I will be the first to admit that even though I am going to be twenty-one in about a month, I still love to trick or treat. I’ll put forth all the effort, and now that I’m an adult, it takes a little more effort than it did when I was a child. Why? Because on top of putting together an awesome costume (with even higher standards to justify going out), I have to also gather a group of friends. For some reason, it is more socially acceptable to go trick or treating in a group than by yourself.
As a child, you could dress up as whatever you wanted, and everyone would think you were cute. As an adult, that is so much harder. I have a few different medieval dresses and corsets, and each year I generally pick one of each to pair together. This year, I also went out and got fairy wings (meant for toddlers, but they won’t get in the way and they’re much cheaper than the adult sizes), and lots of glitter to put all over my face and hair. Because for some reason, if I were to just put on a sparkly dress and call myself a princess, everyone would automatically think I’m just looking for free candy.
Honestly, the candy isn’t even my main focus. Though I like it, and it is definitely a reason that I still go out, my main reasoning is the excuse to dress up. I’m not one of those girls that likes to be a sexy bunny, or a sexy cat, or anything else that girls my age would typically dress as.
Last year, I was Lady Stoneheart from the "Song of Ice and Fire" series. The year before, I was a pirate. This year, I’m going as a fairy, and my friends are coming with me as a vampire and a peasant.
If you are an adult and want to go out on Halloween, don’t let societal norms stop you. You’ll get free candy, and have great memories with friends that you’ll actually remember. I still remember my freshmen year, when the president of my sorority suggested trick or treating. It was one of the most exciting Halloweens of my life.
On the other hand, if you are handing out candy and some college students show up, don’t scoff at them. The last thing we need is judgment, and honestly, you should be grateful that we’re here. We could be off doing much more destructive things on this holiday, but we chose to go door to door and collect candy while wearing a costume.
Lastly, no matter who you are, and no matter what you want to do for fun this Halloween, go out there and do it. Nobody should be able to stop you from living your dreams.
