Column by KatherineDietz

It’s difficult to scroll on social media without seeing promotion of Halloween spirit. Every post seems to be recommending a different new decor or a fun recipe for a costume party. However, the most common video I see is Halloween costume ideas. 

This might not sound bad, but unfortunately, the costumes tend to consist of cheap shirts, tube tops and corsets in all different colors, a plain skirt that looks like the one collecting dust in your closet, and maybe a hat. These costumes, although easy to put together, are plain and uninteresting. It’s hard to tell what you’re trying to be when all you’re wearing is a green t-shirt with a white skirt. 

Last Halloween, I saw hordes of young people all in the same generic outfit, trying to convince me they were ballerinas, football players and princesses. I looked at the outfits and wondered: “Where are all the fun costumes I used to see?”

I remember re-wearing the same handmade clown costume that my mom wore when she was little, picking out the perfect coat to go with my costume, painting my face and finding the finishing touches within my closet. I would always ask my parents if they knew what I was dressed as, and if they couldn’t figure it out, I would try to make it more clear. I’d add jewelry, makeup and shoes, if I could find them. 

The costumes I see now seem like they have significantly less time put into them, and are repetitive. Everyone looks the same, just in a different color.  

These costumes are, simply put, boring. They have no charm, no flair and certainly none of the personality that Halloween demands. They consist of T-shirts, shorts and skirts that I see any other day of the year. If you’re going to wear everyday clothes, why bother claiming that you’re wearing a costume? 

Halloween is a holiday about being scary. It’s about showing off your favorite movie with a carefully selected costume of your favorite character. It is about showing off your creative side. 

It’s not about quick costumes that don’t mean anything. 

Costumes should be fun, and they should be interesting. 

These costumes not only seem lazy, but they’re also mostly from cheap fast-fashion brands. You could argue that, since the costume is so simple, you could wear it as everyday clothes, but many people probably won’t re-wear that bright pink skirt they bought for $3 off Amazon. That skirt is going to be heading straight to a thrift shop after the holiday passes, or worse, it will be thrown away without a second thought. 

Rather than making your costume boring, you can go thrift shopping to find more unique costumes, still for a low price. You can do your makeup in bright colors, buy a wig, DIY your costume. 

You don’t need to have your costume look like everybody else’s. 

Instead, take a day to meet with your friends and make your Halloween costume one that everyone will remember. 

It may seem embarrassing at the time, but you will look back on your old costumes and think of the fun you had making them, not the people making fun of you.