It's Halloween month and the costume contests and events will start to bring out the costumes. Adult Halloween enthusiasts are planning to spend considerably more on costs this year (after all, Halloween has been confiscated from the kids and become an adult holiday in recent years) According to the National Retail Federation's 2010 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey people are planing to costume more this year than last, up from 33% to 40%. Given the people in costumes are adults guess what the top costumes will be this time?
Lady Gaga costumes and some characters, one called "snooze" and the other 'The Situation", from a reality TV show called "Jersey Shore'" are the biggest sellers so far in 2010. This reflects the here today/gone tomorrow popular culture in which we live. It also shows the obsession people have with triviality rather than the serious. A serious culture would mimic a politician or some individual who impact society in a serious way. Instead, we have costumes of people of little, no or questionable talent or substance that are raised to the level of icons.
This is a trend that is on going in the age of pseudo celebrity and electronic instant fame. Though it's too early to know the final toll in 2010 costumes, last year's costumes showed the same fascination with the trivial rather than serious now. In 2009 the theme for adult costumes was "dead celebrities". Many wore outfits of now deceased stars: Farrah Fawcett, Ed McMahon and infomercial pitchman Billy Mays, Heath Ledger-inspired Joker costumes, and Michael Jackson. And the reality genre was popular too, with Kate Gosselin (that lady with so many children that she exhibits public display in return for celebrity and plenty of cash) being number one.
Because it's not easy to find ready made costumes of those kinds of celebrities, instead of buying packaged costumes, more people are piecing together looks with accessories and clothes from their closet, particularly clothes from 60s, 70s and 80s costumes. Well, it does encourage creativity in the making of it, My mom used to just cut out holes in a old white bed sheet for eyes ears and mouth, an then throw the sheet over my head and call me a ghost.
It's all good though. Pretending in this crazy world may be the most sensible way of coping with it. happy costuming!
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