Teenagers’ thoughts about Halloween
Is Halloween a children’s holiday or an adult one? I offer our peer educators a column of their own occasionally; I publish their thoughts unedited to preserve their voices. The theme for this column is Halloween and how the holiday affects them as young people. They worked on their pieces this week, and some of them are printed below.
Today, a discussion about costumes arose at our Common Ground Teen Center. A common Facebook post showed a costume many of our teens found offensive – a costume called “Anna Rexia,” referencing eating disorders with the tagline, “You can never be too rich or too thin” (the costume has been removed from the online store). The conversation moved quickly to racist costumes or ones showing cultural appropriation.
I paraphrased their thoughts on costumes: A costume should not mock anyone. Dressing in costumes that disrespect a group’s culture or heritage is not OK. There’s a limit to how far a costume can go – they should be for fun and never make anyone feel badly about themselves.
Listen to their voices about Halloween:
Colin Hale: Personally, I have a love/hate relationship with Halloween. As a 17-year-old, I still find trick or treating to be fun, which I participated in last year, and the parties associated with the holiday are always fun as well. The only problem is a big part of Halloween is being scared and watching scary movies, which I absolutely hate. As an overall statement, I would say Halloween is something I look forward to every year as a time of being with friends and family and just having fun – almost like Christmas in a sense. Also, the vibe and sprit of this holiday is freaking amazing, I might say!
Jack Legler: I’m 17, and I personally love Halloween. It’s my favorite time of the year. It’s just a great time where it isn’t taboo to put up skeletons and cobwebs and all that kind of stuff, and candy is everywhere, whether a workplace has a bucket out or people bring candy to places like school and hangouts. I love Halloween parties and trick or treating, which I will be doing this year because, it’s fun to dress up, plus free candy!
Amara Kennedy: I am 15, and I love Halloween. It’s a time when people can be whatever they want to be, whether you’re a 2-year-old or a 40-year-old. I believe Halloween is for everyone. Trick or treating, on the other hand, I feel should be left for kids under the age of 13, because that is their time. Kids don’t get to go to big Halloween parties like older teens or adults. Some teens ages 13 to 15 don’t have an interest in Halloween because they’re going through a stage where they think it’s stupid or childish, but they grow to like it again by age 16. It’s a fun time of the year no matter what, so enjoy it.
Toni Maurer: I’m in LOVE with Halloween. I wish I had the time for parties and dressing up because I would love the opportunity to wear super creepy FX makeup! I’m 15, and to me that’s a weird age for this holiday. I personally stopped trick or treating at 13 because I felt too old for it. I don’t put as much effort into costumes as I did as a kid, because I have no time. I also hate being as big as the “grownups” and saying “Trick or Treat.”. You can’t just not say it, because it’s rude, but 15 is a perfect age to take some of your younger sibling’s candy or just simply out of the bowl your parents put out for trick-or-treaters!
Shelby Studt: Anybody is entitled to their choice to celebrate the holiday. I support my friends going out, no matter their age, although I’ll be at home passing out candy with a significant other. How you dress is a decision you should make yourself, without focusing on others’ judgment. Whether you party, trick or treat, or give out candy, it should be something fun for you. I’m 16.
Matthew Stroop: I personally don’t care for Halloween. I see it as a day where everyone dresses up and eats candy. I no longer celebrate the holiday, but I do hand out candy for the little kids. The outfits for girls, in my opinion, aren’t always appropriate. I see people in costumes all the time where so much skin is showing. October is cold, and people need to be more covered up. With so little clothing on, people easily get sick, and when girls dress upon in almost nothing, it does arouse guys. So I think Halloween needs to get its act together. I’m 15.
Maci Ward: I LOVE HALLOWEEN! It’s one of my favorite holidays! I think costumes are super fun to make and wear, and you can be really creative while doing so. I really love the whole horror movies and scary stories part. I think it’s fun to have some suspense, and it definitely adds to the holiday. Also, who could forget about all the candy? I think when you’re younger, going trick or treating can be really fun whether you go with your family, siblings or friends. Once you’re a little older (13/14ish) you should leave it to the younger kids to go trick or treating. You can still have fun by having/going to parties and dressing up, or even just eating lots of candy and cuddling up to watch scary movies with friends! I love Halloween and fall altogether! I’m 15.
Landan Weakland: Halloween to me is a time to hang out with friends and go to Halloween parties. But most of the time it’s just another night for me. It’s not like Thanksgiving or Christmas. It has a sort of stigma around it, at least in my opinion. I haven’t gone trick or treating in three years, but I still go with my two little cousins and brothers just to walk around. I’m 16.
Have a question? Send it to Dr. Mary Jo Podgurski’s email podmj@healthyteens.com.