Dressing up
in costumes
is fun for
all ages.
Since the
1970s,
Halloween
has
become more
and more
popular, and
has been
transformed
from
strictly a
children's
holiday to
one of the
favorite
holidays of
adults as
well. You
can do
without jack
o'lanterns,
you can do
without
trick or
treating.
But you
can't do
Halloween
without
costumes.
Let's face
it, we dress
up infants
in pumpkin
buntings
because we
enjoy it. As
long as
they're warm
and dry,
they don't
care, and
are willing
to tolerate
being
cooed at and
photographed
extensively.
But as soon
as they're
old enough
to
notice what
they're
wearing,
kids love
Costumes.
Halloween
Costumes for
Kids These
days, the
most popular
purchased
costumes for
kids are
licensed
characters
from the
movies and
TV shows
they love.
Superman is
as popular
on Halloween
as he is
every other
day of the
year. But
even more in
demand are
the costumes
based on
that
summer's hot
movie. This
year, you
can
pretty much
guarantee a
bumper crop
of green
ogres.
Pirates and
princesses,
robots and
ghosts, and
other kinds
of generic
costumes
still work,
too. For
older kids
(and many
adults) gore
rules. Party
and costume
shops now
offer a
range of
horror
makeup--blood,
fangs,
scars,
wounds, and
gruesome
appliances--that
would do a
Hollywood
studio
proud. And
if Mom can't
stomach it,
so much the
better.
On the other
hand, Mom
might look
pretty
macabre
herself. As
more and
more
adults
rediscover
the delights
of dressing
up, grown-up
costume
parties have
skyrocketed.
Licensed
characters
are still
popular:
there will
be a lot of
larger ogres
and ogresses
this year as
well. But
adult
costumes
range far
and
wide.
Halloween
Costumes for
Adults
Couples
often like
to dress in
related
costumes.
Historical
costumes are
very much in
demand, such
as togas,
medieval
knights and
ladies, or
outfits from
the Roaring
Twenties.
There's also
a wide
category
that
includes
his-and-her
convicts,
pirates,
vampires,
cowpokes,
etc. One
reason for
the
popularity
of this
genre is
that the
ladies'
costumes all
seem to come
with
short skirts
and
cleavage!
While kids
generally
want the
same
purchased
costume that
their
friends will
be
wearing,
adults often
like to use
their
imagination
and create
their own
unique
costume.
I've seen a
lot of
superheroes,
for example,
that never
appeared in
any
comic book.
Individually
created
costumes can
be extremely
complicated
or very
simple.
Concept is
what
matters, the
more
original the
better, and
a clever
idea
simply
realized
will be
every bit as
admired as
the most
ornate
getup.
While
Halloween is
the first
thing that
comes to
mind when we
think of
costumes,
it's not the
only
occasion for
dressing up.
Kids, of
course, love
to dress up
as
a matter of
everyday
play, and
may well
insist on
wearing
their
Halloween
costumes for
several
weeks before
and after
the event.
For adults,
there are
Renaissance
fairs, Mardi
Gras and
other ethnic
or cultural
events that
call for
costumes.
And as
Halloween
has grown in
popularity,
other
holidays
have begun
to
be used as a
good excuse
for a
costume
party. I've
been to
several
"famous
couple"
costume
parties on
Valentine's
Day, for
instance.
And some of
us just
enjoy
putting on a
gorilla suit
whenever we
feel like
it!
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