Dressing for the Halloween spirits
By Elliot Chan, Contributor
Nightclubs, house parties, random neighbourhood cul-de-sacs: it doesnât matter where you end up on Halloween night or the weekend prior. What matters is that you are dressed appropriately for the end of October ritual.
What is Halloween if not a chance to show all of your friends how clever you are? Youâve dug deep into the gallows of your imagination and scrounged up some abstract ideas. You tied them all together and examined yourself in the mirror. After nodding with approval, you headed off to the party and realized that most people donât watch the same television shows, play the same video games, or even understand the same scientific concepts you do. So what ends up happening? Well, everyone you encounter that night will wholesomely ask you the same question: âWhat are you supposed to be?â Youâll look down at yourself, observe the obvious, and say, âDuh, Iâm Kevin Klineâs character from Sophieâs Choice,â or âIâm the Prophet Skeram from World of Warcraftâ or âIâm the concept of condensation.â Iâm not telling you to dress like the clichĂ© pirates, princesses, and cowboys. Thinking outside of the box is good, but remember you want to receive high-fives for recognition and not shunning looks of alienation.
Concerning the maniacs: as long as you are not physically injuring others, there is no such thing as an offensive costume. If you want to dress as a different race and/or gender, nobody will stop you. Explore, but consider ahead. Ask yourself, in a couple of years do you really want to remember that night you were cross-dressing? Your costume is a brief legacy; make sure youâre proud of it. We all wonder how we would look as Wonder Woman, but letâs not be hasty. You wonât offend me, but you might offend the person you become later on in life.
Concerning the femme fatales: for years now, girls have been using Halloween as an excuse to dress, shall we say, eccentrically, and that is why I enjoy Halloween more than Thanksgiving. But I will not let you get away with wearing a cat ear headband and a black low-cut dress and calling yourself a pretty kitty. Looking attractive is not a costume! It should be, I know, but it isnât, so be creative. Also, donât forget to bring a jacket; unless youâre going as Smurfette, you wonât look good with blue skin on the walk home.
As students, most of us are scrapping by, but it is not okay to rehash the previous yearâs costume. Halloween is like New Yearâs Eve: itâs about change, rejuvenation, and growth (or is that St. Patrickâs Day?). Costumes create a timeline for your life. To have the same costume every year is to have a repetitive, boring life thatâs not worth remembering. So even if you throw something together last minute, it is still better than throwing on the same bed sheet and calling yourself a ghost for another year.
Despite the lack of statutory respect, Halloween is a holiday people remember. Dress accordingly so the memories donât come back and haunt you.
