Halloween Costumes

Halloween CostumesKatelyn Pringnitz

Hello everyone! Today I am going to be presenting my mediation on Halloween costumes.1Issue #1College women are expected to dress in outfits that make them look sexy and attractive during HalloweenMocked for being childish or prude if they cover up

Issue #1 college women are expected to dress in outfits that make them look sexy and attractive during Halloween. As you can see from the pictures on the slide, these are some very common outfits available for women to buy. They are all short, tight and revealing. If women try to cover up or wear less revealing costumes, they are often mocked for being childish or prude.2Issue #1College women are judged and ridiculed for dressing in revealing outfits for Halloween by men and other women

Although college women are expected to dress in sexy and attractive Halloween costumes, they are being judged and ridiculed for doing so. The ridiculing comes from men and other women. As you can see from the picture on the slide, joking about womens Halloween costumes is a common occurrence. The meme has a man saying Brace yourselves, pictures of slutty Halloween costumes are coming which clearly insults women and their costumes.3MediationDressing up should be celebrated regardless of the outfit

People need to relax their judgments and keep an open mind when viewing womens costumes

In order to find a middle ground between the two issues, I suggest that people should begin celebrating dressing up for the holiday in general. It should not matter what the person decides to wear as long as they are participating in the fun. Another way that this issue could be resolved is to have people relax their judgments and keep an open mind to womens costume choices. 4Issue #2Choices for costumes in stores are very limited to tight, revealing, and short outfitsMost costumes include sexy in the title

Sexy Princess Leia Slave

Sexy Pucker Up Baby Cupid

Issue #2 Womens costume selection in stores is very limited. Almost all available outfits are tight, revealing, and short. To add to the demand on women to be attractive, most costumes include sexy in the title. I have provided two examples on the slide. The first costume is called Sexy Princess Leia Slave and the second is titled Sexy Pucker Up Baby Cupid As you can see, the outfits cover very little of the women and the titles lead you to believe that you have to be sexy.5Issue #2Most college girls have to craft their own outfits that are less revealingCrafting can be time consuming and typically requires a lot of preparation

For those girls that do not want to buy expensive Halloween costumes that barely cover themselves, there is another option. Most college girls end up crafting their own outfits for Halloween. However, a downside to crafting a costume is that it can be very time consuming and requires a lot of preparation. For my own Halloween costume this year, my friends and I began planning several weeks in advance. We then went out and bought the necessary materials and put together our creations. I truly enjoy making my own costume but it is not something that you can do the night before a Halloween party, that is for sure.6MediationHalloween costume companies need to make a wider range of options for womens outfitsMaking more clothing options will lead to more costumes being acceptedMore acceptance will lead to changed expectations of women around Halloween

To find a mediation between the two dilemmas, I believe that Halloween costume companies need to begin making a wider range of options for women to buy. With a wider range of options, more costume choices will begin to be accepted. Having more costume acceptance will lead to a relaxed expectation of women around Halloween time.7Issue #3Costumes that are revealing and promiscuous send the wrong messageHalloween costumes lead people to believe that the woman is slutty or trampyHalloween only occurs one day a yearWhat a women wears may not reflect her typical behavior or dress

Issue #3 Women are now facing the problem of sending the wrong message because of the costumes that they are wearing. Halloween costumes that are revealing and promiscuous can lead people who do not know them to believe that they are slutty or trampy.

However, Halloween is only one day of the year and people need to keep that in mind. What a woman wears may not reflect her typical behavior or dress. That is why it is called a costume and we attend themed parties and events.8MediationSociety needs to understand that outfits do not reflect womens typical behaviorPushing for more variety in costumes will lead to more open mindednessLess judgment based on womens costumes will decrease the negative connotation that occurs on Halloween

Society needs to understand that outfits do not reflect a womans typical behavior. If during Halloween, people can focus on remembering that woman are dressing up they can be more understanding and less judgmental. Also- although I have talked about this before, it is very important that we keep pushing for more variety in costumes because it will lead to more options and therefore less room for people to look down or frown upon outfits. Lastly, less judgment based on womens costume will decrease the negative connotation that occurs on Halloween which will allow everyone to have a more enjoyable holiday.9Issue #4Provocative outfits lead to more potential for dangerous situations for college women

Issue #4 provocative outfits lead to more potential for dangerous situations for college women. Obviously nobody ever expects to be harmed or harassed for any reason, but the halloween costumes that most college women wear greatly increases the chances of sexual harassment.10Issue #4Guys are receiving mixed signals from girls outfits

The other side of this issue is that guys are often receiving mixed signals from girls and their outfits. By choosing to wear revealing outfits, girls can give off the wrong message and it can lead to problems. 11MediationSexual harassment is never acceptable!

Women need to protect themselves and wear more clothingGuys must understand that womens outfits may not match their intentions

My mediation. Obviously, sexual harassment is never acceptable! However, women need to understand that sexual harassment does happen and to protect themselves, they should wear more clothing. Also, men must understand that womens outfits may not match their true intentions. It is vital that women and men communicate clearly and dont make assumptions. Everyone wants to have a fun and entertaining Halloween and by working toward the solutions that I have provided, women and men will be able to have a fantastic time!12The End

Thank you all for listening to my presentation. I will now answer any questions that you have at this time.13Works CitedCostumes permit self-expression. The State News. Michigan State Universitys Independent Voice, 2 Oct. 2012. Web. 4 Nov. 2012.Kaminer, Ariel. A Night for Pagans Brings Out the Sexy. The New York Times 15 Oct. 2010. The New York Times. Web. 4 Nov. 2012.New for 2012 Womens. Halloween Express. Halloween Express, n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2012.Samakow, Jessica. Girls' Halloween Costumes, Then And Now: The Evolution From Silly To 'Sexy'. The Huffington Post. 25 Oct. 2012. The Huffington Post. Web. 4 Nov. 2012.Weisner, Zoe. Sexualizing Halloween costumes perpetuates stereotypes. The Oracle 24 Oct. 2012. Web. 4 Nov. 2012.

RubricExcellentGoodFairNeeds WorkContextPurpose: perceptive definition of central question, visual & verbal; scope is narrow, question consistent throughoutxSubstanceDevelopment: sufficient summary & insight; slides focused & yet fully developed; mix of verbal & visual informationxSources: appropriate for topic, pertinent in placement, and accurately cited; quotations & data introduced correctlyxOrganizationThesis: a thesis, early or late, that clearly states both sides of question & its mediationxIntroduction and Conclusion: overview of organization given at the beginning; conclusion sums up key pointsxRelationship: relationship of ideas clear; coherent; visual cues guide us through presentationxStyleVisual Style: clear & to-the-point text on-screen; same for data on-screen; the verbal component fits the visualxVerbal & Sonic elements: engaging presence, name given, neither too colloquial nor too formal; no mumbling; any other use of sound (music, video) fitting xConventions & Correctness free from data errors free from word errors (SP, etc.)xResponse TeamResponse: Questions in class & written responses demonstrate understanding; response helps enhance presentation (rated Excellent, Good, or Fair.)xOverall CommentsOverall Comments: An interesting organization, raising a problem within your larger topic, & mediating that one before moving on to the next. Out loud I felt it didnt work so effectively as it does when I can take time with the PPT slides on my computer though, note, the respondents below followed the pattern fine. Still, if there is any difficulty w/ the arrangement, it derives in part from the repetition. Do we really need three slides of provocative costumes, among 13 overall (not counting the unnecessary The End slide)? Couldnt you instead have gotten more specific about alternative costuming? I mentioned Hillary Clinton in class, & that still seems like a good idea. But enough carping. This is substantive, when it couldve been frivolous, & in person you put your ideas across winningly, as the respondents note. A-

Peer ResponsesResponse Team: Max Smith, Abhi Pant, and Michael Wilkerson

Visually the presentation was interesting because it used the theme colors of Halloween. There were also pictures to complement what was being talked about (Pant). Another key thing that made Katelyns presentation visually appealing was that her balance of pictures and text were well balanced and didnt cause too much of a distraction while listening (Smith).Sound wise, Katelyn had great vocal delivery. Overall strong presence and confidence with what she wanted to say (Pant).

The presentation was structured in an alternating format where the problem was presented followed by the mediated solution to the problem (Wilkerson). By having the alternating format that she did, she was able to clearly send her message to the audience and say what she wanted to say (Smith).

The presentation was clear due to audible talking, clean slides, and a structured format (Wilkerson). Another point of clarity that really helped Katelyn was her use of personal experience when she discussed her and her group of friends dressing up and going out to celebrate her Halloween night (Smith).

Katelyn also did a great job of using specific details in her presentation. She did this by telling specific facts about Halloween costumes, and gave in depth solutions to the problems that she proposed (Smith). Fine work here, attentive to larger issues like structure & to details as well, & sensitive about the presenters own role. Plusses all around.