As the air becomes crisper and the leaves on the campus trees shift from green to a myriad of golden and scarlet hues, the arrival of fall calls to mind one thing for many students: Halloween. From nostalgic costumes such as Power Rangers or a group dressed as Tetris blocks to characters from the latest blockbusters like “Juno,” it only takes a quick stroll down State Street during Freakfest to appreciate the creativity that goes into crafting the perfect ensemble.

However, there is one costume that is obnoxiously ubiquitous. Not only is the “slutty cop” costume completely unoriginal and overdone, it is blatantly disrespectful to females. The time has come to hang up the handcuffs and put an end to this travesty and all its sexy/slutty/skanky (insert costume name here) variants once and for all.

Although there are many equally skimpy female Halloween costumes, the scantily-clad female police officer seems to be the most common. The formula is simple: Squeeze into a skin tight navy top with a neckline that plunges down to the navel, put on a pair of hot pants (or no pants at all), slap on a fake badge, add a hat, grope a baton in a sexual fashion, and BAM — slutty cop is born. But not exactly born — reincarnated in the form of hundreds of young women whose father figures would pass out in their La-Z-Boys if they were to catch a glimpse of their girls gone temporarily wild during the evening news coverage of Madison Halloween.

Even those who have not seen the movie “Mean Girls” are probably familiar with the backward logic of the universal “slut rule” many young ladies observe each Halloween. Although an unwritten law, it basically states any garment, however microscopic and revealing, is not only acceptable but also encouraged provided that said getup be worn on Oct. 31.

Yet, just because Halloween is a time to take on another identity does not mean one should use it as an excuse to throw dignity out the window. Once said dignity is thrown out the window, there is no way of knowing if it can be regained.

Before donning these demeaning costumes, girls should consider the message they are sending to others by dressing like streetwalker/authority-figure hybrids. From the looks of it, the only discernible message is “Look at me! I’m hot!” Any justification that remotely resembles a Paris Hilton motto should sound off some sort of alarm. Even though Halloween only occurs once a year, women should always carry themselves in a manner that commands respect rather than gives males an excuse to ogle exposed body parts.

In just the last century, women secured the right to vote. And although we have made strides in the corporate world, we still make only 77 cents on the dollar compared to men. Why make this hard-fought struggle for respect and equality any more difficult by dressing in an undignified manner which gives weight to the archaic belief women are mere objects of desire meant to be controlled by men?

Although choosing to wear overtly sexual garb is a personal choice and an expression of free speech, the implications of dressing as such reach beyond the individual. Each woman serves as an individual ambassador for all women. Certainly, women deserve better representation than the persona of the oversexed mock law enforcement officer.

So, ladies of Madison, as you peruse your closets, costume shops and thrift stores in search of that perfect outfit for the coming holiday, do yourself and womankind a favor and avoid the stereotypical slutty cop costume. After all, this is Wisconsin — and October is hardly the time of year to be caught outdoors with such little clothing.

Holly Hartung ([email protected]) is a sophomore.