Who Are You?

I love Halloween.
I don't dress up. I don't try to scare people. I don't assume a new identity.
Let's say I am a Halloween Appreciator. 

It does intrigue me to see the alter egos chosen to honor the night of fright.  What makes us choose a pop culture icon over a witch? What is the attraction to being someone or something else for a few hours?  How do we choose the face that will meet the other faux faces? 

Letting down our guard and grabbing a new identity is the stuff actors and actresses are made of, so there must be a large dose of the theater arts in each of us. But who or what we choose to try on as characterized training wheels goes right to what do we see as an alluring persona (for a few hours, anyway!) 


Philadelphia Inquirer writer Robert Strauss' article, titled "Halloween's Changing Face," notes that a cursory check of local Halloween costume retailers bore similar results. "When it comes to children's costumes, goodbye scary bats and ghosts and skeletons. Hello SpongeBob, Dora the Explorer, and Harry Potter."  The more familiar, the more desirable.

Strauss questioned Daniel Cook of the Rutgers University Dept. of Childhood Studies about the character choices kids make.  "Cook said that many parents tend to be more comfortable knowing there is an already established story line associated with characters from sources such as Disney movies and reality TV, even though those costumes convey an inherent lack of creativity."  Instead of going with creatures more indicative of Halloween's essence - ghouls, zombies and things from the netherworld - kids (and their parents) seem to lean more toward what is known.  There is a sense of fantasy because the characters probably surround the child throughout the year from movies, television, books and the like.  Cloaking themselves as a character they admire offers the sweet satisfaction of total immersion into an alter ego.http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20101027_Halloween_s_changing_face__Spooky_costumes_yield_to_mass-market_characters.html#ixzz13kU5aVYK

In her post titled "Halloween Judgments," Motherlode blogger Lisa Belkin pointed out an essay written by an editor at Redbook magazine about alternative Halloween choices that work for her 7-year-old son, (diagnosed with cerebral palsy) and her daughter. The editor, Ellen Seidman, explained that after a few years of Halloween excitement turning into a night of tears for her son, a "quieter tradition" was chosen with no costume.  This flexibility made the holiday enjoyable for all.   http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/08/halloween-judgments/

Enter those who see it differently.

Seidman's article brought a reader response chastising her choice as "rude, boring, and shows a lack of spirit."  The reader furthered her consternation with the idea that if no one dressed up for Halloween, then it would negate its purpose.  I learned so much from how we can all read the same thing and walk away with different interpretations.  The Motherlode blogger received close to 200 replies to her piece about the Redbook essay and the cavalcade of responses spanning from declaring the ruination of Halloween to applause for a mom considering what is helpful for her special needs child makes for some interesting reading.    

Within all of the opinions (and outrage) there was an agreement about caring; it was those who employed the sharper edges of "caring" that caused me some sadness. Overall, readers agreed that Seidman's choice showed creativity and grace, and while I bet she does not need the blogosphere's approvals, I hope they were welcomed. 

Sometimes we don't need to don a mask or costume to satisfy our curiosity about another personality.  Let's 'face' it - it's what's inside that counts.