Halloween is the main holiday where ides of culture are explored in the greatest variety. Some people dress up as scary monsters and witches to keep up with centuries of tradition. Others dress to represent movies like "Mean Girls" or "Beetlejuice" in order to express what their definition of great pop culture is or even to explore what they wish they could be more like every other day of the year. While I am more of a Christmas type of gal, I appreciate Halloween for allowing everyone to express themselves with the truest sense of freedom.
I remember some of the more infamous costumes of my childhood. When I was in kindergarten, I dressed up like a Barbie fairy princess and ran around with other kids at a Halloween party. In the fourth grade, I dressed up as Hannah Montana (ah back in the heyday of Disney Channel with no wrecking balls in sight). I think I stopped dressing up in the sixth grade, but honestly, looking back now, that happened as a result of several things.
At the time, I figured I was getting too old to dress up for Halloween. I loved watching others get creative with their costumes, but I kind of discovered that I wanted to express myself every day of the year rather than constrict it to one holiday in October.
In college, my friends encourage me to dress up again and again, and the idea feels different now. I no longer see the need to either shun the tradition of dressing up nor embrace it as the only way I will ever express myself in an entire year.
Halloween is a good holiday not only because it gives me a spectacular excuse to binge Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, but also because it allows people like me to further embrace their own self-expression or give a taste of freedom to those who may not feel the same way I do about the ability to express themselves on a regular basis.
No matter what, have a safe and spooky Halloween everyone!
