Halloween is a holiday full of traditions. People tell ghost stories and trick-or-treat around friendly neighborhoods looking for seasonal candy. Costumes of ghouls and goblins were once a standard, scaring children into gleeful fits of frantic giggles all over the world.

In recent years, the trend has shifted slightly. Scary has transformed into scantily clad as Halloween has become a ubiquitous party holiday across college campuses.

—Compiled by the Daily Orange Feature Staff

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It takes a lot to surprise Chloe Slade when it comes to Halloween. As a senior, she’s seen student costumes run the gamut on the scandalous spectrum.

And this year shouldn’t be any different. Because Halloween falls on a Wednesday, Slade guessed that the holiday might last eight or nine days for some students.

“The freshmen will be in for a real treat,” said Slade, a communication and rhetorical studies major. “But for all of the older students, it’s not our first rodeo.”

But Slade feels like Halloween has lost its novelty with theme parties taking over normal weekends. So she plans to make her costumes stand out from the crowd.

“Scandalous attire is actually a year-round thing to wear for a lot of people,” she said. “It’s the nonscandalous, creative costumes that stand out in this particular demographic.”

So, when planning costumes, Slade took that creative spark and ran with it. One of her costume ideas, suggested by a friend, is reality TV darling Honey Boo Boo.

With a costume complete with a hot pink tutu, rhinestones and a pink corset, Slade said the search is on for white-laced socks.

Instead of looking at reality TV for her second idea, Slade decided to zombify herself based on reality. She said that because it has been the year of “the real-life zombies,” she plans to join the walking dead for a night.

Said Slade: “I decided to go against the average scandalous Halloween costume and buy some fun face makeup to transform into a zombie one night.”

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Halloween is an opportunity to be someone else for a night. But for many Syracuse University students, it’s also an opportunity to show off their scandalous side. As Lauren Levy argues, this may be students’ last chance.

Levy said that during her time at SU, she has realized that a scandalous Halloween costume is expected if you’re female. It’s become somewhat of a running joke how far girls will go.

But after graduation, all that will change: Levy said she would never feel comfortable donning a revealing costume once she leaves campus for good.

“You would come out looking like ‘Legally Blonde,’” she said.

Zoe Guzman, a senior forensic science and anthropology major, agrees and understands why costumes that leave a lot to be desired fabric-wise seem to be the norm: It’s the one night a year girls can wear whatever they want and escape judgment.

“Some girls are like, ‘I want to feel pretty; I want to show off my assets so I’m going to do it this night,’” she said.

Guzman plans on dressing up as Dora the Explorer this Halloween, but wouldn’t rule out the idea of scandalous attire.

Said Guzman: “I don’t mind looking sexy because I mean, sure, why not. It’s part of being a woman. But there’s a difference. I wouldn’t wear a bra and hot pants.”

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Among the decisions that Halloween presents are which weekend to party, and whether to go with a group costume or to fly solo.

Group costumes are hard to pull off, especially with a large amount of people. But Emilia Barron and her sisters in Kappa Alpha Theta made up their minds.

Barron, a sophomore advertising major, and her Theta pledge class will go as the 50 states, each representing a different state.

“I chose Vermont,” she said. “Since Ben and Jerry’s ice cream is made in Vermont, I’ve decided to dress up as Ben and Jerry’s.”

Not choosing the group costume route, Mackenzie Ruby, a freshman biochemistry and chemical engineering dual major, chose her costume based on her own inspiration.

“I wanted to be a mix of something modern yet something old and vintage,” she said. “I decided to take a twist on the classic masquerade costume.”

Ruby sees the reoccurring theme in scandalous clothes taking precedence over comfort.

“It can almost be a societal norm. If you’re not sporting a slutty costume, you’re not fitting in,” she said.

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Despite the weather getting colder, the Halloween costumes seem to be getting smaller and smaller in sheer body surface area covered.

Mary Dickinson Jensen, a senior international relations major, found this element of the inappropriate apparel trend particularly unnerving.

“We live in Syracuse, N.Y. You’re going to freeze,” Jensen said. “I had a roommate and I was legitimately worried about her going out. She had like three different costumes and none of them were appropriate clothing.”

Jensen will be dressing up as the hippopotamus ballerina from Fantasia, a costume that coincides with her philosophy on dress; she is a self-described conservative dresser.

She is a practicing Muslim and partly attributes her cultural background to her lack of desire to join any of her scantily clad peers.

“I mean I guess if people just want to do it, sure,” Jensen said. “But I don’t think it’s necessarily a good thing.”

Lindsay Cameron, a junior public relations and writing dual major, also finds elements of campus Halloween costumes somewhat ridiculous.

Cameron referenced the movie “Mean Girls,” where they talk about how it has become the only night in the year where girls can dress inappropriately without being judged.

She pointed out, however, that people still judge.

Said Cameron: “People think that it’s OK just because it’s a holiday and they’re like, ‘Oh no, this is a costume. I look like a bunny, I’m wearing bunny ears.’ No. You look like a playboy bunny wearing a leotard.”

Published on October 24, 2012 at 2:58 am