The Halloween Thirst Trap Is a Time-Honored Tradition That Must Be Upheld

I like to think of myself as a thirst trap connoisseur. I’ve spent years perfecting my angles, lighting, and facial expressions so that when I post something that’s meant to be sexy, it makes a splash. I may not be Kim Kardashian, but I know how to break the internet (or at least, my Instagram following). But there are a few times a year where I know have to up the ante on my thirst traps: my birthday (a national holiday), Valentine’s Day (whether I’m in a relationship or not, I’m a sex writer—it’s my thing), and of course Halloween.In Mean Girls, Lindsay Lohan’s character Cady says, “In Girl World, Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.” More than two decades later, Cady is still right.Since the dawn of sexy Halloween, there’s been a lot of negative press around the way women dress—and eventually post—during spooky season, specifically. Whether it’s a sexy black cat, a sexy nurse, or the iconic Playboy bunny, there’s also been a real shift in attitude toward the “sexy Halloween” agenda from young people. The general population now calls these Halloween costumes “basic,” and it’s becoming a point of superiority when women choose to go the funny or goofy costume route like dressing up as Bob Ross, Shrek, or a Diet Coke can. And while I love the whimsy behind these ideas, why can’t we coexist?And then there’s the thirst trap of course.I’ve seen heterosexual men complain online that women have turned Halloween into a “thirst trap” holiday. My first question is: What is there to complain about? My second question is: Who the f*ck asked you?A young, hot person discovering that their body is theirs, that desire is allowed, and being seen on their own terms is a pretty thrilling thing.The Halloween thirst trap is a rite of passage. Somewhere between your first fake ID and your first real heartbreak, there comes a night when you stand in front of a bathroom mirror, tilt your phone to just the right angle, and think, Oh. I look good. Everyone should know. This is all a part of being young!A young, hot person discovering that their body is theirs, that desire is allowed, and being seen on their own terms is a pretty thrilling thing. Halloween just happens to be the perfect time to do it.And I'd argue that's a gift, especially for people who grew up being told to shrink. For a lot of young women (and plenty of South Asian women like me, raised on a steady diet of "what will people think"), a costume can be the first time you try on a version of yourself that takes up space. You can be a character that makes you feel strong and powerful. I can even be a doctor like my parents wanted me to be (a sexy version, of course).Let's also retire the idea that this is a women-only phenomenon, because it’s not just us. Every October, an army of men—straight, gay, and everywhere in between—suddenly discovers the shirtless costume. The sexy firefighter. The gladiator who somehow lost his shirt in battle. The Ken doll whose entire personality is abs. They post the gym-mirror selfie with a caption like "just a little Halloween prep," and we all pretend we don't know what that is.It's a thirst trap. It's always been a thirst trap. And honestly? Good for them!Which brings me to the great philosopher Moira Rose. In Schitt's Creek, the matriarch of the Rose family delivers some of the best life advice ever committed to television: “Take a thousand, naked pictures of yourself now. You may currently think, ‘Oh, I'm too spooky.’ Or, ‘Nobody wants to see these tiny boobies.’ But, believe me, one day you will look at those photos with much kinder eyes and say, ‘Dear God, I was a beautiful thing!’” I don’t know if your Halloween thirst traps will be totally nude, but it applies either way.Your body is going to change, your life is going to change, and the version of you that feels bold enough to document yourself won't be around forever. Moira understood what the Halloween thirst trap understands: a moment in time when you stepped outside of yourself and loved it.The sexy cat, the shirtless gladiator, and the girl in the corset have just as much right to the holiday.I'll be honest: I practice thirst trapping 365 days a year. It's a craft. For me, the Halloween post is just a very well-costumed Tuesday. But for a lot of people, Halloween is the once-a-year pass. It's the one night the quiet accountant becomes a smoldering Dracula and the shy friend turns out to have a killer jawline under all that cat makeup. And I think that's beautiful.If you love the Diet Coke can, wear the Diet Coke can. I will be the first person to like the picture. But the sexy cat, the shirtless gladiator, and the girl in the corset have just as much right to the holiday.The Halloween thirst trap is something I think we all should experience. It’s a confidence exercise, and a very low-stakes way of telling the world, I'm here, and I look great—yes, even as a sexy haunted Annabelle doll.Long live the Halloween thirst trap.