RIESZ: Dressing up, stripping down

Last night on the T, I saw more butt cheeks, fishnets and animal ears than I was mentally prepared for. Not to mention these butt cheeks (of a male, by the way), fishnets and animal ears were no more than two inches from my face, flattening me to the side of the train. More than maximum capacity had been reached on Charlie, and although I had experienced Halloween at BU before, I still felt like I was spending time in an alternate universe where scantily clad people dance drunkenly on public transit forever.

We’ve all heard the complaint people have with Halloween these days – instead of being the Hallmark, kid-friendly holiday it used to be, it has turned into a sinful night where sexually deviant young people essentially participate in a mass orgy. It must be stopped, critics roar, in the name of American Innocence! We just can’t let those darn college kids run around in next to nothing. Next thing you know, they’ll be going around stark naked! In response to these older folk, you usually just want to scream, “I GET IT.” (And then mumble under your breath, “I’m gonna do it anyway. In fact, Grandma, I’m gonna go as Pam Anderson just to spite you.”) After all, our generation gets enough crap from everyone: we don’t care enough about politics, we’re spoiled, we’re obsessed with text messaging . . . the list goes on forever. So it makes sense that we would turn a perfectly adorable holiday into an obscene one, right?

Well, I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that in this particular case, I absolutely don’t mind obscenity. In fact, I’d go as far as to say I approve of it. Especially for college kids who spend most of the time stressing out or working to help pay that tuition bill, Halloween provides a well-needed opportunity for fun. By which I mean, dressing in as little as possible and perhaps indulging in some fraternity-oriented feasting. Sexuality comes out in all its forms on Halloween &- girls who don’t necessarily get the chance to parade around in pumps on a daily basis throw caution to the wind and let their hair down. Kids can still have their trick-or-treating in the suburbs, but in a college town, it should be expected that we’re all going to embrace our inner rascals and act like we own the whole city. For once, let us have it. Accept its raunchiness. If you don’t like it, well, I don’t know why you’re in Allston anyway.

Now, I understand that what I’m saying might be misconstrued. I’m not saying Halloween is the one night a year every girl should barely get dressed and go out with the intent of sleeping with nameless guys. But you only get a handful of Halloweens to show off your killer legs and creativity, so why not step out of your comfort zone? Everyone has to get in touch with his or her devilish side at some point.