Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Trick or treat? Have costumes gone too far?

The other night I watched "How I Met Your Mother" -- a new favorite of mine -- with some friends. In the Halloween episode, Neil Patrick Harris' troublemaking character, Barney, stole the words right out of my mouth.
The show centered around Ted's hope of reuniting with a girl he met at a costume party dressed as a pumpkin. Barney, boasting of the glory of Halloween, said he loves the holiday because girls use it as an excuse to dress skanky. I agree with Barney on the skank factor but don't see the appeal.
Over the weekend I saw it all. Eve in her fig leaves and nothing more. A wet T-shirt contest winner. Snow White minus the dwarfs. The one common thread being little thread at all, which left me thinking "Come on girls!?"
I didn't dress up this year. I joked with a friend, claiming my excuse was I didn't know how to make my sheep herder costume look skanky. To me, the holiday is a good reason to have fun but you don't have to bear it all.

8 comments:

Donecia Pea said...

Oh my GAWD! This is so real! But how about I actually saw a MALE skanky offender yesterday while at lunch. Actually, I'm still not sure whether it was a Halloween costume or not, but a middle-aged man wearing flourescent purple, skin-tight, all-TOO-revealing, spandex biker PANTS (yes from his butt to his ankles) with a short tight T-shirt just HAS to be a one-time event. At least I pray so.

Joel Anderson said...

Donecia, you know you were ogling that guy down. Remember, I was there.

Also, I have no problem with the variety of costume choices available to women, from skanky to slinky to downright nekkid.

Isn't that what this is all about: a woman's right to choose?

Let's free ourselves of these rigid and antiquated social mores. In fact, let's just let these ladies free themselves of restrictive clothing.

Let's enter the 21st Century.

Donecia Pea said...

Of COURSE you would say that Joel because you're soooo concerned about the rights of women including freedom of expression, riiiight? Surely, you aren't just saying that for your selfish, lustful desire to see women revealing as much, i.e. eye candy, as possible, right? I didn't think so.

Stephanie Netherton said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Stephanie Netherton said...

Joel Anderson, are you kidding me? Yes, women should have freedom of choice. But I'd expect all self-respecting women not to sell their dignity for a few free drinks! What ever happened to less is more?

Joel Anderson said...

Exactly. Less is more. I truly believe that.

And Stephanie and Donecia ... I didn't know that you all were Quakers. Who would have known?

Nobody is forcing you all to jump into a French maid's outfit. But if some young Tender-Roni wants to wear a naughty nurse outfit on Halloween or All-Saints Day, she should feel free to do so.

And I mean free to do so without the fear of being judged by a couple of Puritans like you two.

Donecia Pea said...

Leave it you to go to the EXTREME and call us puritans for calling ridiculousness what it is.
And please stop this pathetic attempt to portray this role of a male sympathetic to the needs of skank-dressing women...it's tired and sad man.

Val Horvath said...

Wait. Did Joel just actually use the term "Tender-Roni"?!?!