I, like many others, love fall, especially Halloween. The aesthetic of it all — the pumpkin patches, the spooky decorations, the changing colors of the leaves — is enough to make anyone forget how much the cold weather sucks or how many assignments are due by Friday.
This year, however, somewhere between scrolling Pinterest for costume ideas that are both unique and recognizable, and Googling “how to get abs in four weeks,” Halloween has turned from spooky to stressful.
In high school, it never felt like this. I was perfectly content going as something basic and unflattering. But college has changed something in me. Suddenly, I feel this deep-rooted pressure to appeal to the male gaze by being everything girls are constantly told we should be.
I don’t know where it came from or why it’s hitting so hard. Maybe it’s from being surrounded by drop-dead gorgeous, conventionally attractive girls who (according to my brain) I can’t even begin to compete with. And as someone who came out of the womb competitive, that bothers me. Like, really bothers me.
The feminist in me is screaming. She hates that I feel the need to objectify myself just to feel seen. But I suspect I’m not alone in this, especially in October, when the pressure to look perfect in a costume hits.
In fact, my friends and I have “employed” one of our friends from the rugby team to train us at the gym and create a very unofficial meal plan (mostly consisting of salads and food from the “healthy line” at the Hickey) so that we can be fit by Halloween. If I’m being honest… it sucks. We hit legs two days ago, and I’m still struggling to walk up stairs. But trust, by Halloweekend, we’re going to be out looking bad as hell, regardless of our gym progress.
I’m trying to stay optimistic, but let’s be real: four weeks is not enough time to get abs or grow glutes, no matter how many clickbait YouTube videos say otherwise.
And while we’re at it, can we talk about why Halloween costumes are so expensive? Why is it considered normal to pay $70 for a polyester outfit from Amazon that I’m only going to wear once? And because Halloween falls on a Friday this year, of course I need two costumes, one for Friday and one for Saturday. I literally can’t afford this. I’m this close to asking my mom to buy me one like I’m eight years old again.
That’s assuming I even figure out what I want to be. Every costume idea feels off: too basic, too niche, too revealing, not sexy enough. It’s frustrating to say the least. My top contender right now is Clark Kent, mostly because I’m obsessed with the new Superman movie and it seems low effort enough to pull together.
If you’re reading this and you’ve had similar thoughts, just know you’re not alone. Halloween is fun, yes, but it can also be a lot. Between body image pressure, social comparison, and financial stress, it can feel more like an assignment than a holiday.
So, here’s a reminder for you and me alike: Halloween is about having fun and feeling good, whether you’ve been hitting the gym or just surviving class. Whether you’re Superman, a sexy cheetah, or the Lorax.
I’ll see you on Halloweekend — abs or no abs.