Julia Slaughter

There are so many things I love about Halloween – pumpkins for soup, bread, and even lattes; children living out their fantasies of being superheroes, pirates, and fairy princesses; candy, candy, candy; trying out a different persona for a night.

Last year I finally got to have the blue black hair I always wanted, my friends wanted to be vampires and I used the opportunity to vamp out – waist length blue black hair, straight heavy bangs framing my face, and make up heavy on dark colors. I’ve always wanted to try out blue black hair, well more blue than black, the kind of hair that seems black until the sun hits it and then it has a beautiful blue aura to it. Unconventional hair colors have always been appealing to me but I understand that they are not particularly appealing to conventional workplaces but at Halloween I can dabble in the unexpected.

This year my friends decided that we would all dress as the cast of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty so I was Sleeping Beauty’s mother, who is merely referred to in the movie as the Queen. I got to wear a fabulous renaissance style dress and I was covered in “pearls.” All the costumes were custom made for us by a friend and they were amazing.

All the fuss about costumes is because every year I have friends who throw a HUGE Halloween party. (I am responsible for invitations since I am something of a paper and font snob!) I was excited about my beautiful and elaborate dress, I graciously greeted Trick or Treaters and the occasional party guest – it’s all alot of fun.

However this is the first year that I became aware that the Mean Girls’ Theory of Halloween Costumes is true. There are people who use Halloween as an opportunity to be as scantily clad as possible. Womens’ costumes tend to trend towards lingerie with assorted tails, horns, and whatnot, however I noticed that even some of the men were getting in on the action. I particularly “enjoyed” the fireman who went so far as to get actual fireman gear and yet went around shirtless. under his suspenders. There were also some shirtless doctors and demons running around and a gladiator in a spangly speedo.

I enjoy watching these exhibitionist on Halloween and I wonder what would Freud say? I wonder what kind of fantasy they are living out? Food for thought I guess…