As the fog descends upon the cobbled brick streets of Athens, this sleepy college town braces for its most iconic weekend. As the weekend draws near, thousands will down unholy elixirs and the hordes will cram into every tavern in the area. Halloween weekend is the perfect time to unleash the freaks. It’s time to dress up in the eye-catching costumes and let the spirit of fun and fright take over the students of Ohio University.
Except that doesn’t happen. Because you’re all boring and scared.
That’s a little harsh, but the sentiment still stands. Halloween in Athens has, for as long as I’ve been here, been another glorified fest weekend. Yes, it’s “crazy” in the sense that alcohol is consumed at an alarming rate, but the campiness and silliness that make Halloween so special are missing from Athens.
This mostly comes down to the costumes. There’s plenty of bangers every year, sure, but often I find myself disappointed in the lack of creativity from my peers at the parties.
A lot of this comes down to what I perceive as a fear of being seen as “cringe.” It goes hand in hand with why no one actually dances at the bars. There seems to be a fear of “sticking out” and of “causing a scene,” even in places where causing said scene would be appropriate.
As a natural introvert, I understand the desire to blend into the crowd, but at Halloween events in particular, it makes no sense. In theory, the crowd should all be dressed in wild colors, janky outfits and layered with weird accessories. Instead, my friends and I are “out of place” if we are even somewhat committed to a unique idea.
I often find myself in a sea of frat boys in basketball jerseys or “Shein lingerie” with a tiny themed accessory. The problem with these outfits is that they are way too similar to what you see around town every non-holiday weekend. I also see very simple, first page of Amazon costumes.
Oh, you’re a sexy cop with handcuffs. I’m sure no one’s ever seen that before.
While costumes like these work for students on a budget or not particularly artistically minded, it seems that more often than not, it’s just another way to cop out. It’s like people want to fulfill a “requirement” to dress up to participate in the other festivities, when the costume is the whole point.
Dressing as something that’s personally reflective of a niche interest or a group costume with friends can really strengthen the joy had on Halloween night. When people instead treat dressing up as an obstacle to fun, rather than the fun itself, it kills the whole point. This lack of effort makes Halloween feel like every other Athens-specific drinking holiday. We have plenty of those; they’re called Friday and Saturday.
Halloween is a time to let your creativity fly and to dress in an outfit that you’d never wear any other time of the year. It’s the time to be weird and eccentric on the one socially acceptable day to do so. The worst that can happen is someone will roast you about it on YikYak.
In a post-pandemic world, it seems everyone wants to put their head down and move through life unnoticed, rather than get laughed at for taking a chance with self-expression. I understand where this urge comes from. However, letting your freak flag fly can be a great way to boost confidence or simply have a memorable night on the town.
With how bleak the world can feel, especially to Gen Z, being able to inject whimsy when we can is important. So, hopefully this year, Athens can get back to what makes Halloween so special -- not just drinking, but the wackiness I and many others could desperately use.
The Pest is a satirical column and does not reflect the views of The Post.
