More than any other holiday, Halloween requires personal interpretation. Aside from demanding candy from strangers, Halloween has no set rules or rituals, and it doesn’t have a really religious connotation. From costuming to elaborate pumpkin carving to your room’s fake cobweb decor, is up to you.
Though these choices might seem blasé, they can actually reveal quite a lot about a person, especially when it comes to his or her costume choice. And since Halloween costumes come with virtually no boundaries, they can always make for some interesting personal representations.
Take the standard slutty-girl costume for example. This costume contains one if not all of the following: fishnets, a plunging neckline, animal ears or booty shorts.
One type of girl who dons this costume dresses like that every weekend. She is merely adding mouse ears to one of her going-out outfits or is paying a little extra for a police officer or nurse costume.
The second type of girl who wears this costume is the one who takes advantage of the rule-breaking holiday to play on the wild side, but only for a night. It’s like Cinderella going to the ball, but with stilettos instead of glass slippers, and going to Josephine’s instead of the royal palace. Come 3 a.m. she’s back to her boring, good-girl self.
Another telling costume is the current events costume. Last year, it was dressing as a can of Four-Loko or a Chilean Miner; this year I could see it being Anthony Weiner or an Angry Bird. The person who wears this costume is typically a male looking to get a laugh and – if he’s lucky – a number.
Next is the American Apparel costume. American Apparel is a go-to local spot for Halloween attire. However, it comes with a price tag. The person who sports these ensembles not only has a full wallet, but also lacks that certain Halloween creativity spark. If the designers at American Apparel think of your costume for you, it’s still unoriginal.
Though they may procrastinate, the costume with perhaps the most originality is the “day-of costume.” In an eager, candy-corn-induced high, this person waits until the day of Halloween to determine his or her costume. These people dig through their drawers looking for anything that will pass as pirate attire. Given their copious efforts during the day, their night and spontaneous costume usually pay off.
In comparison, there are the people like me who are so in love with Halloween that they have three costumes planned out months in advance, one for Thursday, one for Friday and one for Saturday. At GW, Halloween – also known as “Halloweekend” – is, at the very least, a three-day event, and preparation is required. The person who has a costume for every day is dedicated and creative. We take Halloween very seriously.
Lastly, there are the people with no costume at all. Quite frankly, and I mean it, if you belong to this category I have very little to say to you.
Halloween is an exceptional holiday with no limits. There is still time to find the perfect costume, so think about turning your drawers inside-out tonight to find the perfect costume. This holiday only comes once a year, and you don’t want to waste it wearing a North Face jacket and jeans, trying to convince people you’re Mark Zuckerberg.
If there was ever a holiday made with college kids in mind, it’s Halloween. It’s a celebration for the young and the stupid. You bought that purple eyeliner and that pimp hat for a reason, so unleash them this Halloween.
Kelsey Rohwer, a junior majoring in journalism, is a Hatchet columnist.
