Most partygoers make a conscious effort to avoid being arrested while out on the town -- but when "Officer Nasty" is slapping on the handcuffs, there aren't many complaints.

In recent years, women's Halloween costumes have taken a turn toward the risqué, especially in college settings, Stacy Rogers, associate professor of sociology, said.

"Halloween is a time when we show our dark side," she said. "Women get a chance to express their sexuality and be open and brazen when it's usually not OK to do so."

Local stores are capitalizing on the occasion with racy accessories and provocative costume lines, such as Legg Avenue, which is completely centered on the suggestive, assistant manager of Party City Stephen Miller said.

"A lot of our sales have been short dresses with knit sleeves and knitted stockings," he said. "For girls, it's definitely about being sexy for Halloween."

Students walking the streets of State College in the days surrounding the haunted holiday know that women's costumes are less about "scary" and more about "scarcity."

"Anything with a short skirt will work," Jennifer Bartley, manager of Spirit Halloween Store, said. "The main idea is to show a lot of leg."

This year's trend for women seems to be fairy-tale costumes indecent enough to make Mother Goose blush.

"Our most popular costumes are Little Miss Muffet and Miss Dorothy," Miller said. "We've sold a lot of referees, bunnies and of course, French maids -- that's always a best seller."

For young men, however, it isn't necessary to expose the goods to be in style. Humor is hip, said Miller, who noted that sumo wrestlers, beer kegs and kissing booths are the leading choices for males.

"For guys, it's about being funny," Bartley said. "They don't care as much because usually their girlfriend is dragging them out in costume."

Compliant or not, men certainly get a generous serving of eye candy on Halloween. "The nurses and Greek goddesses are classic," Tim Crouse (sophomore-kinesiology) said. "But I like the homemade ones. I saw a good-looking ladybug this weekend."

Although some worry that sexy get-ups can demean women, most students enjoy the freedom offered by one night of naughtiness. "I feel like Halloween is an exception," Alison St. Clair (graduate-civil engineering) said. "It's the one time of the year when you can dress more sexually."

Students seem to agree that in the interest of liberation, slapping on fishnets and hiking up pleated skirts is acceptable. "On Halloween it's OK for girls to dress inappropriately," Greg Kozero (sophomore-engineering) said. "They can take advantage of it and not be looked down upon."

When it comes to personal expression, "Santa's Mistress" and "Sargent Sex Kitten" might be right on target.

"The culture doesn't usually encourage women to act in these ways because we have a double standard about sex," Rogers said. "Dressing up is a way for women to express a part of themselves that they can't in real life -- and the risqué, wildly sexual costume is a part of that."