Seven takes on why the Halloween spirit is dying, and how to revive it.
Step Up, Guys!
Guys are infamous for doing the bare minimum on Halloween. They’ll throw on a plain red shirt – maybe a hat, and call themselves Mario. They won’t even have the “M” anywhere. Sometimes you won’t even get that,and they’ll go out in regular clothes they would’ve worn any other day. I want to see men get creative because it makes us all look bad. When they’re dressed lame, it brings the whole mood down. I would love to see some different characters as well, because the prisoner jumpsuits and cop costumes are mid.
–Chris Tufino
Cut the Waste
I hate all the waste during Halloween. Every year, people spend money on costumes they’ll wear for one night before tossing them aside, leaving them to eventually end up in a landfill, simply because it’s “tradition.” There’s nothing wrong with dressing up – I do it too, but we could do it in a smarter, more environmentally friendly way: reuse old costumes, trade with friends, buy clothing pieces we’ll actually wear again or donate them to people who cannot afford to buy one on their own. On top of that, there’s the quiet competition in, primarily suburban, neighborhoods to have the most decorated yard/house, rows of plastic skeletons, fake cobwebs, inflatable ghosts, jumpscaring animatronics and Halloween-themed lighting. It all ends up in the trash a few weeks later or collects dust in their attic as they continue to purchase more in the years to follow. Then there’s the insane amount of plastic-wrapped candy going inside non-recyclable plastic baskets. I don’t hate Halloween, or any holiday, but I hate the way we use them as an excuse to be wasteful.
-Yasmine Alregabi
Lazy-Ahh Costumes
I’m tired of seeing lazy costumes. The whole point of Halloween is to dress up! If I see one more jersey over a sweatshirt I’ll lose it. You look nothing like that athlete — starting with your height.
I miss the creativity of wearing something you’re excited about.
People have gotten lazy and are lacking originality in their costumes. I’d rather see someone try to dress up and fail than see someone plan to fail when they dress up. So throw out the prisoner suit, police officer, and religious costumes for an upgrade. Please.
-Sydney Blake
Freddy Kruger in a Thong?
Last weekend I saw Freddy Kruger in a hoodie and thong. What??? I’m pretty sure Freddy didn’t wear that, but okay. Costumes that were once clever or eerie are now often designed to be revealing or provocative, overshadowing the playful essence of the night. Is this what Halloween has really come down to?
I miss when Halloween was about creativity, coming together as a community, and having a little spooky fun. The celebration has grown more and more focused on flaunting oneself and getting attention. This change has been reinforced by social media, which has made Halloween a contest for likes.
-Kamiko Chamble
Put Zombie Cowboy Out to Pasture
Halloween culture is a shadow of what it was when I was growing up. Costumes used to have a creative charm to them, with people making use of anything they had lying around. Now, even if you wanted to D.I.Y. a costume, it would cost you an arm and a leg. Now most costumes I see are store-bought, so you end up seeing the same Zombie Cowboy costume from Spirit Halloween on 20 different people.. Speaking of costs, have you seen the price on some of these yard decorations? There’s no way I’m spending $100 on a foam coffin that wouldn’t be able to fit the average person!
-Adam Blanchard
Niche or Nah?
The one thing I hate the most is people repeating the same costume over and over by utilizing a corset for every single costume — especially for classic characters — or throwing on a cowboy hat as a man and calling it a finalized piece. Many costumes have lost the “wow” factor, because a lot of our generation is copying the same blueprint. The effort is lost because it’s so much cheaper and convenient to buy some small things from Shein and have a simple costume.
But maybe there’s hope. So far on Tiktok and Instagram, I’ve seen people dressing as a Charqueterie Board, Calliou and Little Bill, Silent Hill characters, Ronald McDonald, a Cosmic Brownie, ‘Zombie Tori’ from Victorious, “Home” bodies, Abby Lee Miller, and so much more. Someone even dressed as the howler letter from Harry Potter – which is a wild concept in itself.
Everyone is extremely excited and already sharing their unique costumes and plans. And thanks to Halloween falling on a Friday this year, maybe the magic will be back.
-Jessica Johnson
No More Last-Minute LeBrons
As Kanye West tweeted in 2018, “Halloween is the only time you’re not wearing a costume.” I don’t think any words could symbolize the true meaning of Halloween more than Ye’s. Halloween is supposed to be an expression of our inner selves, the one real chance to let our creativity shine. So when I see a boy claiming to be LeBron James just because he’s wearing a Lakers No. 6 jersey, or a girl wearing all black with cat ears, going as a black cat, a large part of my soul dies.
We have to step it up and do better. Every other day of the year we get to be boring, but for just one night we all are given the chance to show off a side of ourselves the world doesn’t always get to see. People shy away from dressing up as their favorite character, in exchange for a cliche costume that everyone at the party will get.
There’s no shame in people not knowing who you’re dressed up as. That’s part of the beauty. Take the chance to express yourself, and educate the people at your halloween party on a new character or show they should lookout for.
So my call to action is simple: Take a chance this Halloween. Go out and do YOUR favorite costume. Don’t worry about who will get it, or if it fits the right trends, just give the people around you a taste of who you are.
Take back Halloween for what it’s supposed to be.
-Evan Rando
apnmag.com 