Halloween on Campus: a deeper look

This being my twentieth Halloween, I feel qualified to discuss the classification that exists among Halloween costumes. These patterns have become evident to me through years of observations.

All Halloween attire falls into one of three broad categories:
Category A: Every-day attire uninfluenced by the observation of Halloween
Category B: Attire that clearly acknowledges Halloween but that cannot be classified as a costume
Category C: Halloween costumes

Category A: Every-day attire uninfluenced by the observation of Halloween
Generally of little note. Ambiguities, however, arise in several cases, which can be sorted into several classifications.

Ambiguity #1: Specialized attire
Example: an individual’s attire identifies him or her as a “professor” not because it is Halloween, but because that is the individual’s profession. Similar confusions arise with professions such as doctor or firefighter.

Ambiguity #2: Lifestyle
Potential confusion arises from such habits as skateboarding or excessive studying/fondness for pocket protectors.

Ambiguity #3: Personal preferences.
While individuals utilize social cues to signal they are wearing a costume, these signals are sometimes falsely triggered when what would be an extraordinary choice for one individual (appropriate for Halloween) is in fact an ordinary choice for another. Potential “false-trigger” attire include bright colors or patterns, retro-styled clothing, or unexpected use or fit of an article of clothing.

Category B: Attire that clearly acknowledges Halloween but that cannot be classified as a costume


Individuals in this category wish to acknowledge the event of Halloween, but perhaps are unwilling to invest themselves to the full extent seen in Category C [see below]. The manifestations that characterize Category B Halloween attire often include a limited number of the following elements:
-The presence of unordinary colors, particularly black and orange, and, to a lesser extent, purple and bright green
-Motifs that include cats (typically black), pumpkins and/or jack-o-lanterns, and the stereotypical witch
-Attire components and patterns that would typically be considered irregular, such as pointed shoes, headbands with antennae, and broad stripes
Category C: Halloween costumes
The costume, worn in traditional observance of Halloween, accounts for only a minority of attire choices. Though the minority, it is perhaps the most notable of our three categories.

Costumes are first sorted into two broad categories
C.1 Living Things
C.2 Inanimate Objects

These categories can be broken down further:
C.1.1 Generic
These costumes do not represent one specific person. They include the categories:
C.1.1.1 Generic Ordinary People



Includes professions and stereotypes.
Common manifestations: member of the army, nerd



C.1.1.2 Generic Extra-ordinary
Common manifestations: which, ghost

C.1.2 Characters from works of fiction and pop culture
C.1.2.1 Characters from works of science fiction

This major category accounts for a major proportion of Category C
Particularly notable manifestations: Characters from Star Wars, Harry Potter
C.1.2.2 Characters from other works of fiction
C.1.2.3 Characters from pop culture
Manifestations: Uncle Sam, Miss Mary Mack

C.1.3 Figures from real life
This category encompasses the emulation of actual figures
Manifestations: Marilyn Monroe, the current president

C.2 Inanimate Objects

A relatively unlimited category, including such varied possibilities as an iPod, the Rorschach inkblot test, a Lego, and “God’s gift to women” (for which the individual wears a gift-wrapped box with a tag that reads ‘To: Women From: God’)