Sorcha Horrocks-Burns
Staff Writer
October is upon us, and with it comes the ever stressful time of Halloween. The pressure is on to beg, borrow and steal a costume that vaguely fits in with all the themed parties going on. The temptation to draw on whiskers and dress in black is almost overwhelming but no-one ever likes being known as the cop out. And so you delay your dissertation, forget about your tutorials and scour the aisles of Penny’s, praying that no one ever looks at your browsing history and finds out that you Googled images of French maids (although if you had to Google it you’re either not the right type of girl for that costume or you’re a guy who’s thoughts were not on Halloween)!
There’s no denying I love Halloween and dressing up, ever since my mum used to chuck one of these kids superhero capes on me, but these past couple of years I’ve started to dread this particular holiday. Getting the right balance of sexy, not slutty, really is an art and all the while there is the worry that no-one else will have made as much of an effort with their costume. Some people decide to go for something in the middle where they choose to wear a cute outfit or be the cutest dragon in a onesie which still demonstrates effort because you had to source the adorable outfit to fit the theme. The very fact that at a themed party you cannot 100% guarantee that everyone will be dressed up is such a shame and it has stifled the joy of fancy dress for many in this country. In my opinion, this boils down to the fact that it simply isn’t done often enough. Halloween seems to be the only time the Irish feel it’s acceptable to go out dressed as a smurf whereas in other countries if you don’t see a group of college students dressed as superheroes strolling down the street there’s something up. This puts the pressure on when Halloween comes round, and with it an inescapable sense of anxiety.
Now for those of you who are reading this thinking fancy dress is too much stress, costs too much time and money and ultimately is not worth the bother, you just don’t know what you’re missing (or you’re just a hipster and, in that case, since you’re always in fancy dress you might want to take a break once in a while, save it for an actual occasion). If you really try you can make a costume from almost anything and if all your attempts fails just think of that €50 you spent on a morph suit as an investment, you’re in college for 4years after all. A vicious cycle has developed where everyone irrationally believes the sole reason the party is being thrown is to play some hilarious prank where you end up a laughing stock for dressing up. Wake up, we’re not in a Bridget Jones movie (although if you do have shitty friends who ‘d actually find this hilarious be wary of the next random themed night you get invited to). Basically, my message to you all is ‘go big or go home’.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not tarring everyone with the same brush here, there are plenty of you who live for Halloween and the opportunity it brings to score a slutty Vampire and it’s only a minority who is ruining the fun for everyone. These are the best days of our lives; I mean when else can we dress up as GI Joes and Army hoes or have a casual Toga party? So why stifle your creativity by restricting it to Halloween where everyone ends up spending their money on fake blood and blowing 20 euro in the €2 euro shop on overpriced gimmicks, or the occasional society night out where not everyone respects the ‘School Disco’ dress code and you’re left feeling insecure dressed in your best Britney Spears outfit. Every week should feel like a weekend in Galway so please, join me in expanding our horizons and let it become socially acceptable to see a group of students dressed as Crayola Pencils on the 128.
