As we approach Halloween, a holiday that is nearly impossible to not have fun with, we prepare for a weekend of heavy drinking, silly and often half-done costumes, and eating all of the candy we meant to give to trick-or-treaters who "probably won't show up anyway, man."
If you're like me, you're probably also more than aware of the yearly onslaught of "anti-slut" rants, petulant and often misguided attacks on women who chose to wear costumes that border more on lingerie than your typical spooky ghost costumes. These women are portrayed as dumb, "sex-fiending" wastrels who de-legitimize an already silly holiday in a quest for sex. If that's the case, then I have to ask, what the heck is wrong with that?
Most of those crying out against "slutty" costumes probably don't realize that what they are engaging in is seasonal slut-shaming, though I imagine it carries on well beyond the ghoulish tradition. Essentially, by judging a woman based on how she is dressed, you are literally judging a book by its (skimpy) cover. And this isn't just a Halloween issue, either. By assuming that a woman should be ashamed of how sexually promiscuous she acts and/or dresses, you are violating her right to act and dress how she pleases. And does sexually promiscuity make her any less of a valuable human? If you answered yes to that question, then go ahead and add "misogyny" to your interests on Facebook, because that right there is pretty much textbook.