I was out and about last night in the "trendier" part of the city, and so came across my fair bit of young men and women going to the customary Halloween party. Much to my disappointment, almost no cool costumes, nothing really out there - some make-up, some discreet attire, and one thing that struck me was,
after a certain age, it seems there's no other viable costume for a girl than "sexy something-or-other".
I kept getting passed by all these girls in black, slutty outfits of some breed or another. First off, of course, that has very little to do with the Samhain tradition that first started this modern outfit-parade. Secondly, it's just such an insult to the creative spirit, I think.
Wear your black, slutty outfits. I'm all for them, myself. It's just, there's this one night when you get an excuse for dressing up as literally anything in the world, and you choose to just pull your shirt a little lower than usual? Seems like such a waste of potential.
Let's be honest, theoretically, you could dress up as anything you want at any moment in the year. Granted, you'd have to have a little more guts to do it at any other time, because people stare, and can be mean, or much more often, you're just really self-conscious. It's cool, I am, too.
But on Halloween, the rules of "normal" society are temporarily suspended, particularly if you're going to a Halloween event of some sort. In that case, by all means, you should go all out. Get a crazy outfit. Get a wig. Paint your face. Do something fun, you know.
Because that's another thing that bugged me about this whole sexy whatever get-up. It's not fun. I mean, it can be fun to dress up, and it's certainly a confidence boost, knowing you look appealing, but it's all such a hassle, truth be told. Pulling up the pantihose, and constantly wondering if your make-up's run, making you look like the bride of Frankenstein. Leaving the house with the perfect hair, only to go to the bathroom an hour in, and find it's all blown or frizzy or laying flat and awkward.
Let's face it, being the sexy pumpkin is fucking tedious. You can be the sexy pumpkin any other night of the year, why waste this one?
But no, as soon as you're "an adult", you either go as slutty nurse or nun or cop or cat or whatever, or you don't really do anything. That's a thing I've noticed about both genders, actually, but particularly women for some reason. I mean, if you don't "do" Halloween, that's fine, but presumably, if you're attending a party or themed event, you're not exactly religiously opposed to the idea, yeah?
And yet, all these "responsible adults" have such a dull way of understating it. Sure, maybe they'll do a little more "out there" make-up, or they'll put on a skull-themed tie, but that's about it. God forbid someone looks at you and thinks you're immature or childish. Or weird.
That is such a tremendous driver for so much of our adulthood -- the fear, the terror that other people might find you weird. Kooky. Too out there. Seems to me that's a good thing - if some new person does think you're out there and kinda crazy, all the better you both know that upfront. Why tone yourself down just for others' liking?
Okay, now for the pictures. I didn't go to a themed event, per se. I went to a movie with my brother, it's this horror game that we both sort of grew up on, and we figured, what better moment to go see it than Halloween? And of course, one can't go looking like one's ordinary self, so we were both characters in the game.
That was one thing I noticed and appreciated about the "younger generation". I admit, I'd been a tad worried we'd be the only ones at the movies in full get-up, but to my delight, there were loads of kids dressed up, or at least wearing a mask, or a pair of fake ears on their heads or whatever. Loads of outrageous make-up, yet zero embarrassment or sign of discomfort. If there's one thing that our society seems to be doing right is somehow emboldening kids to do that. I mean, I would've probably been mortified to go to the movies in a costume or with a mask or whatnot at fifteen.
So yeah, in the words of David Bowie, let all the children boogie. Cause they know where it's at far more than "responsible adults".