Collegiate Times

He said: Creativity is a must

There is only one weekend during the entire year that it is not only socially acceptable, but also socially encouraged, to become someone you probably aren’t. This weekend, despite being totally pointless and without real historical backing, leads to some of the best parties of the year that you surely don’t want to miss.

In order to not look completely ridiculous, you must wear a costume. But wearing a costume can also make you look completely ridiculous.

I remember the days when Halloween meant just going to the store and buying some extremely overpriced outfit you will only wear once. Now that I think about it, I know girls that still do that. The success of the night was measured by the quality and quantity of candy. A bag full of Take 5 bars made for one hell of a night. Almond Joys were a total letdown.

But alas, as we moved into high school, Halloween lost its valor. Instead of candy and “aw’s” from families, trick-or-treating would get you a call to the cops and potentially a restraining order. I know I thought this holiday had truly lost its excitement for good by senior year, but little did I know what was waiting around the corner.

When I entered college, Halloween suddenly became just as awesome, if not more so than when I was young. Exit bags of candy, enter Solo cups. Where walking from house to house was done to get candy before, it is now done only to get to the next party. College Halloween — where the only thing less visible than your clothing is your dignity.

The most important part of Halloween in college — yes, even more important than that apartment party you cannot move around in ­— is the costume. This is how to make or break your Halloween weekend. A good costume will get you into the best parties, score you a conversation with the cutest girls, and may even get you a free cup. Bottom tier costumes will send you back on the Blacksburg Transit before you can even say, “I’m a police officer.”

What are these costumes at the bottom of the totem pole? The uncreative football players, kitty cats and nurses. It’s definitely not a costume if you wear that jersey to football games. You are not a nurse, hun, you are a floozy.

Being a typical college male, I have no problem with females choosing to show their assets. All I ask for is a little creativity when it comes to your costume. I have seen the bunny rabbit act pulled a few too many times during my tenure.

Those experienced “Halloweeners” such as Kelley and I know there are few limits to college Halloween costumes. Except that NuvaRing costume I saw a few years back. Still trying to figure out if that is extremely creative or downright disgusting. I can only imagine the pick-up lines he used that night.

There are a few rules I follow when searching for a costume. First of all, I must be able to dance. I will simply not let a bulky costume get in my way of grinding with that cutie in the Pocahontas outfit. Sorry robot, you’re out.

Second is the durability factor. I need my costume to survive when it is 1:55 a.m. and I am sprinting from the bus stop to make it to the doors of DX in time. Also, be warned that couple outfits can turn awkward when your partner leaves you to spend the night in Oak Lane. When Mac and PC from the Apple commercials are separated, you just look like a nerd.

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A version of this article appeared in the Oct 28 issue of the Collegiate Times.