While Halloween may traditionally be a holiday for children to dress up and get candy, university students take it to a whole new level. Here at USC, the holiday becomes a fashion show down the streets of Five Points.
This holiday brings a chance for students to express themselves in new ways. It allows them to explore their fashion sense without the constraints of everyday expectations. This exploration should continue after Halloween and into students' everyday lives, transforming their wardrobes and daily choices into more daring and creative outfit choices.
On typical nights, many students may play it safe, wearing their go-to jeans and going-out top combo. While this is a cute combination, it doesn't leave much room for creativity.
However, during the week of Halloween, students can be seen in their most creative outfits.
Every Oct. 31, students transform into characters such as witches, vampires or modern pop culture icons. This allows them to step away from their everyday attire and explore new ways to style themselves.
This sparks a new kind of creativity, allowing students to express their style and build their confidence. The holiday invites students to embrace individuality and experiment with new clothing items and unexpected combinations.
For one night, fashion norms fade away, and students can showcase aspects of themselves that they might otherwise keep hidden. Since this kind of experimentation is normalized on Halloween, why can't it be every day of the year?
Fashion can be tricky as students may feel pressure to dress a certain way to match trends and fit in with their peers. This pressure can create a cycle of conformity that holds back their ability to express themselves authentically. Because of the struggle, it's essential to recognize that fashion should celebrate individuality.
Students should instead view fashion as an outlet for self-expression, allowing them to get creative and showcase their unique personalities and styles.
Students should take this creativity from Halloween into their regular going-out fashion sense. This doesn't mean dressing up as a cat or vampire on the weekends, but the experimentation and creativity used in October should be reflected throughout the year.
Students can do so by adding some new pieces to their wardrobe, such as a colorful corset, bright-colored shoes or a sparkly skirt. Since everyone has their unique style, this can be done in a million different ways, but the idea is for people to break out of their shells and try something new.
As a whole, this can defeat fashion norms and make more students confident in exploring their personal style. Because when everyone shares a similar enthusiasm, the fear of judgment can diminish.
After the holiday concludes, many could discover a passion for fashion that influences how they choose to present themselves next time they are getting dressed to go out. It is up to everyone to start letting their guard down and start encouraging each other to get creative.
So as November approaches and the costumes get put away, students should consider spicing up their wardrobes, keeping the Halloween spirit of creativity alive throughout the year.