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Girl in witch hat
Girl in witch hat
Photo by Paige Cody from Unsplash
Holy Cross | Life

Halloween is the Worst

Updated Published
Berit Rose Student Contributor, College of the Holy Cross
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Holy Cross chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

I hate Halloween. I hate having to spend money on a costume I’m only going to wear once, I hate the pressure of making sure my costume photographs well, but most of all, I hate that I don’t get to walk around a neighborhood with my friends with a pillow case full of candy. 

Halloween for me is a reminder of how much I have grown up, and how something that used to be so exciting and significant to me is now a burden. I miss being mad at my mom for making me wear a jacket over my clothes and glowsticks around my wrists so I don’t get lost. 

To me, adulthood has ruined Halloween. There is an expectation for girls to dress in as little clothes as possible. The culture surrounding Halloween is that if you would be comfortable with your parents seeing your outfit, then you aren’t doing it right. Unfortunately, I’d rather lick the floor of a NYC subway than have my parents see what I was wearing. The pressure to go out in something you wouldn’t wear regardless only subjects girls to feeling like they need to dress in something they may not feel totally confident or comfortable in. Last night, I was supposed to go as the tin man from the Wizard of Oz to match my friends’ costumes. I had tried the outfit on before and liked it, but when I put it on minutes before my friends were coming to my dorm, I suddenly hated it, and I hated how it made me look. If you have gone through this, you understand the frustration. That’s when a game-time decision was made, where I had transformed from the tin man, to a (captivating?) Santa Claus. I hated that costume a little bit less. 

This is the problem with social media. Everything gets captured, and it never goes away. If you aren’t feeling as hot as humanly possible, then you may fall into the trap of comparing yourself to Instagram models with impossible bodies. With that being said, I do love how Halloween gives people the outlet of being able to wear whatever they want without judgement, but nobody should feel forced to wear something they don’t want. Let’s support people who want to dress like founding fathers or bananas in addition to all of the gorgeous girls going as the police officers or superheroes. 

Berit Rose

Holy Cross '26

Hi! My first name is Mary but I go by my middle name which is Berit. I am from Bedford, NY, where I graduated from Fox Lane High School. In high school, I played soccer and flag football, and was a captain for both teams. I am now a freshman at College of the Holy Cross where I plan to either major in Psychology or Political Science.
I became a certified New York State Firefighter in 2024 and have been volunteering at my local department since 2021. As both the youngest and one of only 4 girls in my class, I learned how to carry myself with confidence and determination in professional settings. I became head of the department's recruit program, where I would oversee all the other youth recruits and would help organize events for the firehouse, often times involving my town's community.
I also interned at the Westchester County Board of Legislators at the end of my senior year, where I wrote numerous proclamations and pieces for the weekly newsletter in addition to editing all E-blasts and other write-ups. I learned a lot about local government, but more importantly, improved my writing and editing skills.
I am so excited to become more involved with Her Campus and am looking forward to this year!