all to enjoy. But as Oct. 31 sneaks up on us we are all haunted with the same question: What am I going to be for Halloween?

Whether you go with a costume that is classy, or even a little bit trashy, it is important to stay true to yourself when deciding what to wear.

There is nothing wrong with your ideal costume for the spooky night being “Left Shark” from Katy Perry’s spectacular performance at Super Bowl XLIX.

I’m predicting that costume being a popular choice. I know first hand how difficult it is to get your hands on one of those majestic jumpsuits.

Don’t worry, I got the last one on the rack from Target last week, in case you were curious.

Once upon a time, our Halloween costume ideas ranged from princesses to super heroes.

Even though tiaras and capes are still fun to break out of the closet every once and a while, our costumes are beginning to look a tad more grown up.

Since attending her first college Halloween experience a few years back, California Lutheran University junior, Coral Hasley can attest that there is a difference in the costumes of her peers.

“There is a big difference in dressing up in high school to dressing up in college,” Hasley said.

The difference that Hasley, and I’m sure everyone else has noticed, is that people in the college age group are a little more risqué in their costume choices.

Halloween amongst young adults is beginning to be less about a character that you choose to channel and a lot more about a perfect opportunity to whip out your favorite pair of tight leather pants.

While individuality should be encouraged in all Halloween costumes, I think that the protagonist from a popular movie of our generation explains this scandalous phenomenon better than I can.

Caty Heron from the 2004 box-office hit “Mean Girls” stated it clear and simple.

“In girl world, Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.”

Though Heron brings up a factual point, there are definitely some other opinions on the matter.

Hadley Freedman, writer for the website The Guardian, has a different attitude regarding Halloween costumes.

“Halloween should be an opportunity for people to show off their creativity, not their side boob,” Freedman said.

People sometimes take their costume choices too far when getting ready to go out on Halloween. The night should be all about having fun, not about how little clothing you can put on and still consider yourself to be dressed up like a mouse.

I’m not saying this only because you should respect the innocent tradition of Halloween, but also because it is cold outside in late October and you should cover up.

While I feel people should not try to dress inappropriately on Halloween, I do not think it is mandatory that the night is spent judging anyone else’s costume choice.

Focus on yourself and what makes you happiest on the day you can pretend to be whatever you want. The choice of a Halloween costume should not be influenced by anyone else in fear of the judgment of others.

If you want to dress up like the Pokémon character Pikachu, go for it. But don’t hate on the other girl at the party dressed as a promiscuous Pikachu.

Don’t spend your time full of hate and forget to celebrate one of the best nights of the season.

Halloween is the one chance a year we get to be whatever we want to be. If you want to be a robot on that night, you be the best robot you can be.

Do not let anyone put you down for your choice of costume.

As we get older it is important to keep some of the innocence and imagination that we learned from our childhood. Hold onto that, even if it is only on Halloween.

Or in simpler words by Robert Dobeck from the comedic movie “Step Brothers,” “Don’t lose your dinosaur.”

Heather Tomaszewski
Staff Writer
Published October 28th, 2015