Costume conundrum
Growing up with Halloween
KERRI WOLOSZYN STAFF
If I had it my way I would be Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz every single year on Halloween. That was my all-time best costume (at about age six) in a childhood of excellent homemade Halloween costumes. Every year my mother and I would discuss the costume to be made, and then she’d go to the store to buy a Simplicity pattern and sew the entire thing on the Singer.
Of course, every costume, no matter how great when worn inside, was effectively ruined by actually having to go outside to trick-or-treat. It was always a great disappointment when, after choosing the perfect costume, you would have to put your parka on underneath. Winnipeg is a great place for Christmas, but always has iffy weather for Halloween. Handing out candy is an entertaining job because one gets to see a wide array of costumes gone wrong under the influence of concerned parents. Ninjas become large ninjas, princesses are large princesses, and I’m sure I was quite a large Dorothy. The only way to get around this is to go as something bigger than you actually are. A ghost is usually a safe bet. However, a ghost costume is a lot less safe when you are tripping over your sheet the whole night.
And then we grow up.
At the age of about 15 or 16, Halloween becomes the lamest day on the calendar. I would suspect this is because, on Halloween, teenagers usually have nothing to do and nowhere to go. They are too old to go trick-or-treating and too young to go to the bar. There is always the social option and sometimes (or so I was told by early ’90s television) people throw Halloween parties. Teenagers are usually too busy “finding themselves” to be bothered to dress up like someone else. When you are a kid all you need is your imagination to become someone else, but when you are a teenager what you need is a reason.
And I guess this carries on into adulthood too. Going to the bar on Halloween is always an adventure. Much has been made about the sexualization of adult Halloween costumes, especially for women. Where, as a kid, you were a large princess; now you are a sexy princess, or a sexy cat, or a sexy whatever. Coming up with a costume that isn’t “sexy” is always a challenging task. But maybe there is a reason behind all of this. I mean, what do people normally wear to the bar? Generally you don’t see people with huge sweaters on. Just like wearing a parka underneath your costume was a necessity for going trick-or-treating on a cold October night in Winnipeg, a simple and small costume might be a lamentable necessity for the bar. First of all, when you are dancing around all night you get hot. And also, much as I loathe admitting it, many people are at the bar to find someone to hook up with. The ghost costume might just not cut it. When we grow up Halloween is no longer just about candy.
I really wish that Dorothy costume still fit.
