Surviving this year’s Halloween Costume Crisis

Published 4 years ago -


Eric Guditz – Copy editor

Ah, Halloween—some people’s dream and others people’s worst nightmare. Welcome to the world of fantasy as heroes and villains, princes and princesses and angels and demons come out to play for a night of fun, horror and, of course, trick-or-treating.

Why does this “holiday” cause so much joy in some while it causes such excruciating pain in others? Well, it usually always boils down to the costume. “Who or what should I be?” is a very common question you will hear from people who still have not chosen their costume, even at the 11th hour. These people are indecisive and poor planners (myself included). Don’t be like these people. I have created a list of ideas for the top five Halloween costumes of 2018 for those of you who want to be in on the fun, but don’t trust your own opinion.

I would place any DIY (Do it yourself) costume, or basically any costume that you make yourself, at number one. This requires effort, and many people simply will not put in the effort for their costume. Instead, they might go to some big-box store and spend between 15 and 30 dollars on costumes that are mass-produced and in many cases, cheaply made. Kudos to those who make their outfits from scratch, putting in hour’s worth of blood, sweat and tears.

Making your own costume not only sparks your own creativity, thus making the outfit appear more original, but it also boosts self-esteem and the costume serves as a source of pride. It’s no wonder I envy cosplayers—their work only makes me feel lazy and incompetent when all I do is throw on my sweaty, rubber zombie mask that I picked up at Kmart and have worn for years in a row. Best part is, a costume that you make yourself can be of anything you want.

At number two, I would place any classic costume, such as ghosts, witches, zombies, vampires, mummies, skeletons, etc. These are classics, and they are reminiscent of All Hallows Eve past. Without these costumes, would we even recognize Halloween?

If you’re not into the macabre, at number three we have, you guessed it, superheroes. What a year for Marvel, am I right? I mean, we had “Black Panther”, “Avengers: Infinity War”, and “Ant-Man and the Wasp.” Why not dress up as Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Spiderman or Black Panther? Get hyped up for “Avengers 4,” when the Avengers kick Thanos’s butt. Heck, for the sake of all our earthly protectors, let’s give our friends at DC Comics a pat on the back by assuming the roles of Wonder Woman and members of the Justice League. After all, some of us aren’t feeling so good and I think especially in this day and age, we all need some saving.

Funny and “punny” costumes come in at number four. Liven up the night with some comedy—almost everybody loves a good pun. What’s funnier than someone wearing a large solo cup over their body while dressed as Han Solo? Or someone dressed as Belle from “Beauty and the Beast” with mock tacos lining the dress? These kinds of costumes can be incredibly easy to make, some requiring only a few household items at most. However, their humor and originality make up for the lack of apparel.

Ranking at number five are group costumes, because a group effort always elicits a smile from those people handing out candy. One of my favorites are the inflatable T-Rex costumes. You and your buddies can dress up as these terrifying creatures with razor sharp teeth and short, short arms and parade the streets showing everyone who’s boss. Show no mercy to the bowls of candy left out on people’s doorsteps and cause panic at every street corner you turn.

Halloween is a great time to show off your favorite characters, your personality and your artistic talent (that is, if you made your own costume). There are such a variety of costumes to choose from. Use this list as a guide for deciding what kind of costume you want to wear on the big day. Whatever you dress up as for Halloween, make sure to be safe and have fun.

Eric Guditz, a sophomore, is undecided. He is a copy editor for Le Provocateur.

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