As we grow into our high school years, we expect to see less and less people coming to school dressed up. However, in the past years at Lincoln Park, students have been dedicated to dressing for school and competing for the “best” costume at every lunch.
But the question is: do people put more effort into their costumes than they did in years before? When we asked several Lincoln Park students, the answer was no.
One reason for the lack of effort may be higher prices.
“But that was like $80, and I think with inflation, nobody puts effort into Halloween anymore,” she adds.
However, as the years go on, more and more money is being spent for Halloween, whether it’s decorations or costumes.
The National Retail Federation recently released an annual consumer survey that shows that Halloween spending has reached a record high, at $13.1 billion.
“Whether it’s dressing in costume or carving a pumpkin, more consumers plan to take part in Halloween activities and traditions. Retailers are prepared to ensure the shopping experience is a treat for consumers this Halloween season,” says the NRF Vice President of Industry and Consumer Insights, Katherine Cullen.
It seems that people have been spending more on Halloween, but do they put effort into looking accurate? Not everyone at Lincoln Park agrees.
“Nowadays, people just throw on a skirt and a corset and say it’s a costume,” contends Reese Quimby, a sophomore media major from New Castle.
Joselyn Moore, a junior media major from Beaver Falls, agrees. “Lately I’ve been seeing a bunch of Halloween costumes where it’s just a corset and a skirt.”
Not everyone sees a lack of effort, though. Sophomore Braxton Molinero, a media major from Peters Township says,“it’s shocking how much effort I’ve seen [from] people who go out.
“I know this year people are going crazy for their costumes. So, no, actually, I think that it has gotten more impressive as time goes on, with more things coming out.”
Alexis Welsh, a junior health science major from Industry, agrees, “I feel like people put in more effort, cause as you get older, there are more options.”
Some students point out that less effort doesn’t equal worse results.
“I think people cared more when we were younger,” says Josh Pratt, a senior health science major from Aliquippa. “But there’s new technology, so I’d say now it’s more advanced compared to when we were younger. But they cared more.”
Another thing we’re wondering is if our student body is leaning more towards scary or silly costumes.
Ian Fattore says, “Scary because Halloween is all about being scary. It is a spooky holiday.” Donte Harris, a junior health science major from Pittsburgh Northside, adds, “I definitely think scary. I feel like that’s really what it’s all about.”
Agreeing is Sydney Shanks, who says, “I typically like seeing scary, only because, going back to when Halloween first began…it’s based off scary entities, and we’d try to look like them.”
Only a couple of students we spoke with said they preferred silly costumes.
But many people said the decision is up to the costume wearer.
“I like to see other people’s costumes and some scary ones are neat and then seeing silly ones make me laugh,” says junior health science major Kylee Benes of Beaver, who plans to dress up as a vampire. “I like both types of costumes and I’ve dressed as both.”
Whether you prefer scary or silly costumes, the question of effort is still up for debate–and may be for as long as Halloween exists.
And effort extends to trick or treating, as well. In 2023, a poll taken by USA Today showed that nearly three-fourths of survey takers saw less trick-or-treaters than normal.
“Trunk-or-treating is the downfall of trick-or-treating, because it’s just a fast way to grab candy, and you don’t even really get to show off your costume that much. I think that’s why a lot of costumes don’t have a lot of effort put into them,” says O’Brien, a pre-law major from Evans City.
“All you see is the back of a truck, and it’s a quick way to grab candy, but you don’t actually put any effort into your outfit because it’s quick.”
For O’Brien, events like this are “making less people actually care about the holiday and more people care about candy than anything. And that’s kind of what the holiday is.”
Siren reporters Hailey Ake, Elena Cable, Ambyr Clay, Mia Clemons, Evie Lindgren, Demarion Martin, Summer McCaffrey, Veda Polling Felicity Portoulas, Shavaih Sewell and Aydden Yope also contributed to this story.
