People say Halloween is just an excuse for girls to dress slutty without being judged. Well ladies, sorry to break it to you, but you are being judged. From disgracing Disney princesses to wrongly representing all kinds of animals, real and fictional, girls find any excuse to cut a dress short and show a bit, or a lot, too much cleavage.

Seriously, some of these costumes are absurd. How do ketchup bottles, Barney the dinosaur, and Batman translate into skanky outfits for college girls to wear for attention? While having this discussion with a friend, she said that girls think guys like it when they are wearing these revealing outfits, but they don’t. Sure, they like to look, but they aren’t looking to keep.

Listen girls, have some self-respect. As a girl, I know we like attention, but this is definitely not the kind of attention we should be craving. Shouldn’t we want attention for being funny, smart, helpful or caring rather than for having a hot body?

When girls dress scandalously for Halloween, negative assumptions are made about them. People may think they’re easy, begging for attention or immature. I truly hope that’s not what you’re going for.

There are more important things than a smoking body or a pretty face. I challenge you, ladies, to strive for a higher standard. Be beautiful in what you do and in who you are. Beauty is much more than outward appearance.

You like your body? You’re comfortable in your own skin? Great! Be proud of it, but you don’t have to put it all out there all at the same time. Leave some things up to the imagination. Boys like a challenge, so give them one.

What is the real purpose of dressing slutty on Halloween? If it’s for attention, it defeats the purpose because so many other girls are dressing the same way! Isn’t it so much more interesting to actually come up with a clever costume idea that blows everyone away? Be original, and that will get you the attention you want.

Ashton Kutcher’s speech at the Teen Choice Awards is one of the most inspiring things I’ve heard. He said, “The sexiest thing in the entire world is being really smart, and being thoughtful and being generous. Everything else is crap. I promise you.” So be smart, ladies, and be generous and be kind because according to Ashton Kutcher, that’s sexy.