The Sexual Meaning of Halloween Costumes

Halloween is the time of the year when we’re given permission to let our dark side come out and play. For one night, you can be whoever you want with no fear of judgment, because it’s just a costume, right? And the crazier the better. So what does your costume tell the world about the secret desires you’ve been keeping pent up inside you all year? Or more important, what message is your date’s costume sending?

Based on the premise that your Halloween costume reveals the parts of your personality you normally suppress, here’s our analysis of some popular costume choices for both men and women and what they tell others about your inner self. Here’s your guide to costume decoding.

Men in Drag – First, let's make one thing clear. It takes deep personal motivation for a man to dress up as a woman for Halloween. No one does it "just because". Here are a few possibilities:

• You may be feeling trapped or limited by your masculine identity and want to experiment with "being a girl".
   

• You may be a secret crossdresser and this is the one time of the year when you can get away with doing it in public.
   

• You may secretly desire to be attractive to other men and want to be able to play out that fantasy.

Catholic School Girl – You like people to think that you’re innocent and a goody-two-shoes, but you have a hidden naughty side. You may have had a strict upbringing, leads you to get off on being “disciplined”.  Or you may just have a daddy thing.

French Maid – Even if you’re a feminist the rest of the year, if you dress up in a frilly maid outfit, you may you have a secret desire to play a submissive role, at least for one night. Your sexuality is playful and subversive, but you normally keep it under wraps. You may have fantasies of being subservient and catering to a man’s every whim.

Prostitute/Slut – You don’t normally get to express your sexual side because it doesn’t feel safe or is incompatible with the image you project most of the time. You might enjoy it if your partner was a bit rougher or called you names in bed. You have unacknowledged sexual appetites, and you enjoy the sense of power over men that sex gives you.

Caveman/Cavewoman – You want to get in touch with your primal self and animalistic sexuality. You are fed up with society’s rules for dating and relationship behavior and want to go back to a simpler time, when “Me Tarzan, you Jane,” was the only conversation a couple needed to have.

Robot – You’re not really comfortable with your emotions, your sexuality, or human contact in general. You may think of sex as messy and inconvenient and just want the whole issue to go away.

Nun/Priest – You have some inner conflicts about your sexuality. You’re rebelling against your own sexual hang ups but you’re not able to let go entirely. You feel like you should be saving yourself for something better.

Flasher – You have repressed exhibitionistic urges and may have a desire to shock people. You secretly crave attention but aren't getting enough of it. You may also be well endowed and feel that not enough people know about it.

Pirate – You like to think of yourself as a rebel – a bad boy or bad girl. You want to be reckless, passionate, and seek out dangerous situations. You’d like to be able to party hard, plunder, pillage, and have your way with the ladies or men without worrying about the consequences.

Harry Potter/Hermione – If you are a grown guy who dresses up like Harry Potter, or Ronald Weasley, you are probably bright but shy and not very emotionally mature or experienced with women. If you are a woman and you dress up like Hermione, see the entry for Catholic Schoolgirl.

Prince/Princess – If you dress up like a medieval prince, princess, or knight, and look like you’re going to a Renaissance Faire, you have a very romanticized ideal of love and sex. You probably have a very active fantasy life, but are not very successful at getting actual dates, especially if you play Dungeons & Dragons.

Naughty Nurse – You are generous with your sexuality and consider it a form of “sexual healing.” At the same time, you like to be in control of a sexual situation. You prefer a passive partner who just lies there while you do all the work.

Pimp – Guys who dress up like pimps are often masking insecurities about their masculinity or sexuality. They want other people to see them as a player with wealth, power, and command over women, when in fact they are weak, ineffectual, or simply shy.

Vampire/Goth – Your sexuality has an intense and mysterious side. You have a dark and predatory side that you don’t usually show. You may feel that sex is mystical and desire a transcendental union with your partner.