Everyone remembers Halloween when they were a kid. Dressing up and trick-or-treating with friends, rating your neighbor’s treats, and eating your body weight in Halloween candy.

Personally, I dressed up as Madeline every year until I was 10 and I couldn’t have loved it more.

Halloween’s festivities are lesser known than its origin as a celebration of superstition. Costumes were worn to ward off monsters and ghosts.

Unfortunately, it seems like the only thing being scared off by the modern day female costume is other humans.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with wearing a costume that’s a little provocative. But there’s a difference between showing some skin and buying a costume that makes you wonder if it’s a costume at all.

It might just be me, but I feel like high school is too soon to start treating as Halloween as if we were adults.

Though making that transition from childhood into our adult lives is inevitable, I just didn’t think it would be so soon and so extreme.

I’m not going to act like I’ve never fallen victim to the appeal of wearing a costume that I know will get the attention of other people. But I will say that I have a lot more fun during Halloween, and in general, when I don’t care what other people think.

The question needs to be asked why some girls feel like they should wear a costume that compromises the meaning of the costume for provocativeness.

Maybe it is the attention that’s drawn from these costumes, or maybe they just really want to wear them. I know a lot of girls that will wear them because (as Halloween is supposed to do) it gives them a chance to be someone they’re not.

For a lot of women, being able to give yourself an alternate persona, even just for a night is thrilling, and it gives them a release from reality.

It seems to me like the only answer is that people are just trying to grow up as fast as possible.

With the rapid and uncontrollable rise of social media, the pressure to act older or “cooler” has never been so high. This pressure transfers into a lot of different aspects of social events, whether it be the things we wear or the activities we take part in.

Whatever the reason may be, I’m not trying to belittle it. If wearing a provocative costume makes you feel good about yourself, then that’s exactly the costume you should wear. But if it doesn’t make you feel good, then why do it?

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from high school, it’s that if it doesn’t make you happy, then you shouldn’t do it. That rule can apply to pretty much everything, and it’s been the primary factor in my growth as a mature individual.

I’ve worn promiscuous Halloween costumes, I’ve tried my hardest to look like all the other girls around me, and I’ve definitely embarrassed myself in doing so. But sometimes, things just don’t work out. You won’t ever look or be like anybody else other than yourself, so just accept that and be the best version of yourself you can be.

If that version includes dressing up in provocative costumes, then don’t let me or anything else stop you. If that doesn’t sound like you, like someone who is just doing something to fit in, then maybe you should reevaluate your decision.

This Halloween, in more ways than one, think before you act. Maybe explore the classic bedsheet as a ghost costume instead of just a white tank top and skirt, you know what I mean?