With the release of long awaited DC's Suicide Squad, avid and new fans alike are excitedly waiting for various conventions and Halloween to get the opportunity to dress as their favorite characters from the movie. The blatant fan favorite is Harley Quinn, who sports a ripped shirt, small shorts and two toned pigtails. Already posts have been made about sluts, skanks and whores who are not "real fans" dressing up as her. Most of these posts are made women from what I've noticed in my own news feed on the soap box that Facebook is. So I've devised a couple responses to various comments, statuses, articles, memes, videos and other types of media that feels it has the right to dictate what girl puts on her body.
1. "The girls who are dressing up as her are fake fans and are only following a fad!"
What is the criteria for a real fan? Is there a check list? Some people like movies, some people like books, some people like specific characters. These "fake fans" believe it or not, are the reason why your beloved comic book characters can get such a high budget and well made movie considering the fuel the industry for it. Fad or not, maybe it would be a more positive perspective to be happy about all of the new merchandise you can now buy due to all of the new fans funding it.
2. "They're all being slutty and skanky followers!"
Have you not seen how Harley Quinn has been portrayed through everything she has ever been in? From Batman: The Animated Series where she dons a skintight body suit
to Batman: Arkham Knight where her breasts essentially defy gravity.
Harley Quinn has always been portrayed in promiscuous and revealing outfits, which does not make her, or the people who dress up as her, a slut, skank, whore or bimbo. Why? Because clothing does not determine anyone's sexual status, and furthermore it does not affect you in any way who someone sleeps with. In fact, Harley Quinn is devoted to the Joker in most stories, and was a psychiatrist, which goes against the generic dumb and dirty definition of a slut.
For every guy who has complained about this, I have seen enough tweets online complaining about slutty costumes just to hear the same person turn around at a party and remark "Have you seen her tits?" as if they have never seen breasts before in their entire life. I don't need to define the word hypocrite because you have exemplified one in your actions.
3. "Every girl is going to dress up like her and ruin the character for me!"
That, my friend, is the price of having popular and high budget movies and merchandise that you have wanted for years to come out. If popularity is able to ruin a franchise for you, you probably weren't that big of a fan to begin with and should find another reason to dictate someone's choices.
4. "Halloween is supposed to be scary!"
In this case, you should probably avoid parties and booze and read some of the things posted on social media of men looking forward to taking advantage of women dressed up for Halloween and raping them. That's scary enough, no?
From what I have observed being a young adult who is fond of Halloween, women cannot win at Halloween. If they dress "slutty" they get shamed, if they cover up "they're no fun". If they follow popular media, they're just copycats, if they're creative, they're trying too hard. So, in an effort to put all of these labels and fighting to rest, I found a costume to appease everyone.
And for those of you who still find something to groan and complain about girls doing something that has nothing to do with them, I leave you this.
