Friends don't let friends dress like skanks...even (especially?) on Halloween.

Did you know that Halloween isn't a big deal outside the States? I mean, yes, it's recognized as a holiday in the UK and elsewhere. But I've met so many people here (Brits included) who've never actually celebrated it. (Oh, and they call costumes "fancy dress," which can be really confusing.)

When I think back on Halloween as a kid, there are two things that come to mind.

The first is trick-or-treating, obviously. My favorite part was the big candy exchange that always happened when we got back to the house. We'd would dump all our candy out on the floor of the living room and figure out who got what. It'd start out as a mad scramble for the Reese's. But by the end it would become a lot more democratic, as we attempted to make deals involving Tootsie Rolls, rock hard bubble gum and those weird black and orange paper-wrapped chews.

I hated those things.

The second is cake. Halloween is my dad's birthday, and we'd always make him the same cake: chocolate with chocolate icing, decorated with candy corn and those little pumpkins. My brother and I always got to finish off whatever icing was left over. Those were the days.

But Halloween changes as you get older. Especially for girls. This sums it up rather nicely:

"The hardcore girls just wear lingerie and some form of animal ears."

Seriously, though. It's getting a little ridiculous. If you don't believe me, have a look at Emily G's Unnecessarily sexy Halloween costume roundup. The older you get, the harder it is to find a non-skanky costume. I did a little research and put some pics together to illustrate my point. It's the same costume concept at different ages.

Am I the only one who finds this depressing?

Look, I realize that Halloween is tomorrow and it's probably too late, but if you haven't already decided on your costume, I've got a request: Please don't go as a slutty "sexy" nurse or Disney princess or skunk or remote control or plumber or Big Bird or watermelon or Chewbacca.

It's been done (seriously, I found all of those). It's old news.

And girls, we can do better.