One of the most thrilling aspects of Halloween is stepping into a sick costume and allowing yourself a moment of fantastical escape. There is something about a perfectly executed costume that truly distinguishes Halloween from the routine day-to-days that precede and follow this anticipated holiday. Suddenly, the crisp breeze is severely sharper; the vibrancy of the leaves dim and you know that spooky season is among us.
This past Halloweekend did not disappoint to deliver its ghostly atmosphere. Feeling somewhat like a comeback since last year’s Halloween, spooky season participants also did not disappoint to emerge in epic and expressive costume ideas that have been marinating for a year. People craved the drama and we gave it. But after a year’s break from the expectations to deliver a wholly developed costume, the pressure was on and the costume brainstorming and curating process was given more weight. We had to make this Halloween momentous enough to make up for the hiatus.
And suddenly we are reminded of the chaotic process of the group costume. What are we being? Who is joining the costume? Why does it keep changing at the last minute? Why does Amazon take two weeks to ship those fairy wings I’m going to throw out after wearing? These are all important questions we must ask to charge forward in the coordination challenge that is the group costume.
Even if it’s a duo or squad of 10, the group costume is always present on Halloween. People want to emerge with another at their side that embodies the same cultural reference or symbol as them. But what about the solo costume? In my Halloween experience, the thought of this holiday automatically points to who my friends and I, as a group, are going to be. I never questioned this reality and was completely fine with it.
This Halloween was different. My group of friends and I decided early on that Halloweekend 2021 was going to be a three-night bender (again, making up for last year, you know?). Friday night, group costume. Saturday night, another group costume. But Sunday… Sunday was unoccupied by collective thought. We were on our own, and suddenly the challenge and inspiration of the solo costume took effect. I wondered why I had never considered it before.
There is a freedom with the solo costume. It is inevitable with the group costume for some social pressure to exist and for at least one friend to be left out, intentionally or not. Perhaps you’re joining a social space where you don’t know many people and you are subsequently not part of the group costume. Or perhaps you are led into a group costume where one person is making the executive decisions without much say from others. Whatever the situation is, sometimes the group costume just isn’t it. My question is, why aren’t people more empowered to simply step away from the group and explore their own dress-up expression?
First of all, the only person you need to consider is yourself. The obstacles of brainstorming and coordinating a group outfit evaporates. Instead, you can focus on cost savings. With a solo costume, the outfit pieces can be purposely curated from items in your closet, along with a few cheap DIY purchases from Dollarama, to really bring it to life.
I must also mention the sheer drama of the solo costume. It has the potential to be kept a complete secret. As a result, you can step into a dramatical dream and debut your costume to capture the exquisitely raw reactions of those you’re hanging out with. The solo costume takes the fantastical escape to the next level. The beauty of a costume is that it allows its wearer to step away from themselves and adopt elements of the costume’s persona. The solo costume gives us a moment to practice confidence as we emerge as an individual other than ourselves.
I am not saying we should abolish group costumes. But we must not discount the power of the solo costume in bringing us every bit of Halloween fantasy that we need. Let’s start marginating now and take the opportunity to stand out. I propose we’ll deliver a solo costume debut more epic than any costume that has come before it. Halloweekend 2022… me and my solo costume will see you there.