Halloween. It seems more important now that I’m 19 years old, away at college, than it ever did before. But now? I’m burnt out. Year after year, I’m more exhausted by the “holiday.”
From when I was little until the beginning of high school, I dressed up every year. But in the past four years, in addition to this year, I haven’t.
Last week, my friends took it as a personal offense that I wasn’t planning a costume. But truth of the matter was, as a college student, I didn’t have the energy. This past month, endless tests, midterms and essays have consistently bogged me down — why would I want to spend any additional effort with a costume? And of course, at college, there’s need for more than one costume. But even when I try to come up with an idea for a costume, I exhaust myself. Lame, right?
Looking back, I can picture nearly all of the costumes I’ve ever worn. I was definitely a fan of Disney, as any child is at that age. The first costume I can remember was Simba from the Lion King. I had this jumpsuit and foam mask around my head. I can see it now: the short hair, the missing teeth and all the works of childhood. I was also every Disney princess I can think of: Belle, Cinderella and Ariel. I was Mulan and Pocahontas. I was Anastasia. I was even Meg from “Hercules” and Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz.” I was a typical young girl, always wanting to be someone “pretty.”
By the end of elementary school, I had my mom make me a couple of costumes. One was a bit last minute, but absolutely adorable — a cute witch costume. The other was the ultimate testament to my nerdiness — a costume for Arwen from The Lord of the Rings. I alternated between these until high school. The last costume I ever put together was of a 1920s flapper girl. That was sophomore year.
Since then, I haven’t dressed up for Halloween. It doesn’t have any appeal to me now. I feel too old for it, that I’ve outgrown it. Halloween lacks the child-like charm it once held. At college, it seems so contrived — just another flimsy reason for parties. In a way, I’m like Lindsay Lohan’s character from “Mean Girls.” I’d be the girl to go full out on an actual costume instead of wearing a slinky dress and animal ears.
This Halloween weekend, similarly to last years, I’ve spent my nights in — lame as that may be to some people. But I’d rather torture myself with scary movies, (which, if you know me, is saying a lot because I’m the biggest wimp of all) than be forced by society to dress up promiscuously just to attend a few parties. Last year, my roommate and I built a blanket fort. We watched “Hocus Pocus” and “Zombieland.” And while there’s nothing wrong with a party or costumes, the cold was definitely not worth venturing into the night.
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