There’s a reason I always aspired to be like Lara Croft and it had little to do with her voluptuous curves. I wanted to be like Lara, because like I’d always dreamed, Tomb Raider’s leading lady traveled the world. Much like your everyday Jane or John Doe, when I was little, I saw movies that convinced me the world was an awe-inspiring place, full of wonder and worthy of exploration – movies like The Lion King, Jurassic Park, Jumanji, The Mummy, and The Goonies. They were all about wild adventure, overcoming obstacles, and growing into a better version of yourself.
Lara Croft was the videogame embodiment of the action, bravery, and curiosity of all my favorite films. She was a well-educated, clever, confident, and dexterous female lead who could take care of herself. Lara also never muffled her voice in thorny situations. She was well spoken and maintained her boundaries, even when met with the burliest villains. Accordingly, ever since I first played Tomb Raider II on the original PlayStation at ten years old, Lara has been the feminist role model I sought to replicate. Well, her and Daria anyways.
Of course, as I grew up and eventually traversed the balance beam from childhood to adulthood, Lara’s blatant sexuality was not lost on me. Actually, it garnered even more esteem as I learned many people don’t respect women or their bodies. Lara though – Lara takes respect. She owns her sexuality without shame and wears it like a pair of sturdy boots. She teaches women to be comfortable with their bodies and not to tolerate any type of impudence or intimidation. Granted, not all disrespectful people need to be shot with an Uzi, but this is all kind of a metaphor anyways.
Now, I realize Lara was and probably still is designed by a bunch of horny guys (most notably Toby Gard) and yet, despite her frequently risqué and impractical choice of dress, her creators seemed to have coincidentally stumbled into creating a constructive character. Last year, I dressed up as Ms. Croft for Halloween. Like classic Lara, I donned the traditional brown shorts, teal tank, long white socks, combat boots, and a single braid (shout out to Maria for doing my hair). It was empowering to transform myself into someone who exudes authority, fights for the underdog, and is utterly cosmopolitan. I only carried an unloaded BB gun for show, but somehow I still felt like I could climb a mountain, fight a tiger, or pull a dagger from a dragon’s heart.
Photo credit to digitalimagemaker.com
The funny thing about me dressing up in a somewhat sexy costume is that I’m traditionally a Halloween purist. I like to follow the Celtic tradition and dress up as something scary like my ancestors would have done to ward off evil. I’ve been a witch, a vampire, a black cat, a pirate, a skeleton, and even the Grim Reaper – scythe included. It actually used to really bother me when girls dressed promiscuously for Halloween. Not so much because they were showing skin, but because I felt the traditions of Halloween were being adulterated. But I think I get it now. In a judgmental society, Halloween has become a day women don’t need to be ashamed of their bodies; instead, they get a free pass to celebrate them. Thus, Halloween allows women to reclaim their sexuality once a year in lieu of adhering to stuffy gender expectations that vilify women’s bodies. So I actually think I can hop on board with the whole sexy Halloween gig. It’s just one more reason to treasure my favorite day of the year.
Consequently, next October, when you’re out reveling in the personal metamorphosis and tomfoolery that is America’s modern Halloween, remember, you’re supposed to be scary, but if you must show a little leg, be a badass and own it like Lara Croft. It’s okay to bask in your sexuality and explore the less dominant facets of your personality in a risk-free, social context.
After all, they’re just costumes, right? The child vampire is just as harmless as the angel of death in a corset. The child does not likely seek to glorify murder or the drinking of blood and the adult does not likely seek to portray women as sexual objects. Instead, the masks people choose to wear for Halloween are probably physical manifestations of the character traits they normally suppress or even lack. Also – food for thought: Ms. Croft’s name is clearly not spelled Laura, so please stop being ignorant and cut that shit out.