There are two types of people in this world: those who love Halloween and those who absolutely cannot stand it. I love when the weather gets cooler and autumn decides to show it’s face in Memphis. I have a list of things to complete every year dedicated to fulfilling my love for all things fall (I named my cat October, Toby for short).

So naturally, Halloween is pretty close to the top of that list. I loved dressing up when I was younger. My costume repertoire includes clown, bumblebee, princess, princess bride, cheerleader, cowboy, biker chick, and a mouse (duh). As a kid, we all took great pride in parading around as our ghost, ghoul, or goblin of choice. But in high school I noticed a change. The hemlines got shorter and the necklines got lower. The material may have been cheaper and there was definitely less of it, but everything seemed to double in price. I was not about to drop my hard earned Taco Bell bucks on a “Sexy Police Officer” costume with complimentary handcuffs. These “sexy” costumes have only become more popular, and more ridiculous, with time.

I mean come on, “Sexy French Fries”, really? But girls still buy these costumes for one holiday that may be celebrated by a couple different bar crawls or frat parties, and nobody really remembers those anyway. But in this day and age it’s really all about the number of likes you get on Instagram and how many people see your Snapchat story.

Girls will be girls will be girls blah blah blah. Girls can be mean. We’ve all seen "Mean Girls" (if not, watch it right now and then come finish reading), and I know I’m not alone when I say that Tina Fey is a genius.

Ms. Norbury spits some real knowledge when she says, “You all have got to stop calling each other s---s and w----s. It just makes it okay for guys to call you s---s and w----s.” Us girls have got to stick together. We already know what it looks like to tear another woman down, even if it’s by accident (see Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj). We’ve already got the rest of the world beating us down and telling us we’re not good enough. Don’t contribute to that negativity. With Halloween coming up, it’s easy to label people based on their costume of choice.

Here’s a new rule: DON’T DO IT. Let’s just go back to being kids where we dress up and eat candy and have fun. We don’t have to tear others down to build ourselves up because, news flash: it does not work! If you see a girl doing her best to rock a funky little ghost get up, tell her she looks “boo-tiful.” If you see a cute little tiger or lion running around make sure you tell them they look “grrreat”. Don’t you dare whisper under your breath or snicker to your friends about the size, shape, or overall appearance of another girl unless it is to say how bomb she looks tonight.

Body shaming is a sickness and I am personally dedicated on curing it. It surrounds us in our everyday lives. Just watch any entertainment show, read a magazine, or just check the comments on Instagram or Twitter. Celebrities are constantly under fire for weight gain or loss and their choice to go makeup free. You are a beautiful human being and nothing can change that, no matter what other people hear, think, or say. So if you want to rock a sheet with eye-holes, do it. If you like the way your legs look in those 6-inch go-go boots, then bless your heart and good luck. If you want to break out the most fierce rainbow wig, rock it all the way down the street with pride. If you’re lazy or not creative and you fancy a t-shirt from Walmart that says “This Is My Costume”, do you boo. Halloween is a time to have fun while looking and feeling good. Just remember to be safe. And besides, it’s really just a way to mark the end of the Celtic calendar, and no one really uses it anymore so yeah.