Halloween is near so you get my senseless rhetoric about costumes today. Statistics say about 40% of people in the U.S. (and 11% of their pets....I love the idea of a Lindsay Lohan dog outfit.....kind of makes a statement about the actress) dress in costume for Halloween. I think the kinds of pretend costumes we wear for fun reflect the kinds of things we don't pretend about, uh, that is, the serious things we are thinking about . According to a survey in the U.S. conducted by the National Retail Federation last year, witches are still the number one costume for adults, followed by vampires, pirates and nurses. But, some pop culture costumes are immensely popular this year.
Hmmm, I refuse to dress like "Snookie" and think that anyone who does might have an IQ equal to a reality TV performer, or worse to one of the viewers of that mess. But Snookie outfits are big sellers this year for both adults and kids. I saw quite a bit of Snookie gear at one local store that sells Halloween items. When I was a kid my costume was more often a ghost, crafted from an old white bed sheet my mom tailored for me. I still remembering hitting the ground after tripping over that thing and getting more laughs directed at me than spooks sent out by me from underneath it.
Anyway, last year surveys said that the most popular costumes for 2010 came straight from the youth-dominated music or TV networks. The cast of a reality TV show called "Jersey Shore" (no, I have never even had an inclination to watch one second of it) in which people with no discernible talent are photographed in situations to show their stupidity and are then made rich and famous for it. Jersey Shore outfits topped the list of most desirable. Lady Gaga outfits finished as the second biggest seller. It makes me want to gaga gag.
Among other hot costumes last year were: anything associated with the inane Twilight' Vampire series; all things 80's (think that Madonna look); those Hollywood movie characters , as in 'Avatar' and 'Harry Potter'; and the standard Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolfman and other traditional outfits we no longer are scared by, given their ubiquitous nature.
I like all Halloween costumes because they reveal our inner thoughts and because they are just plain fun to see. They are a kind of Freudian slip in how they let us show things we don't otherwise say. The fact that the culture is now so obsessed with nonsense (think Snookie) targets when costuming indicates the frivolous and anti intellectual nature of society today. But then, who wants to dress like Einstein or Steven Jobs? When we costume we more often lower ourselves, not elevate.I more often dress for Mardi Gars than Halloween, and when I do it is almost always a satirical outfit spoofing politicians, infamous newsmakers or pompous celebrities. This is because I like to make more than a visual statement with my costumes. I want to throw spears at who I am spoofing. My 'Obami The Clown' outfit last Mardi Gras day drew quite a few laughs and compliments. In fact, no one seemed offended by the slurs I hurled at Obami....err....Obama. It seems that when humor at an event like Halloween or Mardi Gras comes into play, people love it even when you criticize a favorite of theirs.
So Halloween might be the best time to make your serious statement about someone or something that in your real life you find odd or objectionable. Yes, that means you could even dress and mask as me.
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