the itis

The Annual Halloween Conundrum

Each year I go through the same will-I, won’t-I-dress-up debate.

Generally, the conclusion is that I would like to dress up, and I will then debate among a selection of possible costumes, get flustered at my inability to choose only one, then end up going as something that makes no sense. Cases in point: the year I wore spider-web tights, vampire teeth and Lady Godiva wig that was so long it picked up 10 pounds of leaves as I traipsed through the ‘hood … or the time in college I thought I was being clever and went as a drink known as the “red-headed slut.” I hot-ironed the Jagermeister logo on my T-shirt and glued peaches and cranberries to a fedora because the drink is made of Jager, peach schnapps and cranberry juice … Yeah, no one else got it, either.

The issue of the “sexy” costume also mucks up the debate. As a twenty-something gal who prides myself on my smarts and my feminism, I reject the idea that women have to dress sexily on Halloween, but I also, deep-down, always consider it. When else can a gal find an excuse to purchase pasties and thigh-high leather boots? One can only hope for a themed party and the opportunity to wear such an ensemble twice, right?

At this point, should dressing up for some Halloween-related function be necessary, I will probably wear a frog-face ski cap I have (duh, I’m a frog) or snag a moo-moo from the bargain bin at Goodwill and be Mama Cass. Hello, fabulous!