"Happy" Halloween? No, I Don'tThink So...
I’ve
never been a fan of Halloween. I don’t ‘hate’ it, it’s just not my
thing. I understand the appeal but I’ve never been stoked about it.
First of all, I live in Canada. That means, having Halloween at the end of October, it’s a bit chilly to ‘go out’, especially in a costume. That’s regional, so we’ll let that slide.
I’m not a fan of horror, but the expression : ‘Happy’ Halloween never seemed right. Why would one be 'happy' on a day about horror, terror and dead things? You're supposed to be scared witless...aren't you? To further my point – some, if not all, decorations are ‘kiddie’ or ‘childish’. A Frankenstein, vampire, skeleton or ghost would not be smiling or looking cuddly. They would have looks of horror, and have grotesque skin, head trauma or the like. This also shows that Halloween is yet another ‘event’ for the kids. Again, cute costumes vs scary costumes. The ‘essence’ of Halloween are those haunted houses where stuff comes and scares you, or hay rides, etc. You know = SCARY! “oh it’s too scary for kids.” It’s Haloween, not Easter. Within reason, of course. You don’t want children to be traumatized. Scaring kids (7 and up is acceptable). The idea of kids wanting candy when we're trying to not let them have it seems counter productive as well.
Another thing that annoys me, is this – Skankaween. Now, I’m straight, and while not perverted, normally would not say ‘no’ to…witnessing revealing outfits. But some ‘sexified’ versions of costumes are plain absurd. If you go as Mario & Luigi, the costume is: blue overalls (actual overalls, like what painters wear), a red shirt if you’re Mario, green if you’re Luigi, and likewise with the hat. And a fake moustache. Not red lingerie if you’re Mario and red hat, or green lingerie and hat if Luigi, with fake moustache. Also, don’t be afraid to go as like a Scooby Doo or something – or a paperbag princess…with the dress coming from a Costco yard bag. It’s annoying that ‘sexy Halloween’ costumes is EXPECTED of girls / women today. Nothing wrong with an awesome girls costume, but it doesn’t have to be sexified. Or, do a ‘normal’ costume one year, and ‘sexy’ the next.
Also, children are encouraged not to talk to / visit strangers. Yet, on Oct. 31, all those seem to go out the window….
As you can tell, I’m not the biggest fan of Halloween. It just like it has no place in the 21st century, other than yet another ‘kids’ event’. I’m not against costumes : Comic Con is awesome….
Now, if there was a recognized day, or weekend, dedicated to being outside, camping, walking in the woods or being tech free (think ‘wilderness’ or ‘forest’ adventure), I’d be on board with that. I understand campsites are open specified times of the year, I wasn’t speaking about Oct. 31 here. But if there was a dedicated day to wilderness and nature, it could have serious potential and appeal.
First of all, I live in Canada. That means, having Halloween at the end of October, it’s a bit chilly to ‘go out’, especially in a costume. That’s regional, so we’ll let that slide.
I’m not a fan of horror, but the expression : ‘Happy’ Halloween never seemed right. Why would one be 'happy' on a day about horror, terror and dead things? You're supposed to be scared witless...aren't you? To further my point – some, if not all, decorations are ‘kiddie’ or ‘childish’. A Frankenstein, vampire, skeleton or ghost would not be smiling or looking cuddly. They would have looks of horror, and have grotesque skin, head trauma or the like. This also shows that Halloween is yet another ‘event’ for the kids. Again, cute costumes vs scary costumes. The ‘essence’ of Halloween are those haunted houses where stuff comes and scares you, or hay rides, etc. You know = SCARY! “oh it’s too scary for kids.” It’s Haloween, not Easter. Within reason, of course. You don’t want children to be traumatized. Scaring kids (7 and up is acceptable). The idea of kids wanting candy when we're trying to not let them have it seems counter productive as well.
Another thing that annoys me, is this – Skankaween. Now, I’m straight, and while not perverted, normally would not say ‘no’ to…witnessing revealing outfits. But some ‘sexified’ versions of costumes are plain absurd. If you go as Mario & Luigi, the costume is: blue overalls (actual overalls, like what painters wear), a red shirt if you’re Mario, green if you’re Luigi, and likewise with the hat. And a fake moustache. Not red lingerie if you’re Mario and red hat, or green lingerie and hat if Luigi, with fake moustache. Also, don’t be afraid to go as like a Scooby Doo or something – or a paperbag princess…with the dress coming from a Costco yard bag. It’s annoying that ‘sexy Halloween’ costumes is EXPECTED of girls / women today. Nothing wrong with an awesome girls costume, but it doesn’t have to be sexified. Or, do a ‘normal’ costume one year, and ‘sexy’ the next.
Also, children are encouraged not to talk to / visit strangers. Yet, on Oct. 31, all those seem to go out the window….
As you can tell, I’m not the biggest fan of Halloween. It just like it has no place in the 21st century, other than yet another ‘kids’ event’. I’m not against costumes : Comic Con is awesome….
Now, if there was a recognized day, or weekend, dedicated to being outside, camping, walking in the woods or being tech free (think ‘wilderness’ or ‘forest’ adventure), I’d be on board with that. I understand campsites are open specified times of the year, I wasn’t speaking about Oct. 31 here. But if there was a dedicated day to wilderness and nature, it could have serious potential and appeal.
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