- Halloween is a chance to change your personality for a night.jack-o-lantern image by Trevor Allen from Fotolia.com
Halloween is a unique holiday. Though it's associated with darkness and disguise, it's a colorful holiday that allows participants to conceal certain parts of their personalities while amplifying others. Much like the masks of ancient cultures, Halloween costumes allow for the manifestation and projection of internal perceptions. - Children love dressing up for Halloween.fasching / halloween (2) image by fuxart from Fotolia.com
Halloween costumes for children can be educational as well as fun. Canonical literary figures such as the swashbuckling Peter Pan or the Whos of Dr. Seuss' Whoville allow children to explore adventure and their imaginations while learning reading and learning about literature. Characters from popular films are also good children's costumes. - Costumes are more complicated for the self-conscious teen.three small bears in halloween costumes image by dav820 from Fotolia.com
Adolescents have a heightened sense of self-consciousness. Funny or ironic costumes appeal to this. Exaggerated masks of political and historical figures and costumes from periods like the '70's (don't forget the Afro wig) suit this age group. According to the Australian Association for Research in Educations, teens are also beginning to gravitate toward the pop culture that will help define their self-identity. For literary teens, a play on a favorite book is clever and fun. - Adult Halloween costumes are often sexualized versions of standard costumes.nurse costume image by antonio harrison from Fotolia.com
Adult costumes often play to similar themes as those of children: adventurers, superheroes or monsters, though with a twist. Adult female costumes are more sexualized, from naughty nurses to seductive Batgirl get-ups, while men's costumes are more rough and tumble. Adults have more freedom of choice, for their greater depth of knowledge. A great Halloween costume for an adult can be a pop culture figure from childhood or famous film or literary character.
For couples, paired costumes are silly and fun, such as warden and prisoner, Batman and Robin or Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. A group of adults can have fun as the Brady Bunch or Partridge Family. - Werewolves are popular Halloween creatures.Werewolf Howl image by Infs from Fotolia.com
Halloween is a scary holiday. Monster costumes are always a great idea. Though characters such Dracula and Frankenstein's monster are perennial favorites, others come and go in accordance with pop culture trends. In 2010, werewolves and vampires are all the rage, thanks to the Twilight Series. Aliens are always fun, and classic movie villains like Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, and Michael Myers are fun and instantly recognizable. - Explanations for Halloween costumes come straight from the psychiatrist's couch.Abandoned couch image by MAXFX from Fotolia.com
Psychology columnist Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen asserts that your choice of Halloween costume reveals hidden desires and personality traits. With that in mind, a cool idea for a Halloween costume is something that speaks the most of your self-perception or biggest ambitions. Those who dream of saving the world wear superhero costumes with pride, while the sexually repressed can find freedom as a French maid. A great Halloween costume can require some serious self-reflection. For one night, we can be what we've always wanted to be most.
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