Do I have to be a whore to have a good time at Halloween parties this year?

There are a few coming up this weekend, and as far as I see it, there are three basic options: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The good is obvious. I can be an angel, a "good" witch, Raggedy Ann, a nun, even a stuffed animal -- something sweet and innocent. I prefer not to, considering I'm not in grade school anymore.

Before I get to the bad, let me discuss the ugly. There is the option of being a ghoul, a goblin, a witch with bad teeth and warts, a two-headed freak. The only problem I see is that at the end of the night, who is going to want to make out with a monster? And I'm not sure I want someone who would.

That leads me back to the bad. The bad girl seems to be the most popular way for women to go these days, and it is the category I am trying my hardest to avoid.

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I've done it before. Last year my boyfriend was Kid Rock, I was Pamela Anderson, complete with fake breasts and eyelashes. The year before I was a cave-maneater, with a short dress and fishnets. The worst was the French maid costume that was too short to be comfortable.

So I've shown a little more skin on that one day, and I've realized that's lame.

Let's face it: It's too easy to be sleazy. Take a look online for costume ideas, and most of what you get are Vinyl Vixens, Sexy Devils, Bad Cops, Sluts With No Original Ideas.

OK, I made up that last one.

I just don't understand why women take this one day of the year to let it all hang out. I mean, I get it, but I don't like it. It's not creative, and it seems strange to be plain Jane all year and then whip out the boobs when Oct. 31 comes around.

My friend Joanna is the biggest fan of the sweet-to-slutty switch. Most of the year she wears cardigans to cover up whatever she has. But come Halloween, she's the first to pick up the naughty nurse costume, complete with cleavage, see-through uniform, and Velcro closures for easy access. Of course, she looks cute in these outfits, but I wish she'd be more creative.

Maybe the problem is women don't feel OK being sexy on a normal basis, but I can't quite wrap my brain around that one. I see why wearing cleavage to work is not appropriate, but it's not like wearing a little makeup and showing some leg is ever a bad thing.

My friend Larry explained, "Secretly they all want to be whores."

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I don't believe this is true. I think maybe we want to feel sexy, be able to wear those things we see "other" girls wear. It's fun to dress up, be someone different. I just think the whore route is overdone.

Some men think so, too. Zach tells me that one Halloween he and his girlfriend kept their costumes secret until the last minute. He spent hours putting together his Peewee Herman number, and when she showed up at his door dressed as a prostitute, he was disappointed. Sure, Peewee may be as perverted as they come, but at least it's creative.

"It's about as original as dressing as a ghost," Zach said of risque costumes.

I guess Halloween for many of us foxy females is all about getting male attention, and maybe even luring a masked man to kiss us. Oct. 31 is that one day when we're allowed to be over the top.

Yet when the apples start bobbing and drinks topped with dry ice start flowing, those masks become beer goggles that make any female cop in vinyl short shorts and furry handcuffs an easy target for any man.

I'm not saying we should wear conservative costumes that require covering up the good parts we can't show in many places. I just think if the goal is to get men, I'll probably attract better ones if I'm something more original.

The best sexy-yet-creative costume I've ever seen was a woman dressed as Britney Spears with a dagger in her chest with fake blood coming out, and a sign that read "Britney Speared."

Halloween is supposed to be about being something different, and maybe it's fun to dress sexier than normal. But to stand out from all the other whores, find a twist, whether it be putting a dagger in your cleavage or spicing up your sexy devil costume with a blue dress.

Ditch the good, bad and ugly for a new category: original.

Laura Lewis is an adventurous 20-something who knows how to make the most of being single. Her column appears every other Thursday.