Trends Haunt Halloween Costumes
Olivia Scott, staff writer
People face the challenge of finding a niche costume to wear that isn’t too weird, is well known, yet not everyone wears it. This overcomplication of a tradition that used to be so authentic is seeping the joy out of trick-or-treaters. They spend so much time stressing about what they will dress like, what people will think and how they look, that they exhaust themselves by the time October 31st comes around. Nowadays when teens are with their friends, they are usually just trying to pose for an Instagram post, losing the Halloween spirit.
Social media overcomplicated Halloween, but it has also allowed many major retailers, like Spirit Halloween, to commercialize costumes. These stores jack up the prices on simple premade costumes that cost way too much than they’re actually worth. For example, a simple Spiderman costume sold at Spirit Halloween is almost $40, meanwhile an almost exact version of this costume can be found at Walmart for only $20. Most of these costume stores are only open during October. These stores typically only have basic costumes like pirates or witches, which is helpful for parents that don’t have time to make DIY costumes, but still take a lot out of that parent’s wallet.
As for couples' costumes, many originals will appear, like Barbie and Ken, Mario and Princess Peach or Harley and Joker. These add some nostalgia to the mix, while keeping it cute. New costumes may make an appearance, with some people on TikTok saying that they want to dress up like Nikki and Bear from the movie “Obsession”. This idea is sparking controversy online as the movie depicts some dark themes regarding relationships.
Group costume themes are also popping up. This October you should expect to see many new costume themes. Many people on social media have shown interest in wearing costumes based off characters or people like the Lorax, Micheal Jackson, characters from "Stranger Things" and even "K-Pop Demon Hunters". This broad variety is mainly thanks to all the box office breaking movies that came out this year. Even though pop culture has been giving us many new costume ideas, it’s also adding to the pressure like social media.
Students like Madison Skye Richardson, a sophomore, are excited for the upcoming holiday. “You can be whatever and whoever [you want to be], which allows for personality to be show,” says Richardson. This type of individuality, she believes, is what leads costumes driven by creativity to differ from those created by trends.
Likewise, another sophomore, Richa Peirano, appreciates the opportunity to show originality that Halloween offers. “[It] allows people to dress how they normally wouldn’t”, Peirano observes. That allows people to show their creativity, or at least it did before people started to worry about trends.
In a differing perspective, Anna Sophia Reid, a junior, doesn’t exactly believe that trends increase creativity. “Costumes definitely used to have more individual substance,” she claims, “but now trends just bring about the idea of recreating a specific image”. This recreation of things seen online is an added effect of trends. Many teens spend hours stressing over how they make themselves look like the perfect Pinterest photo, while in reality, it doesn’t make much of a difference.
Whether people are ready or not, Halloween is on its way, and it's not going to wait until everyone finds a niche enough costume. (Reference to the people from the interviews). With all the pressure placed on finding the perfect costume, keep in mind, trends come and go, dress how you want to.
