When did Halloween go from being a candy–gathering adventure to a universal night for teen girls to show off their stomachs and cleavage? Why is dressing like this universally expected nowadays?

The pressure to show more skin and look what society considers ‘sexy’ has undeniably increased. Not only are women expected to show more skin and less costume, they also have to have the right skin to show.

The Miss Representation website explains that, due to advertising, the only people who should be included in the provocative Halloween ‘fun’ are thin, white, young women.

According to the Council on Size & Weight Discrimination, 7 in 10 girls believe they are not good enough or do not measure up in some way (including their looks, performance in school and relationships); 80% of 10-year-old girls have dieted; 90% of high school junior and senior women diet regularly. The most shocking statistic of all is that young girls are more afraid of becoming fat than they are of nuclear war, cancer, or losing their parents.

Why do women dress this way if it has such damaging results

High school girls will be judged “mercilessly” if they still dress like they did in middle or elementary school.

“Once you get past age 15, you’re expected to push up your boobs so far they hurt and look like you have a pillow in your butt. It’s girl code,” Sophomore Harper Lindsay said.

“It’s all a competition to show the most skin,” sophomore Maggie Hall said. “The more skin you show, the more attention you get from guys, and no one wants to be left out.”

Teen boys agree with girls’ self-assessment.

“It’s a trend.”

“They know they can get away with it.”

“They think guys like it.”

They mentioned phrases like “weight limit” and “pretty girls.”

Gena Cindric, the mother of a freshman at Frederick Community College, said that she doesn’t understand the need for girls to dress provocatively.

“Don’t girls understand that the attention they’re receiving in these costumes is not the kind of attention they should be striving for? Whether you’re big, small, black, white, young, or old, you aren’t going to get any respect. You can look cute and flatter your body without showing skin or wearing skin-tight clothes. When picking out a costume, choose something that you wouldn’t mind your mom wearing,” Cindric says.

Most teen girls are at a point where they are no longer trick-or-treating, they are attending parties to celebrate Halloween. The purpose for dressing this way isn’t to get candy, it’s to get the attention of boys.

The top 3 most popular costumes for 2012 were:

1. Vixen Pirate Wench Costume
2. Sexy Bombshell Police Costume
3. Racy Red Riding Hood Costume

Several websites offer alternative Halloween costumes. The SGV Now Project, which considers itself the feminist “action arm” of the movie Miss Representation, gives us suggestions on how to make “empowering” costumes on weebly.com. On squidoo.com, one article tries to kill the idea of sexualized costumes by suggesting that teens dress as something inspiring for Halloween. Even chacha.com gives ideas on “classy” Halloween costumes like Holly Golightly and an airplane stewardess.