Shalloween, a Halloween fashion show?
By Bryn Durgin
Last Updated:10:40 AM EST 10/27/09 Section: Viewpoint
I used to have sleepovers with the Spice Girls and, not to brag, but the red Power Ranger is an ex-boyfriend of mine. Not to mention, Pocahontas was my neighbor and, to tell you the truth, she's actually a natural blonde.
I'm talking about a night that lets us shuck responsibility and step into the guise of someone or something else. Halloween can transform an ordinary little girl into a pretty princess and the average 7-year-old boy into a high-flying superhero. It gives high school kids the excuse to shower their friends in silly-string and parents the urge to confiscate that piece of hard candy - but of course not to eat themselves. And, as we can all bear witness to, Halloween reveals a whole new side of college girls and guys as Playboy bunnies and Hugh Hefner look-a-likes are scattered around campus.
Picture this: a "No. 1 Grandma" mug, a pair of nude panty hose, a walker, and thick rimmed-glasses, all sported by a 10-year-old girl. That combination is what won me the title of "Best Costume '97" at Philadelphia Primary School; that and the fact that my mom had soaked tissues in high fructose corn syrup and stuck them to my face in order to give the appearance of wrinkles. Plus, I had a pillow strapped to my back in order to achieve a realistic hunching effect. I easily could have been mistaken for someone's Nana. Beating out the Pillsbury Doughboy and winning that title made me feel like the Queen of Halloween.
It had become one big fashion show and, from there on out, I had a reputation to uphold. So, I recruited my family in my attempts of out-doing the rest of the trick-or-treaters. Whether they liked it or not, my dad was the Tin Man, my mom dressed as the Wicked Witch of the West, my little brother was the Scarecrow and my silky terrier was Toto. It just so happened that another girl in my class had the same idea, only she had one thing that I didn't: the Cowardly Lion. Unlike my older brother, hers was willing to sacrifice his manhood and dress according to The Wizard of Oz theme. She won.
The pressure to out-do, one-up, shock and surprise is a major part of the Halloween tradition. Maybe you want to get some laughs, scare or even seduce someone.
Either way, you want to avoid seeing five people with the same costume as you at the same party. And if, by chance, someone else had the same bright idea as you did, you want to make sure you can say you pulled it off much better.
bld09569@sjfc.edu
I'm talking about a night that lets us shuck responsibility and step into the guise of someone or something else. Halloween can transform an ordinary little girl into a pretty princess and the average 7-year-old boy into a high-flying superhero. It gives high school kids the excuse to shower their friends in silly-string and parents the urge to confiscate that piece of hard candy - but of course not to eat themselves. And, as we can all bear witness to, Halloween reveals a whole new side of college girls and guys as Playboy bunnies and Hugh Hefner look-a-likes are scattered around campus.
Picture this: a "No. 1 Grandma" mug, a pair of nude panty hose, a walker, and thick rimmed-glasses, all sported by a 10-year-old girl. That combination is what won me the title of "Best Costume '97" at Philadelphia Primary School; that and the fact that my mom had soaked tissues in high fructose corn syrup and stuck them to my face in order to give the appearance of wrinkles. Plus, I had a pillow strapped to my back in order to achieve a realistic hunching effect. I easily could have been mistaken for someone's Nana. Beating out the Pillsbury Doughboy and winning that title made me feel like the Queen of Halloween.
It had become one big fashion show and, from there on out, I had a reputation to uphold. So, I recruited my family in my attempts of out-doing the rest of the trick-or-treaters. Whether they liked it or not, my dad was the Tin Man, my mom dressed as the Wicked Witch of the West, my little brother was the Scarecrow and my silky terrier was Toto. It just so happened that another girl in my class had the same idea, only she had one thing that I didn't: the Cowardly Lion. Unlike my older brother, hers was willing to sacrifice his manhood and dress according to The Wizard of Oz theme. She won.
The pressure to out-do, one-up, shock and surprise is a major part of the Halloween tradition. Maybe you want to get some laughs, scare or even seduce someone.
Either way, you want to avoid seeing five people with the same costume as you at the same party. And if, by chance, someone else had the same bright idea as you did, you want to make sure you can say you pulled it off much better.
bld09569@sjfc.edu
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