In defense of the sanctimonious women's studies set || First feminist blog on the internet

Halloween.

Jill

What are you going to be? What should I be? And don’t say Sarah Palin, because everyone is going to go as her this year. (I’m fairly confident that the Sexy Sarah Palin costumes will sell quite well).

Also, any bets on how many fraternity members will don blackface and go as Obama and act shocked and indignant when people are offended? How about prominent members of the GOP?

I love Halloween, but I do not love the annual assholery that comes with it.

76 thoughts on Halloween.

  1. I don’t think I’m dressing up (for years I got away with not dressing up and saying, “I’m a muggle!” but the Harry Potter cop out won’t work this year) but my best idea this season was to go as a White Russian—my sister was looking for ideas to go as something related to The Big Lebowski. Just wear all white and carry around a cocktail glass. (And maybe do some braids like Yulia Tymoshenko, though I know, she’s Ukranian. Though I’m really worried that this suggestion is offensive.)

  2. Jill, I got a free light saber, so I’m going as a Jedi Grand Master. I think you should go as King Julien the lemer from the animated movie “Madagasscar”. Reason? Every time you post something to get things stared, the title song comes to mind – “I to move it, move it!!”

    If you want a good laugh, watch it….

  3. Honestly, I was in fact thinking of going as Palin, but because everyone and their mother is as well, I decided against it. Now I’m mulling over going as one of those polygamist women.

  4. i am going as a CEO with a robber’s mask and $700B loot.

    no one take that.

    a friend of mine is going as a pig with lipstick.

    totally unrelated to halloween-

    does anyone else have problems with this new server not saving your info? i have to keep typing in my details before i post.

  7. I received a light saber over the weekend, so I’m going as a Jedi Grand Master. Jill, how about dressing up like King Julien, the lemar, from the movie “Madagasscar”? And if you want to why? it’s because you “like to move it, move it”!!

    Oh, and if you haven’t the seen it yet, it is absolutely funny. Part 2 is coming out Nov. 7th.

  9. Just in case it wasn’t clear, I wasn’t trying to be funny or flippant about the blackface thing. I don’t think it’s funny at all. I do think it’s sadly inevitable, since it seems to happen every effing year. And every year, the idiots who do it act shocked that anyone would think that they’re racist.

  10. Actually, I have a thing for historic costuming, so I’ve put together a complete Victorian outfit, circa mid-1880’s. hat, gloves, jewelry, bustle, yup… The whole thing.

  11. I went to a party on Saturday as Robin Hood, wearing my Obama/Biden button. I think the political statement (Once upon a time, redistribution of wealth made you a folk hero…) was lost on most people, but the bow-and-arrow part was fun.

  12. personally, I’m going as Death from the Sandman comics. my other theory was go naked and say ‘this is what women’s costumes are heading towards” but I don’t think I have the energy for that fight. and I realize how sad it is when I consider tight pants and a tank top likely to be the most clothed woman at one of the parties I’ll go to. I love the CEO costume, that’s awesome. hmmm, if I had to pick, I think you should wear a sheet with paint splotches and go as abstract art. but it’s hard without really having met you enough to truly know your style, Jill.

  13. “personally, I’m going as Death from the Sandman comics.”

    it’d be kind of cool if someone can pull off Desire.

  14. “I love Halloween, but I do not love the annual assholery that comes with it.”

    I feel the same way about election years.

  15. Around here, the big costume theme is Dr. Horrible.

    I’m going as a ninja lawyer – all-black suit, t-shirt mask, “sword” that’s a document tube and “shuriken” that are folded summons/subpoenas. We’re trying to persuade another guy to be my pirate lawyer counterpart.

  16. I’m going as Hellga from “American Gladiators.” I’m going to punch out the first person to ask me if I’m a St. Paulie Girl because of the blond braids, cleavage, and jumper.

  17. Err.. as an anniversary present to our selves my wife and I are going to be at a NiN concert, probably dressed up with improbable amounts of metal on our clothing. No specific costume

  18. I thought about going as Cindy McCain – skirt suit, pearls, and saying awful things about the poor and people of color. But I agree that everyone will be Palin, so decided to stay away from all things political. Now I’m likely going as Axel Rose.

  19. Well, my kids are recycling last year’s costumes, as they still fit. My daughter is going as Batman. Not Batgirl, Batman. (This is the same girl that ties her Barbies to the train tracks so she can fly in and save them. Of course, sometimes she’s too late… on purpose…) My son is going as Buzz Lightyear. I might pull Commissioner Gordon out again, just for fun.

  20. The school where I work has a huge Halloween parade every year, and I think it’s actually more for the teachers than the kids. The other day, I was in the office, chatting with my boss and a co-worker. My boss tried to convince my her to go as Palin. When she said that she had other plans, he sighed and said:
    “Hm….Well, if I just had more supplies for drag, I’d do it myself!”

  22. I’m going to be The Constitution Fairy! I’m gonna find a wig (white and cute), wings (which I was hoping to paper with constitution pages… sounds less possible than it is, since I’ve got one copy that’s falling apart), and a fun dress… peasanty probably. I’ve decided not to go the skimpy route this year cause it’s always cold up here on Halloween and I’m tired of suffering to be “sexy”. I’m running out of time though! Ee!

  23. I work in an entertainment store that sells some selected Halloween costumes… we have Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and John McCain masks. One day a guy who honestly looked like he belonged to a frat (backwards cap, hemp necklace, that kind of thing) bought an Obama mask, and when I was ringing him up he goes, “It’s easier than doing blackface”. I was so taken aback I didn’t know what to say. Sigh.

  24. I’m going as Nancy Drew!
    I’ve been reading for my candidacy exams for the past two months and re-reading Nancy Drews has been my bed-time/weekend relaxation method when I can’t face another page of theory 🙂

  26. I’m going as a fantasy barbarian warrior, complete with fur cape, necklace of dragon’s teeth, and a BFS.

    I admire others who use Halloween to make snarky sociopolitical statements, like the CEO bank robber, but I can’t bring myself to do it. I prefer to go fantastic.

  27. My plan was to go as a firefighter and to put black dots on my little poodle so his costume is “Dalmatian.”

    But now I think I might do a zombie thing. I might get a doll, cut open the head, stuff noodles in there, and let my dog feast on that every so often 🙂

    The dogster will be included in Halloween because we’re just staying home passing out candy.

  29. it’d be kind of cool if someone can pull off Desire.

    I have a friend who has done it, and did it very well.

  30. Um, what does this have to do with fraternity members?

    As a sorority member and a feminist (who also dates a liberal fraternity man), I know from personal experience that stereotypes SUCK, no matter what. I think it’s interesting that a blog I read and respect daily will perpetuate stereotypes about some but not about others…that’s not cool with me.

  34. I might recycle last year’s which was “cloudy with a chance of showers.” I was all in gray, with bits of white pillow stuffing glued all over, and I carried a squirt bottle. Or I might adapt pieces of it, and be “shades of gray.” I like the Pluto costume though; that’s pretty great.

  35. I’m going as Ana Matronic from Scissor Sisters, with her outfit from the “Kiss You Off” video. Black and white-printed dress, silvery accessories, and mirrorball “eyelashes”! Plus, a huge half-bun, half-beehive hairdo. Still not sure if I’m going to attempt to mimic her huge shoulder tattoo.

  37. I found these awful shirts that say “I love obeying my husband” from a link off of ladiesagainstfeminism.com so I am going as a super conservative fundamentalist christian. I still have to get the long jean skirt and then I’m all set!

  39. I’m 6 months pregnant, so not many costumes that will fit me. I’m tempted to go all in one color and just describe myself as a “pigment of your imagination.”

  40. Everyone’s costumes sound so cool! (jfpbookworm, yours is my favorite…)

    I don’t know yet. I’ve been leaving it later and later for the past few years because I’m really busy. A few years ago I was a colonial guy (eighteenth-century drag = fun) and last year I did full whiteface to be a random dead Poe lady, so this year I might combine them and be a ghost pirate. I’m worried about getting the face paint on my tricorne, though.

  41. I used to love Halloween. Then I moved to Salem, MA. That move killed Halloween for me faster than working in retail killed Christmas. And it’s on a Friday this year.

    *sigh*

  43. Man, screw political stuff, Halloween is about goofing off! My best friend and I are going to wander around town as the Joker and Scarecrow (respectively). She makes a fantastic Joker. We’re going to go to a kid’s party at a friend’s church and hand out little packets of M&M’s attached to Joker cards and terrorize all the little Batmen.

    That reminds me, I need to finish my mask and get a straitjacket fixed up. Dammit.

  44. Regarding the blackface thing, it’s certainly not restricted to fraternities, but it does seem waaay more prevalent with college “dudes” than most other groups, from experience.

    My college’s partner-school had an incident a few years ago at a Halloween party where a couple of white guys dressed up in blackface and “slutty” women’s clothes to mock black female celebrities (I think afro wigs were involved, too) for a magical combination of racism and misogyny. (And yes, they had “no idea it was offensive” yadda yadda…) They got in a bit of trouble, but nothing beyond letter of apology level stuff.

    As for my Halloween costume I’ll probably be a generic ninja (again) mainly owing to the fact that I already have black sweatpants… :p But doing something science-y would be—OOH! Maybe I’ll dress as a ninja and go as “immunoevasion” (my thesis topic!) ^^ …that’s kinda morbid.

  46. I’m going as a hitchhiker from “Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy”. A bathrobe, a towel, and a copy of the book are the basics, but I’m rereading the book to get some more ideas for details.

  48. i am going as a CEO with a robber’s mask and $700B loot.

    Morningstar, that is brilliant!

    I’ve been struggling to think of something zeitgeisty to dress as. Palin, of course, is overdone, so I was thinking I might go as Julia Alison (false eyelashes, little dog, prom style dress, camera and magazine in hand), or else Tina Fey. But Tina Fey dreses too “normal”!

  49. I’m going as Boomer from Battlestar Galactica. I’m going to layer two tank tops on top of each other, make some dogtags, and solder some red LEDs in series and run them down my back under the tank tops. Instant Cylon.

    As a side note, I did want to commend Battlestar for having multiple women of color on the show – I never usually think of dressing up as a TV character, because it’s often too much of a stretch for me to imagine myself as one of them. Not so with Battlestar, yay!

  50. Zombie Princess.

    $20 former bridesmaid dress from a second hand store, fake blood and white, green, brown and black face paint. And a tiara.

  51. Well, I am going as Sarah Palin, because much to my consternation, I’m something of a ringer for her when I wear glasses. I won’t do it “sexy”, though. I promise you’ll like it.

  52. I’m going as Jughead from the Archie comics… except all my friends are in their early 20s (as am I) and probably won’t have a clue who I am. C’est la vie, I guess.

    Ashley, incorporate the number 42 somewhere on your costume and you’re golden. 🙂

  53. I’m going as a Sterling Cooper executive, a la Mad Men (like Ginger is doing, ‘cept she’s going as Joan). I’ve got the fedora, and I’m having Sterling Cooper business cards made for me. Now I just need to find a close-fitting gray suit, a Zippo, and some cigarettes.

  54. I’ll likely rehash my Goddess of the Internet costume. Bedsheet toga, crown of well-known logos, a book labeled ‘porn’ in one hand and a can of Spam in the other.

  57. I’m going as Lady Awa, the keyboardist from Lordi.

    Ooooh! Awesome!

    I am not sure what I’m doing. Back in my Pirates of the Caribbean fandom days I made a pirate costume, but it’s not all that comfortable and I’ve done that two years in a row already. The year before that I was Princess Leia (with the long white dress, not the metal bikini, October in Minnesota is not Tattooine, kthxbai), and every year before that I’ve been either a cat or a witch.

    This year I’d kind of like to be a Transformer, but I know I will not get a costume made in time, not with multiple writing projects coming due and my brother stealing all my empty mountain dew cartons to make a Master Chief costume . . .

    Also negated due to extensive preparation requirements: George Washington, Darth Maul, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

    Debating finding a pendant with a bull on it, dressing in yellow with black boots and gloves, and telling people I’m a Lamborghini. Or bandaging one ear and being Vincent Van Gogh.

    Hell, I could find one of the roller things one uses when working underneath a car, and roll around on my belly all day—as the stock market.

  58. Haven’t put much thought into it and don’t have much time or money to put into it, but if I can dig up my old skeleton costume and find an appropriate cheap grey hoodie that I can justify buying because I’ll wear it in the future, I’ll be Donnie Darko. Or maybe I’ll figure out something easy, cheap, more creative and less dated. Unlikely but possible.

    I own a blue velvet cloak which I used to wear frequently in high school (yes, I was that kind of geek. It’s buried deep in my parents’ storage somewhere and every Halloween I curse myself for not keeping it with me.

  59. Oooh ooh OOOH! I thought for a few seconds and think that if I can bring myself to completely shave my head to the skin again (don’t usually cut it quite that short but it grows back quickly) I’ll get some round glasses, wear my leather jacket and my neon grenade t-shirt and be King Mob from The Invisibles. (I hope someone around here knows who that is!)

  60. I’m going as Joe Six Pack. Hunting vest, work boots, American flag baseball cap, six pack of Pabst or some other very very American beer.
    My roommate is dressing as a Hockey Mom.
    We’re hoping to complement all of the Sarah Palins we expect.

  61. Stephanie, you can always steal my “pregnant” costume idea from 2 years ago.
    Pregnant Zombie!
    Take a maternity top you don’t like, a doll and some red paint. Remove an arm from the doll (dolls with cloth parts work best). Sew the doll arm coming through the belly area, spatter with red paint and let dry. Grey makeup optional.

  62. I was going to go as a flapper girl (with authentic flapper dress) but I didn’t have time to fix the completely busted shoulders on the dress and create an underdress for it. Not to mention it’s too good to waste on a halloween where I’m not really doing anything.

    I will have to get something together for the small children who are coming to trick or treat at my dorm, though.

  63. I’m going as Tetris with two other people. Then I’m going as Phallic Symbol Girl with my huge strap-on, leather pants, and bandoliers of sex toys.

    I was going to go as Harley Quinn but I couldn’t get the costume made in time…but I might just make an updated Dark Knight version at the last moment…
    (My boyfriend is going as the Joker, and we were planning on tormenting all the Batmans and Robins. He was gonna carry around a crowbar. )

  64. I always want to go as The Bowler from Mystery Men, but you need at least a few other people to coordinate with, and also I don’t know how to make the bowling ball.

  66. I FINALLY have an original costume idea. I’m going as a velvet Elvis. Bought a used velvet dress, am painting a kitschy elvis on it, and may wear a large wooden picture frame off my shoulders for effect. I can’t wait.

  67. I’m going as a “bad school girl”. Nobody approves of it (it’s not feminist!!! it’s slutty!!! it’s trashy!!!), but I really don’t care. The costume doesn’t show anything I wouldn’t show on a regular day at the mall anyway.

  70. I’ve got a couple of ideas, although I may not get to use them this year, as I have no actual Halloween plans yet. 🙁

    They are: an argyle gargoyle (horns, wings, gray body paint, argyle socks and sweater-vest), or Prince Nuada from “Hellboy II”.

    @Leila, #38: my dad actually gave me a button from his union (PASS) with a picture of Rosie the Riveter on it. It says “A Woman’s Place Is In Her Union.”

    A really easy nerdy costume I did a few years back was to walk around carrying a sign with an arrow painted on it — I was a vector.

  73. Samuel: I did that about five years ago with my boyfriend. I was already going to be Batman but he wouldn’t commit to doing Robin until two days before Halloween! It’s a great costume. It’s awesome that you’re doing it.

  74. I actually did plan to go as Sarah Palin — I was going to bring my husky along to play the wolf I’d just shot from a helicopter — but my boyfriend wanted to do something coupley. We’re going as Xenu and Katie Holmes instead.

  75. if i had anywhere to go, i would be dressing up as enid from ghostworld. having nowhere to go, ill be dressed in my jammies, cos for some reason we never get trick or treaters. its alright tho, the day after halloween i get to get all dressed up fancy for my cousins wedding, which is like a costume for a tomboy like me.

  76. AGG: to add to the effect, mix a little corn syrup based fake blood to put on your husky. (White corn syrup, red food coloring with a tiny bit of green for the right color) Just don’t let him on the furniture until its washed off. (Soap and warm water will do it)

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