is halloween a “safe space” for sexuality?

With Halloween just around the corner, stores everywhere are stockpiling all of the holiday essentials – candy, pumpkins, themed home décor and of course, the highly debated “slutty women’s Halloween costume.”

Naturally I don’t think they’re slutty – or that there’s anything wrong with women expressing their sexuality through costumes – but America has made the “day of the dead” a sort of unofficial day of uninhibited sexuality.

Any other day of the year, short skirts, tight dresses, and skimpy tops are frowned upon – acceptable only in the world of adult entertainment – but on Halloween, women get a pass.

Why is this? Why isn’t it acceptable for women to be openly sexual creatures? To have sexual desires? To experience natural human urges and emotions?

What if instead of dressing up for Halloween, women across the country are actually “stripping down” to reveal their repressed sexual selves?

According to Think Progress health editor Tara Culp-Ressler, who was quoted last year in the Huffington Post, “Halloween has become, for many women, one of the only days of the year that they feel comfortable really having their sexuality on display, really being overtly sexual.”

If this is true, then I encourage all women to take advantage of this “safe space.” Explore the hidden, intimate parts of yourself and have fun with it!

I’d also like to suggest using costumes to explore new erotic zones with your partner – or even by yourself if you’re inclined. You don’t have to wait all year for one day; the privacy of your own home affords the same safety. Communicate your desires to dress up in the bedroom with your partner – many sex surveys show there’s a good chance they’ll be up for the role-playing experience.

Have fun, and be you this Halloween – and every other night as well!

xo,
jd