Halloween is one of the most popular holidays in the United States. It is a night where you typically eat candy, hang out with friends and most importantly, dress up in costumes. When we were younger Halloween might’ve just been an excuse to eat lots of candy, but for many, especially as we get older, it’s a freeing night that allows us to be bold, creative and unbound by restraints keeping you from being what or who you want to be. However, sometimes choosing a costume can feel like a chore more than anything else. In this article, you’ll learn a couple tips for finding costumes, the line between a costume being classic or boring, and why enjoying Halloween is so important.
When it comes to coming up with costume ideas, the best inspiration is going to be yourself. Do not feel pressured to do what’s popular. Dress as something you’re interested in. You can take the concept of what you’re interested in and scour social media platforms for ideas, and even if you can’t think of anything you’re interested in, social media is still a great way to find inspiration (considering the options are endless). You can also go to friends for inspiration, and possibly do group costumes. This is a great way to make the experience of choosing a costume more exciting if you feel underwhelmed by the prospect. It’s understandable as you grow older to think that you’re “too cool” to still dress up, but frankly you can never be “too cool” or “too old” to not take up the chance at expressing yourself. So out of endless ideas, how do you choose?
I personally love the classic Halloween costumes; they remind me of childhood and endless possibilities. Though it may not seem significant or relevant, there is a stark comparison between costumes that are classic and those that are just straight up boring. Classic Halloween costumes are the ones that you recognize easily, the ones that we’ve all dressed up as once. Classic costumes include things like vampires, ghosts, witches, princes/princesses as well as pirates or clowns. All these costume ideas are classic for a reason: not only are they easy to replicate and understand, but it’s easy for them to be somewhat unique considering the large coverage and variations of these types of creatures or characters in media.
Boring or basic costumes are costumes that lack thought or any type of effort. A costume can still be considered boring even if you put thought and money into it. Money does not equal effort, and it most definitely does not equal creativity. You can make costumes from your own closet or thrift something cheap and make it into a costume you’re proud of. However, do not expect to get any candy calling yourself a robber just because you’re wearing a striped shirt; are you proud of that costume? Nobody is. In a way, you’re robbing yourself of dignity.
Halloween is the one time of year when you can dress cute like a bunny, scary like Pennywise, or funny like a class clown or something actually funny. The point is, Halloween can really be anything you want it to be whether it’s hanging out with friends, trick or treating for candy, watching a scary movie or just wanting to feel like a kid again. In conclusion, take advantage of the freedom to be anything — that could be who you’d want to be, your alter ego, or just who you really are. Be bold, have fun, and be creative. Happy Halloween!
