“Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.” Girls, you could probably pick this famous Mean Girls quote out even if it were a needle in a haystack, and it holds true in real life.
In a couple of days, out will come a new breed of scantily clad cougars, kittens, nurses and policewomen.
We have long outgrown our trick-or-treating years; now we devote our time to putting together showy costumes. I’m not saying wearing a revealing costume is a bad thing, per se, but sometimes it can get girls into big messes.
With miniskirts and midriff-baring and low-cut tops not bothering to hide anything, Halloween costumes nowadays leave guys wanting more. That’s all fine and dandy until the wrong guy takes a special liking to your attire.
Especially because Prince George’s County isn’t exactly devoid of sexual assault and other crimes, girls need to take more precaution than ever this weekend, particularly when walking to The Varsity, the University View or any other party destinations farther from the campus.
On Halloween night there will be people out there lurking the streets of the surrounding areas, scanning for potential sexual assault targets. Even worse, it’ll be harder to tell how sketchy they are because they could be disguised as the Old Spice guy or, ironically enough, the College Park Cuddler (a cult favorite in these parts).
And at the moment you find yourself in danger, what would bad luck have you wearing? Nothing but a pair of bunny ears. One thing is for sure: A crazy night out plus girls with revealing costumes plus sketchy people in disguise equals assaults waiting to happen.
You might be thinking, “So what? I already know that.” But to fully understand the situation, you have to put yourself in the eyes of a potential criminal. Because he will most likely be a guy, try to cover up your womanly features at least while walking outside. When you find yourself needing multiple extra layers of clothing, you’ll see the full extent to which you are prone to getting violated.
I don’t mean to write another “protect yourself while walking late at night” column. All I want to say is that it can happen to you at this time of the year more than any other. Halloween is a creep’s paradise — he or she’s not afraid of going out and really acting the part.
Back home, I lived in a calm, suburban neighborhood near a private college. Yet every single year, someone would end the night at the police station reporting an instance where a guy in, say, a male nurse costume got too hands-on. On one occasion, a girl ended up in the hospital with severe internal bleeding. The website www.neighborhoodscout.com shows this university is located in the most dangerous part of College Park. If sexual assaults happen in my neighborhood — a relatively safe environment — think of the crime that awaits around here.
So, there is an obvious solution: Always walk with a group, and either wear costumes that are less scandalous or cover up when walking outside. Once you get inside, you can go reveal that you’re supposed to be a mouse — duh.
Jessica Jimenez is a freshman journalism major. She can be reached at jimenez@umdbk.com.
