What Makes a Halloween Costume Sexy?
Everywhere we look, we are dealing with women being called sexy. Sexy movie stars. Sexy singers. Sexy models. The society is constantly throwing out the word sexy, but what does sexy really mean?
Sexy is a relative term - sexy is relative to the environment, to the occasion, to roles, and to the other people present in a situation. Imagine walking onto a college campus and looking at female professors and female students. Clearly, female students can wear clothing that female professors couldn't get away with wearing. If the student wore a midriff-baring top, they would be accepted, considered sexy, and probably admired. If the professor wore the same top, she would be considered as dressing inappropriately - as being too sexy. If the student wore skin tight jeans, a skimpy top or a deep cut neckline, she might be pushing the edge of acceptable, but she wouldn't be considered too sexy for the situation. If the teacher wore any of those things, she would be too sexy for her role. So sexy is "role" related and role defined. Sexy is definitely related to the environment and to the role people are playing - teacher or student, for example. Sexy is also relative to the occasion and the location. The same student and female teacher could both get away with more provocative clothing if they were at a dance club, rather than in a teaching environment. And the amount of "detectable" cleavage would, on average, increase substantially in this night life environment. So what is sexy and what is acceptable varies considerably based on the environment.
In a night club, a woman will emphasize the elements of sexy dressing in order to stand out as more sexy than others. So, what are these elements? Sexy dressing starts with an attitude and a walk. If a woman wants to feel sexy, she is likely to expose those parts of the body that have sexual connotations. This could be the breasts, the legs, the earlobes. Necklines drop lower. Hemlines rise higher. Clothes are altogether tighter. Perfume more heavily used. All of these elements add to the overall feel of an outfit being sexy.
Men and women might consider different things sexy. A woman can feel that she is sexy if she has an amazingly self-confident attitude, her newest high quality dress and her best high heeled shoes. A man might consider that sexy, but not necessarily sexual. The man's meter switches from sexy to sexual as increasing number of body parts start to be exposed. A woman might still think she is just sexy, where she might be giving the impression that she is now sexy and open to opportunities.
We've talked about sexy being relative to the role and to the environment, but it is also relative to the occasion. A child's birthday party would certainly have stricter limits. In fact, in a child centered gathering, it would be considered inappropriate to be overly sexy. Women would attempt to be stylish but not necessarily sexy. However, at a cocktail party, women would definitely try to be sexy. The dress, the shoes, and the makeup would all be geared at giving the woman a sexy image.
So, what is it about Halloween that brings out the "sexy" in so many women? As we've stated, the entire concept of "what is sexy" is complicated and is affected by the environment, the role, and the occasion. Women's lives are really very scripted - they have to look and behave in one way to be a mother; they need to look quite differently if they are in a romantic setting; and they have much more freedom in their actions and their appearance if they are in a night life setting. With all of those expectations, women frequently look for opportunities to break free of those roles and those expectations. They want to remember the person they were in their twenties when they felt they had more freedom. They want to push out of the reality of their existence, and explore a bit of their fantasy world.
So what options do women have when they "just wanna have fun?" Halloween is the perfect outlet for women. It is a time when they can be whatever they have ever dreamed of being. They remember watching Pirates of the Caribbean and thinking how much fun it would be to be the saucy wench - well, on Halloween they can be the sexy Buccaneer wench. They can wear their high boots and saucy hat and give their fantasies free reign. For a few hours while they are at their favorite Halloween party or event, they can be Sexy Suzy - not Mom, not employee, not any constrained role. They can be fun. They can be flirtatious. They can show off their hard-earned figure obtained after endless hours in the gym. Halloween is a time they can be a Playboy character. They can wear super short clothing and it is accepted. Women love Halloween sexy clothing because it let's them be that sexy broad that lives within every woman.
So, as Halloween is around the corner, enjoy your sexy side and have fun in your sexy Halloween costume.