I love Halloween, I always have. When I was younger, my parents put me in these crazy costumes – from bumblebees, kitty cats and even a dancer from Dancing with the Stars. That’s how Halloween was when I was little: dress up as a cute character and get candy.
However, as I grew older things changed. I went from fun costumes to scary costumes, and now to costumes that aren’t really costumes. So, you understand how the line between what makes a costume gets a little blurry? For example, on Halloween in 2024 I was Freddy Krueger. I dressed up in a black skirt, striped sweater and short black boots. It’s themed attire, but not necessarily a costume.
Halloween outfits change, they’re no longer 100% accurate to what they should be. The older we get, the more we “bedazzle” our costumes. We tend to customize them to fit in with our age groups. Because be honest, have you ever really seen a 17 or 18-year-old in a full-blown princess costume? Absolutely not.
I think the level of the costume really depends on where you are. Let’s say you’re in college, and you hear word of a Halloween party. Of course, you want to look your best and show up as best dressed.
You wouldn’t put on an Elsa dress; that’s for younger kids. You could dress up as a princess, but with something a little more age-appropriate, like a short dress or a body-con dress. But then, if you were to go trick-or-treating, you would put on something more kid-friendly, maybe something that would fit well with the group, whether that’s the age group or essentially the vibe of the group setting.
Halloween is interchangeable with age. We are changing, so evidently our costumes will begin to change as well. However, that doesn’t take away from the fact that in modern times, people are beginning to stray completely from the idea of having a playful Halloween costume.
Unfortunately, I no longer see people putting in effort. For example, in the past, people went to great lengths to get the perfect costume. Whether it’s face-painting, add-ons, and masks. Everything has been simplified, no longer using face-paint, now settling for simple makeup.

Dressing up shouldn’t stop just because the years go on. If anything, that should push for more creativity. The older we get, the more understanding we have in creativity and design. Halloween fashion should grow as we grow. It’s time we treat Halloween like art again – not just another outfit.