It’s Halloween, and you’ve got a totally original costume idea that you’re super excited to show off at the big costume party. You put it on and it looks great, exactly what you were hoping for, and you’re feeling confident that you’re gonna win the costume contest.
That is, until you show up and nobody has any idea what you are.
Now you’re stuck explaining to everybody what you are, and decide to just dress up next year as something basic that everyone else understands, like a cat, a witch, or even a loofah.
But do you really want to give up on your once-a-year opportunity to show off your costume creativity? Is it really worth giving up the fun just so people know what you’re dressed as? Do you REALLY wanna go basic?
Let’s go through the pros and cons of “Basic” vs “Original” costumes.
BASIC
THE PROS:
Yes, there are some pros to having a basic costume. For one, people will know what you are without needing to ask, which saves the tedious and lengthy explanations. Another pro to this is that these costumes can be found in pretty much any costume store, even a Target (and we all know that you love your trips to Target).
THE CONS:
While there are a couple pros to the basic costume, there are several cons as well. Though it is a pro that the basic costumes can be found almost anywhere, this means that you’re gonna run into countless people with the same exact costume as you, which is basically like wearing the same dress as someone else to the prom. This also means that you’re losing a lot of creative liberties. You’re funny, you’re smart, you’re creative— so let’s see you show that off!
Also, when you don’t need to explain your costume, what else are you supposed to talk about? The weather? Politics? How nobody actually enjoys eating candy corn yet we all still eat it anyway?
ORIGINAL
THE PROS:
Where do I even begin with the pros? First, you can make your costume completely at home, meaning that you can be absolutely anything that you want to be: a pun, a historical figure, a character from a book, anything or anyone! Then, when you eventually wind up explaining your costume to someone, you not only have something to talk about, but you have a chance to talk about your interests. Who knows, you might make a new friend out of it!
Along with that, an original costume gains more attention (definitely helpful in costume contests), and they happen to be FAR more memorable than the basic costumes that everyone else uses.
THE CONS:
In spite of having some good pros, original costumes do have their cons. One is the price. An original costume does have the opportunity to be pretty cheap, or even free, but if you want to go big or go home, it might cost you a pretty penny.
Another is effort. Depending on your idea, an original costume can take a lot more effort than you bargained for, which may be more difficult when you’re busy with everyday life. But hey, these are all dependent on your individual costume ideas.
So, basic or original? Which costume will YOU choose?