Transcript:

Guadalupe Zaragoza   
Happy Halloween. You guys. Welcome to estrogen Express.  My name is Guada.

Tiara   
I’m Tiara.

Rebecca  
I’m Rebecca.

Marilyn   
I’m Marilyn.

Cindy   
And I’m Cindy.

Rebecca   
Today’s topic is Halloween costumes: you guys should wear whatever you guys want; shouldn’t feel obligated to dress a certain way because either your best friends, your boyfriend or your family and of course the same goes as the other way. Don’t judge other people for dressing a certain way also. So today we’re going to be talking about our personal experiences either we were basically forced to dress as something we don’t feel comfortable with. So, I personally have never felt pressured to dress a certain way so I don’t know if I can kind of relate to this talk but I would love to hear your guys’s point of view or your guys’s experiences as to you guys being shamed, or being forced to, or how’s that for you guys?

Tiara   
Um, personally, Halloween is my favorite holiday. And I feel like everyone should just dress up most extravagant way they can. Or if they want to, you know.

I just feel like it as we get older, it feels as though everyone’s judging us when it comes to Halloween. Even though Halloween is a day where we express ourselves the way we want to express ourselves. That’s what I can say. I mean, it’s different when high school and middle school and compared to college because no one’s really dressing up right now. You just feel like they’re gonna most most not everyone, but there’s always those people that be like, Oh, that’s like little kiddy stuff. So I don’t want to mess with like, dressing up for Halloween. So yeah, most people just feel like ”oh no, I don’t feel like I should dress up.”

Marilyn   
Yeah, I think as we’re getting older, women are expected to dress up as sexy. So when you’re the one being left out, dressing up as something cute or funny, it’s seen as you’re acting or dressing like a little kid, childish.

Rebecca   
We’re asking for attention in a way to

Marilyn   
That’s why I feel like when you’re older, it can be kind of harder because you have that pressure

Guadalupe Zaragoza  
usually to they usually individuals feel as though they’re too mature for that. So like how you said that yeah it’s childish. So they’re like, Oh, well, then, I mean, if I want to be hanging out with them, or if I’m surrounded with a certain group of people, then I mean, I should be doing whatever they’re doing.

Rebecca  
Doesn’t that kind of say something to the other person who judges you for well, doesn’t it say a lot about them how they kind of judge you for not dressing a certain way late would you still want to be friends with that person? “Like you’ve better dress up on Halloween and we’re not going to be friends.”

Tiara  
No,I mean, I don’t think it’s that deep. Like last year, majority of my friends dressed up and there were a couple people that like, didn’t dress ip we’re like, ”why don’t you dress up like, have more fun, cool, blah.” But it’s never to the point where you see is that we don’t need to be friends or anything like that.

Cindy  
Yeah, like, just enough is kind of like my life like you’re just just another Halloween everyone does it?

Tiara   
Yeah. And I feel like it really takes you out of like, the adult life I guess it kind of makes you feel like a kid again and makes you feel like you don’t have to, you know, dress

Rebecca  
Expectation.

Tiara  
Yeah, I don’t know why. That’s why I like Halloween because it it lets you step out of your comfort zone. That’s why I feel like people being judged for wearing something certain wearing too much wearing to lasting review. It’s not necessary because it’s a day that you get to be yourself and be creative with your costume and express yourself.

Rebecca   
I like that good that the fact that it’s kind of like a universal holiday. Everybody can dress. Yeah, like if you’re a guy. You could just as a girl If your a girl you can dress as Cheech and Chong whatever the hell you want and you won’t get judged for it. But there are some people who kind of do judge you like really? You’re dressing up as a guy. Like, I hate people like that. I can’t, you can’t really be comfortable when you’re always thinking behind your head like, well, what else are they going to talk about me behind my back? So that’s kind of where I have an issue

Cindy  
Isn’t Halloween. Like it’s kind of like a bit of confidence to be like, whatever you want to. Even though it’s all the way you dress up like as a fairy and you’re like a guy, like, who cares.

Tiara   
I think that’s more cool because I feel like it’s expected, like you said for women to dress up more I feel like guys after a while they’re like now I’m not going to dress up if they don’t have like a good idea to be something for Halloween.

Marilyn   
It’s like for girls. I just think personally it’s hard to want to be someone different. Something funny or something original creative because everyone’s like I’m a be a sexy Angel. A sexy…

Guadalupe Zaragoza  
Like I got to be sexy, then some sort.

Tiara   
Yeah. So I know some girls feel like that because I’ve had like, My story is I wanted to be a funny cartoon character. And I had a friend Tell me, ”Why are you not dressing up as a sexy angel?” Like, I don’t want to be a sexy Angel. I want to be funny because that’s my personality. And that’s the costume I wanted.

Guadalupe Zaragoza  
See, like with me. I’m not trying to go back to high school. But I mean, that was one year my senior year I dressed up as TLC, one of the members from TLC, but like they have like the big baggy pants and the big shirts and a hat.

Rebecca   
Which one were you Left Eye

Guadalupe Zaragoza  
No I was chilly

Rebecca  
Chilly. She’s, she’s pretty.

Guadalupe Zaragoza   
And so at the end of the day, like I was leaving my class and like, right away, my professor was like, ”Oh, are you supposed to be dressing up like a guy” and I was like, ”Even if I was would there be a problem? and he just looked at me. He was like, “Oh, no, I was just wondering.” And I was like, “Yeah, there shouldn’t be a problem.” Even if I was dressing up as a guy. There shouldn’t be a problem. So overall, I’m just saying that I think it’s also just based off mostly guys, like how you said they expect women to dress up more sexier and stuff. So like, from that experience, I mean…

Cindy 
But why would you dress up for a guy to be honest. Yeah, just dress up for yourself.

Guadalupe Zaragoza  
Dress up for yourself. Yeah. So

Tiara  
Also like confidence really comes into play during my college time. Doing whatever you feel comfortable in whatever you want, regardless of what anybody else thinks. It’s really important.

Guadalupe Zaragoza  
If you feel confident wearing then then go for it. I mean, you’re confident wearing a skirt or like you dressed up as a guy. Yeah, I mean, go for it.

Marilyn  
I mean, girls and relationships do so much for men that do so little. I saw that on Twitter. And I think it’s so true because a lot of girls have the fear that if I don’t do this for my boyfriend, he’s gonna get mad and he’s gonna leave me he’s not going to think I’m attractive. That goes in with confidence to. It’s like your boyfriend should love you and not care and just accept what you want to be for Halloween. It’s not a big deal, like Tiara said.

Guadalupe Zaragoza   
But sometimes it’s like with guys like in relationships, they’re more conservative about it where they’re like, Oh, I don’t want to see my girl wearing that for Halloween.

Marilyn  
Well, you’re not my dad your my boyfriend. Yeah.

So like, just because you know, you’re protecting me doesn’t mean you should be controlling how I want to express myself.

Like making your costume you should just where it. Because he doesn’t like it doesn’t mean I don’t have to worry. Like where would you want? Like it’s Halloween it’s day to dress up to be honest.

Rebecca   
Just to have fun. Would you guys rather prefer to buy a costume or to make your own costume.

Guadalupe Zaragoza  
I think make it would just because I’m really cheap. Like for that Halloween costume that I was Chilli. I went to Walmart and I went to the thrift shop and then I went into my brother’s closet and I was good. So…

Marilyn  
Haloween stores will price literally like a thin piece of costume that’s literally a think piece of cheap fabric for $50.

Guadalupe Zaragoza  
And then at the end I mean you’ll just have it the thrown and your storage or somewhere in your closet and then you just wear it for that one time.

Cindy   
It’s fun making your own because if you’re like dressing up in the group or something and it’s like most of you guys dressing up

Rebecca  
and then you’re more everybody stand out more I kind of think of it as like a project and like you could kind of keep whatever the hell I mean whatever whatever you make. Because I had a friend who kind of was like a Mayan king and queen and they literally made their whole entire costumes by hand. And I told him I want you to get your costumes like “oh, we made them.”

Guadalupe Zaragoza  
see that somebody that’s will to put in the work. Yeah, like really want to dress up for Halloween

Tiara  
When it comes to me. I’m not good with my hands. So I buy mine because I so if I can find a unique costume online then I’m going to do that rather than trying to me because I suck and I can’t sew I can’t.

Rebecca   
Would you ever alter like a costume that you would get?

Tiara   
Yeah, definitely. I will do that. But when it comes to actually like trying to like you know, cut something out like I am just not creatively going and I’m not good at it I’m really and I applaud people.I wish I could but I I seem to find pretty good costumes online usually for a decent price but yeah, that’s that’s usually what I do.

Cindy   
Any last minute questions to make them yourself or like buying them like on the way

Tiara  
Pinterest, Pinterest is a really good app Pinterest is a really good at finding like last minute costumes and coming up with something up together.

Guadalupe Zaragoza  
Going back to the whole like sexy thing. I feel like in my opinion, I feel there is a limit to what’s revealing. Like if your just gonna be in a like what is it like a bralet, like a tube top, like a skirt or shorts.

Rebecca   
like a sexy piece of chicken? Sexy rooster?

Guadalupe Zaragoza   
No. But like there’s like nothing on. Basically you just. Have a little cloth there I’m just like you might as well go naked if not don’t go don’t dress up at all.

Marilyn   
As a college student money is not always their money is tight so let’s cover budgeting because everyone I’m pretty sure would love to dress up for Halloween but finances aren’t always right.

Rebecca  
Dollar Tree

Tiara  
Goodwill

Marilyn  
Savors

Guadalupe Zaragoza  
Any thriftshop

Rebecca  
I say dollar tree because, and Family Dollar you’d be surprised they got some really good some brand stuff right there and I think they have hair dye to like permanent hair dye like for Halloween or something like that. I even think they have fake blood now with these days too. Sometimes that fake blood be like 15 bucks at Walmart when you get like a little bottle like the same quality or

Or you can also make it yourself.

how do you make yourself

Guadalupe Zaragoza   
My sister show me a YouTube video. You can make your own blood. Go on YouTube that shows a lot of stuff that you do yourself a lot of diys.

Cindy  
And like whatever you have a closet in your closet like old t-shirts, use those

everyone  
reviews, reuse and recycle.

Marilyn  
Especially especially if you want to be an animated character. Someone from a show I feel like purchasing a costume for 50, $60, something so simple that you can make at home. Or if you can go to Goodwill, you can just buy a stapling outfit.

Cindy   
Sometimes they won’t have it online. Your just like screwed then.

everyone   
Yeah, yeah

Marilyn  
I think people think that they need to spend so much money in order for their costume to look nice, but I know people who spent less than $15 and their costume will look better than the costumes at Halloween club that are $50

Rebecca  
I’m kind of sad that Halloween is coming but I’m excited that it’s you know it’s here but I now I gotta to wait a whole entire year for Halloween again. I just love Halloween so much.

Tiara   
I love Halloween too.

Cindy  
The costumes to like the environment

Rebecca  
The candles

Cindy  
the movies

everyone  
oh yeah

Rebecca  
the weather

Tiara  
oh yeah

Rebecca 
oh yeah

Guadalupe Zaragoza  
the killers I’m just kidding.

Rebecca 
wait a minute And the food then you start thinking about Thanksgiving.

Guadalupe Zaragoza  
like the fun little treats that you can make

Rebecca 
cookies

Guadalupe Zaragoza  
I have fun doing like the diy treats.

That’ my opinion. I think that sometimes people take it, Halloween, as a night where you can basically be naked because some of the costumes like Guada was saying are not even costumes their just like,

Rebecca  
fantasy type of character

Marilyn  
Yeah, like there’ll be braless, like topless with a thong on it’s like, what is that? I’ve seen pictures. Like on social media, like, Okay, well, what is that?

Guadalupe Zaragoza  
I do understand, like, We’re not trying to judge those that do wear those costumes. But at the same time, I see it as though. I mean, it’s not a costume a costume is when you go in, you get really creative about it. You put in all your hard work, even if you buy it or not. You say you spend money though. It’s a costume.

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Tiara   
I 100% disagree. I feel like regardless, like if you want to wear barely any clothes, then do you boo. Do you like if you have if you are confident in your body, then go ahead and wear whatever the hell you want.

Marilyn   
And that’s not considered a costume.

Tiara  
Like, how are you going to decide what’s a costume and what’s not

Cindy   
you’re dressing up for fun

Tiara   
your dressing up however you want. It’s not it doesn’t have to be from a movie or..

Marilyn  
No, I’m not saying it has to be something. it can be creative, something different. But if you’re going to dress like that, I mean that could be worn any other day it doesn’t matter of

Rebecca   
So there’s like a theme is that what you’re saying. Like it has to have some type of theme because I kind of agree with her and Cindy.I think it should be just for fun. You know?

Tiara   
Yeah. Like, whatever you want to wear, if you literally want to dress as a stripper, because you can’t do that in your regular day life then go ahead because that’s literally…

Rebecca  
but then that cultural appropriation would come up in a way to as well

Tiara   
strippers, cultural appropriation?

Marilyn  
actually, no, no, can II just cover this. A lot of people confuse, don’t know, the actual they don’t. This is the actual culture appropriation taking something that comes from another culture and claiming it as yours. And as if you invented it, and that it’s new. So a lot of people think, if dress up as it’s cultural  appropriation. No, it’s not. They’re appreciating your culture. They’re not taking it and they’re not claiming it as yours. There’s totally different things.

Rebecca  
Thank you for clarification. I really did know so there you go.

Tiara  
But yeah, so no, no, no, go ahead.

Guadalupe Zaragoza 
I was just maybe Maybe just to be real like brief about it, I think is just when it comes to the location you’re in, and maybe the environment like, give me the if you’re around a few kids, you don’t need to be seen…

Tiara 
But we’re talking about college life. So if we’re going to college parties, and you want to wear little to no clothes or whatever, yeah, do whatever. But also that’s the thing people have to realize it that is not an invitation to touch someone to do anything like someone’s alpha does not define who they are. It really doesn’t.

Guadalupe Zaragoza  
But most I feel as though most of the time when it comes to those super sexy costumes like I mean like you said, Yeah do your thing even though I might not agree with it do your thing but I mean sometimes being too sexy might lead usually for men to act like animals and feel like “oh, it’s okay i mean if she’s wearing that, that I mean I could be all up on there even if she says no.” you know,

Rebecca  
so your kind of saying like with dressing up that there comes also for a price at risk you put yourself at risk.

Guadalupe Zaragoza  
yeah yeah

Tiara  
but that’s also kind of like blaming the victim in a way like

Rebecca  
oh no we’re not blaming the victim.

Cindy   
you don’t have to really worry about getting hypothermia in cold.

Rebecca  
no because there are men out, there are men out there who don’t care and they’ll straight up go to growing grab their ass I’ve had that happen to me I’d show yeah I can see where Guadalupe is coming from as well.where I’m we’re not trying to blame the victim is just be also aware that there’s going to be men that will see you see the way you’re dressed and they don’t know who you are you dressed for a reason right they don’t know that reason

Guadalupe Zaragoza   
they just know that you came their dress like that and…

Rebecca  
they’re gonna be like oh she’s she’s just like that

Guadalupe Zaragoza   
I mean it should be okay I mean yeah you want to be sexy I mean go ahead.Just be careful I feel that I think that’s my only worry

Tiara  
but I also feel like even when you are a little bit more covered up you can also still get like

Rebecca  
oh yeah

Tiara  
So yeah. saying it’s

Marilyn 
she didn’t mean it that way. Like I think what I said I said it I worded it wrong I don’t care how they dress like Be confident like Tiara said but to me personally like if I see that I’m like okay well whatever I’m not judging her by just don’t think that’s costume. because I know like you can there’s some girls who dressed like that every other day. have you heard of cupcake.

Guadalupe Zaragoza 
But like how you compare like saying oh whether or not you’re sexy or not a man could regardless go up to you in touch you and do whatever yeah that’s true but you’re more of a risk I feel as though you’re more likely because there’s more to show.

Cindy  
So if a guy like dresses up and like in like a toga, Greek guy and like doesn’t have a shirt and just has like a like a sheet around him,isn’t that the same thing like a girl

Marilyn 
so this listeners Guada is not trying to say and if you dress a certain way that that’s going to happen toyou she’s just saying like from a men’s point POV perspective that’s how they think because…

Rebecca  
you know when you go to college party they’re  alcohol, alcohol drunk guys, drunk guys aggressiveness

Marilyn  
You know, it’s different than high school

Guadalupe Zaragoza 
it’s different way different.

Marilyn   
If you’re too afraid to tell your parents that there will be drugs or alcohol at a party just at least let them know you’re going to a Halloween party and where it’s at. Because if I were a parent and something were to happen to my daughter, son, I feel like I failed as a parent because they didn’t tell me and I was clueless and if I at least knew where they were…

Rebecca   
so your saying it’s like kind of a good way to not give your parents the whole entire details obviously they’ll get mad but it’s always it’s always a good thing thing to tell it to let them know who you’re going to be with, where this party might be at and everything

Guadalupe Zaragoza   
well they don’t have to mention the location because I know a lot of people their not gonna want to “tell my parents or where the party is going to be at just so they don’t just like you know come up there at least just tell them who your going to be with so they just in case yeah anything were to happen

Marilyn   
at least on the city it’s going to be in the neighborhood you don’t have to tell him that address…

Cindy   
have that one good friend. Have your parents phone number just in case you know anything happens like oh yeah,anything happens just quick call doesn’t have to give them location is like “you can call my friend she’ll answer tell you where I am Pass me the phone I don’t have my phone.”

Marilyn   
making sure you’re with a good friend who you know you can trust

Rebecca   
like this point of this podcast is yes it’s topics that are sensitive to speak with your parents about but at the same time, you kind of have to also open up to them at also like yes, you’re growing up. You’re going to experience stuff. It’s always okay. Like hey, there’s going to be beer Just don’t tell them the drug part because as a parent, I wouldn’t want my kids doing drugs.

Tiara   
Yeah, but if your over 21. You’re listening to this. I don’t think you have to tell your parents. So there’s going to be alcohol there. Right?

Rebecca   
I mean, unless you’re living with them, and sometimes they’re strict or something might want to tell me oh there’s beer I don’t know.

Marilyn   
If you’re over 21 and those rules don’t apply to you Just be aware of your surroundings and who you’re with

Cindy   
if talk to your mom on a regular basis even though you’re over 21 just make sure they know you’re fine.

Rebecca   
Yeah, let her know you got home safe at least

Guadalupe Zaragoza  
like “Hey, I already got here. All right, I’m on my way there.”

Rebecca   
Yes, exactly. Okay.

Cindy   
So some final thoughts are Be confident when you know where for Halloween of your dressing up or not. Don’t let anyone pressure you into wearing whatever costume you want. If you’re going to buy it or make it yourself just know budget your money right and also just be aware of your surroundings and like other people. be with the group or like have a close friend with you at all times and Estrogen express wants to   wish you a

Happy Halloween.