AU Speaks: Have Halloween costumes become oversexualized?

By Madi Oglesby | Opinion editor

It’s Halloweekend, and you’re walking down the streets of Downtown Augusta, going to a frat party or the bar, and you’re taking note of everyone’s costumes for this special night. Chances are, more likely than not, you will see sexy versions of essentially anything that can be turned into a costume. 

Once seen as symbols of commitment to their God, nuns are now portrayed in society as something to dress up as in fishnets. Once seen as volunteers or workers to help save lives, candy stripers or nurses are now viewed as only to be worn on Halloween with excessive cleavage. 

As time goes on in this generation, people are only drawn to the sex appeal of clothing. A costume is not the star of the show unless, particularly women, are dressed in as little as they can get away with.

Now, this is a highly controversial opinion. Many people in this generation may even have mixed feelings on this topic. They believe that people should be able to wear whatever they want without consequence. 

However, it is hard not to believe even slightly that Halloween costumes have become oversexualized in the past decade. This is not to say that anyone being objectified by anyone else is okay. Halloween or not, lustful eyes are never something to resort to or encourage, and this is something else that people have begun to normalize in this generation.

“I think that some people get too excited about Halloween and go out to parties, trying to look cute. They don’t need to look like that to get compliments,” Holley Colson, a freshman chemistry major from Augusta, shared. “People constantly oversexualize their bodies, and they don’t need to.” 

I posted another shared story on the Augusta University shared Instagram page, asking the same question about these costumes. This time, the margin was a lot more in favor of the fact that they have become much more sexualized in recent years. Of the 122 students who responded to the poll, 79% agreed with the stance.

“I think so much is oversexualized today. From social media posts to Halloween costumes, you can’t get away from ‘sex sells,’” Maggie Egan, a freshman nursing major from Augusta, shared. “I’ll always be in favor of a funny, warm, practical costume over not wearing enough clothing to even go grocery shopping.”

As I was recently listening to one of my favorite podcasts, the host said something that really struck me. It was something along the lines of, “We live in a world where everyone is obsessed with visibility.” This is really in tune with the idea of oversexualizing costumes. 

Everyone is so obsessed with the views and the attention that they get as a result of their costumes, that the thoughtfulness of their actions is forgotten. 

The opposite of this, however, is the freedom that people have to wear these things. Many times, these costumes are a way that people can express themselves or connect with others. This prompts the belief that no costume is “too much”, as it is for them and them only. 

“I don’t think costumes have become oversexualized,” Wesley Petsch, a junior business administration major from Locust Grove, shares his agreement with this stance. “I think, for a lot of people, Halloween is the one time of year that they’re able to express themselves. Whether that’s feeling sexy or whatever that may be.”

From the poll, 21% of people agreed with Wesley, stating that they did not believe costumes have become oversexualized. This stance has been around for just as long, pertaining to lots of different issues.

Expressing yourself is something that is taught to each generation, but girls are also told to limit that expression so that boys won’t look at you. It’s a very back-and-forth type of question.

This particular topic is one that is highly debated, and rightfully so. While I do agree that costumes have become oversexualized, I do also believe that people should be able to shamelessly express themselves. 

So, AU, what do you think? Have Halloween costumes become too much for public? Or do you look past the Lorax dancing alongside a scantily clad cop for their freedom of self-expression?

Contact Madi Oglesby at auoglesby@augusta.edu.