“Spooky SZN” has been in full effect since the clock struck midnight on Oct. 1. It’s all about haunted houses, pumpkin patches and finding the perfect costume for your Asbury-sanctioned Halloween festivities. For many people, finding the right costume can go one of two ways: it can either be daunting, or something you put little to no effort in.
According to Good Housekeeping, the most popular costume for Halloween 2019 is Pennywise the clown from Stephen King’s IT. For those of us that get left on read or double text our crush, it may be the only day of the year we will not be looking like clowns.
Aside from Pennywise, other popular costumes include Disney characters, Stranger Things characters, superheroes and . . . the college admissions scandal? You read that correctly. Although these are some of the headlining costumes for this year, the biggest theme will be controversy. Here are some of the best costumes to either buy or say goodbye to:
Spooky Costumes
It’s hard to gauge what is scary, because it can come in so many forms. What is scary to you may not be scary to someone else. For instance, clowns or men with chainsaws may not spook you, but a “We need to talk” text may just give you the chills.
Senior Darian Phelps said that the key to a scary costume is about going all out and requires makeup and special effects.
“If you just went out and bought a stupid plastic mask, you suck,” she said.
Fun Costumes
Fun costumes are what Senior Hannah Ericksen would describe as those that are “easily recognizable, like characters from books or movies.”
As children, we look up to superheroes and princesses because we want to be like them one day. Once reality kicks in, dressing up as one is as close as we can come to it. Junior Dunsyn Adeliyi plans on dressing up like Black Panther this year.
“He is an African hero that fought for the good, and he has a great body, just like I do,” he said.
Junior Liz Poe put a lot of thought into her costume this year. She is going as Rapunzel from Tangled because she has a chameleon. Now that’s cute. She said that she does not respect people that do not put in a lot of effort in their costumes.
“Go big or go home,” she said.
There is one very popular costume this year among children and college students alike. Senior Sam Henderson said, “If I could choose anything in the world, it would be a Fortnite skin.” Fair enough.
Couples Costumes
If I see any attempt at “Netflix & Chill” as a costume this year, I am cancelling my subscription. Couples costumes are dangerous waters to tread because they can come off so cheesy. Junior Isaiah Okesson said that he and his girlfriend flirted with several ideas, including avocado toast. We can all applaud them in their decision of scratching that idea from the drawing board.
Couples costumes (when done well) can send a message to the world, so it is important to get them right. Freshman Caleb Lewis said, “If I have a shorty, and we got to a Halloween party together, we will be ‘twinning’ so everyone can know what is going on.” He stated that couple costumes are very cute and would like to do that “with somebody’s daughter.”
Group Costumes
The old saying, “Two is company, but three is a crowd,” does not apply on Halloween. Group costumes are not as problematic as couple costumes and can also be easier on the wallet.
Junior Owyn Sigey said a funny costume for guys this year would be for them to dress as “VSCO girls.”
“We get a Hydro Flask, a long shirt, those things they wear on their wrists and those weird sandals,” he explained. He stated that he alone would not wear this costume, but “it would be funny if the ‘gang’ does it.”
Social Commentary Costumes
Halloween is now a time where people express their views in the form of nylon and annoyance. We are all channeling Eric Andre when we ask, “Why would you say something so controversial yet so brave?”
There has been talk of college-admission-scandal-themed costumes as well as impeachment, and it begs the question: Is Halloween the right time for such behavior?
Senior Joanna Shutt believes there is a tasteful way of navigating social commentary costumes.
“It depends where you are coming from,” she said. “If you are trying to be funny, great. If it is a pretentious commentary on culture, you’re basically stupid.” She recommends going on Twitter to air one’s frustrations.
This leads us to our next point. Is it okay to wear costumes that appropriate culture? This should not even be a question I have to ask, but it seems like an ever-growing issue these days. Sophomore Alejo Lopez stated that if he ever saw someone appropriating culture with their costumes, regardless of race, he would take matters into his own hands.
“You could be John Cena, and I will fight you,” he added.
No Costume
A lot of people opt out of wearing costumes all together on Halloween. Junior Charlotte Breslin said that last year she did not dress up at all and it was perfectly fine. That’s great. For others, not dressing up is less of a personal choice and more of a moral obligation.
Junior Rodney Jean and sophomore Julian Lalanne stated that they do not dress up for Halloween because they are Haitian. This was a statement that resonated with me, being that I too grew up in a Haitian household that claims everything to be “voodoo.” Lalanne went on to explain that if his mother saw him in a costume this year, she would fly to Kentucky and hit him with a belt. We at the Asbury Collegian do not condone violence; however, we do wish him the best this spooky szn.
Ultimately, the amount of effort one puts in a Halloween costume is up to them. It is celebrated differently all over the world. According to History.com, Latin Americans celebrate the Day of the Dead, which takes place during the first couple of days in November. In China, it is a time to commercialize a certain audience of people, although they tend to place more importance on Chinese New Year.
For Junior Josh Hamilton, Halloween does not hold a special place in his heart.
“I grew up in a culture where no one dressed up so I haven’t really thought about it until I came to the U.S.,” he explained. He stated that people put too much pressure on finding the perfect costume.
For others like Senior Manami Asa, her culture sees Halloween as a time to break the norm.
“In Japan we go hard,” she said. She believes American Halloween is lacking compared to her experience in Japan. Asa explained that Japanese culture is very conservative, but Halloween costumes allow them to be more expressive for a change.
In conclusion, don’t worry about having the most expensive costume, trying to impress others or making a political statement. Halloween is all about having good old-fashioned fun. Whether that be in the form of a princess or clown, remember this is nothing like getting a nose job. It’s only for one night.
