. Many people typically want to look hot when they go out, and that's usually a lot harder to do if you're dressed as a ghost, or Freddy Krueger. It is a minimal effort, and easy costume for anyone on a budget, which fits in perfectly to the demographic of college students -- the most frequent cat costume-wearers. People aren’t choosing to not be creative with their outfit choice, they are choosing said outfit because it’s what they want to wear. It’s fun, ears and whiskers are adorable, and someone saying they don’t like your outfit just isn’t.
The slutty cat, as so many identify it, has become a Halloween staple. I love going out and seeing the small variations each person adds to their version of the costume. Some have a tail, some are black cats, some are white. I've even seen a cat costume with a box around it reading, "Lost Kitten.” People are allowed to dress however they want. In my mind, the slutty cat is a classic and it wouldn’t truly feel like Halloween without it.
