Average Don Juan I agree with your point, hence my inner struggle, except that as a woman, I know what it’s like to feel like your looks are ALL that matters. I have seen my own accomplishments and talents diminished and my looks the focus of people’s attention more than I can count — it was so early in my life when I discovered that if I wanted praise and attention, I would get it far more easily if I emphasized being sexy or pretty rather than leaned on my intelligence or experience (or even a combination of all).

And to further my inner struggle, I have seen the female students I’ve worked with over the years do the SAME THING. Diminish their intelligence and over-emphasize presenting a sexy demeanor — especially on Halloween. And seeing it in my 5-year-old niece chills me to the bone.

I think if we had more power to present ourselves in a sexy manner WITHOUT judgment any time we wanted, it might be a little different. And if our culture didn’t put such a HUGE emphasis on how women looked in the first place — another big step in the right direction. I just think it’s so skewed right now, and thus, I struggle to make peace with the sexy costumes.