Political and Conceptual Costumes Expected for Halloween

Given how scary the global economy has been lately, it hardly seems that anyone will feel like participating in the fun of Halloween, but, indeed, we’ll do so, according to University of Cincinnati pop-culture expert Rebecca Borah, associate professor of English.

She doesn’t anticipate any slow down in the basic elements traditionally associated with the day – candy, costumes and neighborhood fun. Among the costumes to expect will be ones focused on current events, politics, nostalgia, television and movies.

Popular adult costumes
Costumes to be most popular with adults will fall into a range. Many will refer to political figures, and there will always be the old standbys that refer to movies, television and celebrities.

The most imaginative adult costumes will consist of cleverly put-together concepts like

• “My Shrinking Bank Account”
• “The Rising Price of Fuel”
• “Hurricane …..” (Fill in the blank with your favorite hurricane name here.)
• “A Collapsing Financial System”
• “Global Warming”

With a little imagination, these can be carried off well. Borah recalled one acquaintance who dressed as a "vicious cycle" complete with dramatic make-up, black tights and dress, and a hula hoop wrapped in red foil.

Also, the politicians will be out in full force on Oct. 31. Since Halloween falls so close to the Nov. 4 presidential elections, expect many adults to dress as prominent political figures, including

• Hillary Clinton
• John McCain
• Barack Obama
• Sarah Palin

Said Borah, “Really popular will be a Sarah Palin outfit with a beehive hairdo, rimless glasses, tight-skirted business suit and accessorized by a mooseburger or a rifle. It’s fairly easy to put together and pull off.”

Popular kids’ costumes
Expect to see movie/cartoon superheroes as well as “High School Musical” characters along with the old standbys, such as princesses and pirates.

Added Borah, “My five-year-old has had his Iron Man costume since May, and I expect to see plenty of Hulks, Spidermen, Transformers, X-Men, Supermen and the odd Hellboy on my porch. My four-year-old has picked Speed Racer, and he’ll be joined by Indiana Jones and Star Wars characters (Clone War cartoon and the movies).”

For tykes and pre-teens look for

• Batgirl
• Batman
• The Joker (especially given Heath Ledger’s performance)
• Harry Potter characters
• Hannah Montana 
• The Hulk
• Iron Man
• Speed Racer
• Spiderman
• Supergirl
• Superman
• Transformers
• Vampire characters from the "Twilight" book series
• Wonder Woman
• X-Men

What won’t be traditional this year, observed Borah, are the limits some schools are putting on sweets and on costumes.