The Brown & White

The cobweb decorations and jack-o-lanterns in every store window can mean only one thing - it's Halloween. But for many, Halloween at Lehigh is less about decorations and trick-or-treating, and more about having a socially acceptable costume.

Halloween has become a night - or at Lehigh usually at least three nights - to dress up and have a good time.

Kristen DeStefano, '12, feels that people take advantage of the Halloween season.

"Halloween is a chance to not be yourself," she said. "I think people use the holiday as an excuse and take it to extremes."

Many women on campus feel pressure to dress in "sexy" costumes.

Allison Thomas, '11, said that there is pressure for women to dress a certain way.

"I do feel like there's pressure to dress sexy," she said.

Many students agree that Halloween, a secular holiday with roots in Celtic paganism and Christianity, is an opportunity to go a little crazy and be someone or something that they aren't usually.

But Halloween is not the only time women experience pressure to dress in revealing outfits.

Thomas said she faced this same pressure with themed parties.

"The girls lacrosse team tried to have a theme party with the boys lax team with everyone wearing lacrosse jerseys," she said. "But the boys didn't go for it because we wouldn't have been slutty enough. Instead they wanted to have a 'guidos and guidettes' party."

Thomas said that guys only want to go to parties where they know most girls will be dressed provocatively.

Halloween is a time, as Thomas said, "to let your fantasies come out. For some, it's their night to be a slut."

Sarah Miller, '12, said that she's seen every costume turned into something more provocative than it ever should be.

"I don't really feel any pressure, but it's definitely obvious that more girls than not dress slutty on Halloween because they feel like they have to," she said.

Ryan Wall, '11, said he definitely notices this trend.

"Girls dress slutty; guys dress creatively," he said.

With Halloween just around the corner, temporary costumes stores are springing up on every corner.

There are more and more super-short, super-sexy Halloween costumes available for kids and tweens. Stores and Web sites market revealing "naughty" witches and French maid costumes tailored specifically for young girls.

Stores where students can find last-minute costumes include Party City and Spirit Halloween in the Lehigh Valley Mall.

While costumes may be getting skimpier, Miller expressed that the same pressure and opportunity to dress provocatively on Halloween existed in high school.

Miller said that girls from her high school would even show up to school in racy and inappropriate costumes, just because it was Halloween and they thought that because it was a holiday, their outfits were acceptable.

Thomas said she opted out of the skimpy costumes and instead chose a more traditional and funny outfit.

Miller also plans to steer clear of pressure to wear a revealing outfit by wearing a full-body pig suit.