This Halloween, costumes have reinvented classic ideas and established modern options. Because Halloween was introduced many years ago, ideas can become strained or tired. But this year, costumes encompass both the classics and the new additions, while still maintaining the spirit that makes Halloween so special.
A popular tactic used by many costume designers is drawing inspiration from current events and topics. For instance pin pointing what the popular trends and people are can help to develop new costume ideas. This year some popular options include Caitlyn Jenner, Donald Trump, any of the Kardashians etc. Those specific costumes have already been popular among the public since their release and represent some of the highlights in the entertainment industry for 2015.
“A lot of people like to dress up like celebrities because it’s easily recognizable, especially if that person is popular today. I think some of my friends were actually thinking of dressing up as Kendall and Kylie Jenner,” NHS junior Kaitlyn McNichols said.
While some costumes follow the pop cultural trends of the year, others go more towards the classical route. Those specific costumes (witches, ghosts, pumpkins etc) symbolize the holiday and can be given many variations. You can go very basic with a simple ghost (a bed sheet) or you can have a more modernized version with lights and different layers of white fabric. All are very recognizable and easy to reuse year after year because those costumes will never go out of style.
“You’re always going to have your ghosts, children dressed up as animals, lions, things of that nature,” NHS English teacher Brian Tenney said.
Costumes also have been prioritizing safety more and more compared to years in the past. Although Halloween is a fun time of the year, there have been accidents that have occurred in years previous. There have been big news stories like, Shauna Howe (1992) who was abducted walking home from a Halloween party. And there have been minor accidents, like children tripping because it was hard to see in the dark. But, because of these incidents, big or small, costumes have been altered to create a safer environment.
In the early to mid 1900s masks were very popular because of how easy it was. With a simple mask you could transform your entire identity into whatever you wanted it to be. But, masks can also be a hazard. It makes it hard to see and you have little to no peripheral vision, especially when it comes to the older masks. Today, masks have better eye cutouts that rest comfier on your skin and are more wide so you are able to see better. In addition to the improved mask, a popular modern alternative is using makeup. Makeup gives you the same effect that a mask would, but it allows people to actually see your face and it doesn’t interfere with your eyesight.
“People became more aware of safety. So, not covering your face, using makeup instead of masks. Also, emphasizing trick or treating safety has changed. You can now go to malls, or parking lots. When I was a kid you would just go up to different houses,” NHS English teacher Kathy Swift said.
There have been many articles about the dangers of trick or treating on busy streets. There are lots of people, cars coming and going, it’s dark. So, now parents and adults alike can choose to go to parking lots where the candy is all in the trunk and you go from car to car to pick out some candy. Or you can go to a mall, where there are tons of lights and cameras, in a confined building.
“When I was younger my parents sometimes would be nervous to bring us to Main Street because it was so busy and it was outside, so we would end up going to the mall a lot,” NHS junior Laura Malin said.
Because of these alternatives it allows for less stress because you have the option to choose. These options do not eliminate all possibilities of danger, but it does help to minimize them and make the event more stress free.
Overall, Halloween and Halloween costumes have not changed that much in the sense of content, but they have evolved over the years to prove to be more realistic, inventive, and safe. For costumes, they now have many options suited to whatever style you wish to achieve and have increased the safety aspect in garments to make the holiday more fun and safe. In terms of the actual holiday, trick or treating has been modified over the years to help with the safety aspect as well, creating a more relaxed environment. Overall, these new changes have helped to create more variety among classic traditions and have increased the influence from pop culture and present worriment, while still keeping the Halloween spirit alive.