For college students all over the U.S., “Halloweekend” poses itself as an opportunity to dress up in sexy costumes, engage in drinking and partying, and let loose during what is typically the one of the busiest, most stressful times of the academic year. Even for young people not in college, Halloween serves as an excuse to have fun with friends and indulge in a night (or nights) of uninhibited celebration. With Halloween 2024 just having passed, I have been thinking more about the different traditions and practices that we participate in as we age. I think that the change between our childlike practice of trick-or-treating to the more adult traditions of drinking and partying is very reflective of our different life stages and how they affect us. As a young woman entering her 20s, I find it particularly interesting to experience the change in how young women and AFAB people in general participate in Halloween, specifically the tradition of wearing sexualized costumes.Â
As young children, we experience Halloween as an opportunity to dress as our favorite characters, collect candy from neighbors, and feel the excitement of scary movies, festive school activities, and socializing with friends and family. The adult experiences of Halloween are completely separated from those of children, as the debauchery is recognized as being inappropriate for children. Therefore, during the classically awkward “tween” and teenage phases of life, there is a limbo space where teens are too old for trick-or-treating, but too young for most other Halloween parties. I think this is a great example of how Halloween reflects the common experience of the stage of life that we are in, in this case, the awkward teenage experience of growing out of childhood traditions, while still not being old enough or mature enough to handle the adult world. However, once teens are nearing high school graduation, entering college and/or pursuing work, and possibly moving away from family, they are finally old enough to participate in the version of Halloween involving heavy drinking, scantily-clad costumes, and house parties. I do not believe these things are inherently bad, and myself have partaken in a typical college Halloween, I merely find it interesting that the experience of growing up and entering the adult world is so reflected in this holiday.
For young people, we can see the common desire to meet people, and date and/or engage in casual hookup culture reflected in the Halloween party traditions designed to meet these needs. We also see women often dressing in overtly sexual costumes, using the opportunity to express themselves in this way while it is more “socially acceptable” for the occasion. Whereas when we were children our choice of costume was generally based on our favorite character. As we get older, we are more influenced by conventional ideas of beauty and try to conform to them as well.Â
The most interesting aspect of how our Halloween experience changes as we age is the way the events in our lives often color our memories of the holiday each year. For many, their memories of childhood Halloweens are nostalgic and innocent; we remember our feelings of excitement and wonder at all of the fun experiences to be had for the occasion. As we get older, we face the difficulties of life for the first time, and cope with partying, drinking, and generally risky behavior. While it is normal and appropriate to enjoy a more mature version of the holiday as we age, I think much can be gained from celebrating Halloween with elements of the same childlike wonder and appreciation that we did when we were kids.