Halloween has long been a celebration of dressing up without ramifications. Ever since maybe seventh grade, when I dressed as a Barbie Doll to my friend's Goth, I've felt like Halloween is an excuse for girls to dress up, well … sluttily.

According to the wise words of Cady Heron from "Mean Girls," "Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it."

Well, yeah. I'll agree with you there. Go to Dallas & Co. and you'll see, amidst the gorilla costumes and fake blood, racks of premade, completely trashy Halloween costumes.

Not that I look down on people who wear those. For years, I've edited my costumes to make them a little shorter, a little lower cut. It's fun to be able to dress kind of risque and have an excuse for it. Even though people still make comments, it's the one day of the year when they don't REALLY think less of you.

This year, though, I didn't feel like it. Of course, sluttiness being my sort of default costume setting, the thought crossed my mind. But I couldn't think of anything to be.

Now, I'm not going to disclose the particulars of my Halloween costume yet (although most of my friends already know); trust me when I say that it's in the spirit of rebellion. Big baggy pants, suspenders … all still within the guise of a revamped kid's costume. When I told people, I got a lot of, "So, a slutty ___? Or a real ___?"

I just sigh and say, "A real one."

It feels sort of like a sigh of relief. I don't have to worry about whether the bra I wear will show, or which shorts to wear under my too-short skirt. I'll be set free from the self-conciousness, the worry about people's opinions. I'll be able to goof around and act like a kid.

So fellow costume-seekers, I wish you well. Whether you want to go down the trashier path that I have inhabited for years or not, I think anyone who dresses up at all gets a big round of applause.

As always, I'm absurdly excited for Halloween. My costume isn't super original or funny, but I like the idea of it. It'll be fun and laid back. And besides, I get to wear suspenders.