John Clapp, director of the Center for Alcohol and Drug Studies and Services at San Diego State University, says, "We're not exactly sure why." But Boston University senior Peter True knows exactly why: "They have to be that faded to go out wearing those ridiculous clothes," he says. "They have to drink more if they wear less because they have to lower their inhibitions to be seen wearing that out." Well someone is learning something in school!

Julie Ketchie, another doctoral student researcher, says, "There are these girls walking down the street, and you can see their butts hanging out of their skirts." She notes that it reminds her of Halloween. Everyone knows the appeal of a party. You've been studying, you need to blow off steam, you need to meet people and laugh. But what is the point of theme parties like "Naughty Schoolgirl" or "Lingerie"? Is it just all in good fun? Are they plots cooked up by frat boys to get girls half-naked? Does it allow the women to feel like they're in power, like they have something that guys want? And what lessons do intoxicated women in micro-minis actually learn?

College Parties Getting Hotter, Boozier [ABC News]
Earlier: Is "Slutoween" Actually Scarier Than Halloween Ever Was?

Take me. I have never been one of those people who needed a costume to be a slut, or a series of nine open-bar parties to be a drunk, but I've always appreciated Halloween for its generosity of spirit: the Loaves-and-Fishes communalism of bygone era trick-or-treating spreads, for that one fateful night, into the domain of alcohol, drugs, and more alcohol. (Only instead of putting razorblades in the apples, someone just uses them to lace whatever you're snorting with another slightly cheaper drug that probably won't kill you so it's cool.) Anyway, all I'm saying is: all these the "slutty" stories are missing the point. After all, maybe if I had worn a slutty costume I would have spent more time tugging at it self-consciously and less time being an actual drunk slut. In short: Halloween is scarier than it ever was. Also, I think I am still high.