Hypocritical Halloween

I was taken aback by a comment a student made at Boys and Girls Club today. I was asking a small group of kids what they were going to be for Halloween, and this young girl told me that should couldn't say because it was inappropriate. I could already tell where this was going, but that didn't stop me from asking, "Why is it inappropriate?" She answered that she was going to be something "slutty." This bothered me a lot. This was a nice 8th grade girl telling me that she was going to be a slut for Halloween, and she had no problems with it. She even defended it saying that she was a slut anyway. I asked why she would say such a thing, and she said that all her friends call her a slut, which made her mad. They did it so much, she finally gave in and became a slut anyway. She didn't go into details, and I didn't want to ask, but that comment alone showed me how naive she was and how such a positive person could have low self-esteem. I asked her that if I called her a loser, would she be a loser? She said no, and I continued asking that why should something her friends say make any difference. I told her that's not a title she should be proud about, but then we were all interrupted by another staff joining the conversation. We began talking about something else.

As an educator and a leader, I can't help but be extremely disappointed in how Halloween is marketed towards youth today. When I was younger, it was all about the candy and dressing up in SCARY costumes with your friends. As a college student, Halloween became an excuse to party with scantily-clad women. The line seems to be disturbingly blurred between ages now. I never want to see someone under the age of 18 dressing the way that girls dress at the Halloween parties I go to, but I also don't mind those Halloween parties. I feel extremely hypocritical and that's what bothers me the most. I would never want my friends' outfits to put them in vulnerable situations, but I don't mind other girls my age doing it. I feel like it's a fucked up situation that I can't find a solution for. The only thing I can be sure of is this:

I don't want these kids to grow up to be sluts. I don't want my friends to put themselves in vulnerable situations. And I don't want people (women and men alike) disrespecting themselves just because it's Halloween.

I guess we go party now...