Halloween is the one night of the year where people can dress however they want and be applauded for it. Women can go out scantily dressed and be seen as sultry instead of slutty, a night to flaunt your sexuality outside of societies norms. It's a liberating night, where everyone can celebrate together and be someone else for the night.
"It's a night to throw caution (and costumes!) to the wind and let your inner self loose"
The idea that you can be someone else gives people a sense of freedom, both when dressing provocatively and sexually. With a full face of makeup, is the person you end up with really going to recognise you another day? It's a night to throw caution (and costumes!) to the wind and let your inner self loose. Although it might be a trick-or-treat the next morning when you wake up next to someone who’s not your usual type…
"Newcastle University lecturer Chris Haywood believes that Halloween’s Pagan origins now contribute to it being seen as an ‘adult holiday’, especially in terms of the rituals that used to be performed"
But is there another reason why people engage in hookup culture on Halloween? Newcastle University lecturer Chris Haywood believes that Halloween’s Pagan origins now contribute to it being seen as an ‘adult holiday’, especially in terms of the rituals that used to be performed such as dancing naked around a fire to prepare to have sex with the devil! Haywood also comments on the UKs sexual norms being quite rigid and traditional, thus “Halloween becomes a space where they can be contested, challenged and upturned. And you get this porous boundary between what’s sexually acceptable and not starting to break down”.
He has also commented on Halloween becoming a consumerist holiday with the “eroticisation of horror”, with vampires in the 1970s being presented as quite bisexual and the recent Twilight franchise taking off and making a connection between vampires and sex. All in all, creating an atmosphere over Halloween where the norms and values of everyday life become blurred.
However, whilst this night often has people wearing less clothing than usual, it shouldn't be taken for granted, by either party, that the other person wants to hook-up. The usual rules of consent must obviously still apply.
