Clothes make a statement. Costumes tell a story. ~Mason Cooley
Halloween is upon us and you know what that means…costumes and candy, two of my most favorite things! Initially adults introduced the concept of dressing up long before children became part of the party. Masquerading as we know it today, is actually a 20th century concept, the first store bought costume available in the 1930’s. The 1930’s are also responsible for bringing the concept of the “monster movie” to the screen. With Lon Chaney as the original Wolf-man and Bela Lugosi as the original Dracula as inspiration its no wonder, costumes as part of Halloween became so popular.
Last year I went as a Roller Derby Queen and skated around my office all day sporting size 10 Barbie skates and a black eye, much to the chagrin of my boss. This years get-up is a toga out of the movie “Animal House,” my homage to my hometown homies and sheer laziness on my part. The film came out in 1979, the same year we graduated. I made it last year to wear during my class reunion festivities and much to the relief of the Hub, no such opportunity arose. There does seem to be a pattern emerging of me being an embarrassment to the men in my life when it comes to Halloween!
Halloween as a holiday is loosely based on the Celtic holiday, Samhain, when the veil between the living world and the spirit world is lifted. Sprinkle in the Hispanic concept of Day of the Dead and the Catholic belief in All Hallows Eve and the modern concept is born. In doing some research on the holiday for this article I was stunned to discover that Halloween ranks third behind New Years Eve parties at number one and the Super Bowl at number two. It ranks right behind Christmas in sales and dollars spent. Wow…that’s a lot of fake beards and snack size Snickers!
Let me go on record that I truly believe that costumes on pets are wrong. No dog or cat should be forced into an outfit they did not create themselves, no matter how much I love dressing up. The crazy cat lady at work has a closet full of hats she makes her cat wear and then parades the photos around the office. In her next life, she is sure to come back as a persecuted animal herself. I have the same opinion on the issue with babies. Crazy get ups on a baby less than a year old just shouldn’t be. None of them should be buttoned into something they don’t understand.
Happy Halloween 2010, hope to see you in costume and remember, all the Skittles are mine!