Ah, Halloween.
Wikipedia says that it started as a Gaelic festival in Ireland and Scotland where spirits could pass through into our world from theirs. As for where costumes came into the mix,
“It is believed that the need to ward off harmful spirits led to the wearing of costumes and masks. Their purpose was to disguise oneself as a harmful spirit and thus avoid harm.”
In the Modern Day
We have a somber, dignified holiday to honor the dead, celebrate the changing of the seasons, and… wait, this is America!
We’ve made the holiday our own–we encourage children to eat candy (by doing it ourselves), dress up like whatever we want (more on that in a minute) and support women wearing sexier costumes every year. I knew there was a reason I loved this holiday!
What Your Costume Says About You
There are a few posts scattered about the blogosphere about the Psychology of Halloween Costumes. Here’s what they had to say:
“[Studying the different characters people choose to be] may reveal something about the person that otherwise is not immediately obvious. … Maybe not even obvious to the owners themselves, he said. “People may simply say that they are wearing a particular costume because ‘I like it.’ When asked, they’re not sure what it says about them. But other people may know.”
Read the original article on SeattlePI to find out What your Halloween costume says about you
What They Left Out
Do you know what happens when someone goes into a virtual world–whether it’s Second Life, World of Warcraft, or some other role-playing game?
They’re free to represent themselves however they like, and create a new persona. Creating this “avatar” allows the person a “social mask” to hide behind. They begin to act like their character in that game, while they’re wearing the costume. See where I’m going with this?
The same thing happens on Halloween. Put on a superhero costume, and you’ll probably act more courageously. Be a villain and your evil side might take over. Dress as an animal and you’ll be less inhibited and might let your wild streak out of the cage. You get the idea.
One More Thing
Wearing a costume triggers “vacation syndrome”, or when you “take the weekend off” from your normal morals. It’s the same condition that makes girls who are usually reserved with their bodies show their tits in a Girls Gone Wild video. Or what makes a normally devoted guy/girl cheat on their lover. “We’re on vacation so it doesn’t matter, whoo!”
Social Masks and Pickup Artists
These are all examples of “Social Masks”, where we pretend to be someone else. A lot of budding PUAs unknowingly act like this when they practice routines or scripts, or even use lines that aren’t genuine. People can tell when you’re not yourself, and women are especially good at it.
Wearing a persona like this can make you feel invulnerable, and it can be useful for building up some confidence… but true confidence is generated when you can be genuine–be yourself–and take rejection on the chin.
But For Now…
Don’t worry about it! Go out, rock your Halloween costume, and have a great time. Oh, and tell Wonder Woman I said hello 
