Everyone was really confused when we tested our Halloween costume early
There was a lot of staring
Halloween seems to be the only time of the year where it is acceptable to dress ridiculously and act absurdly. But how often do you see someone exemplifying this behavior outside of Halloween’s boundaries? My friend Rachel, and I decided to test the limits by flaunting her “Tight Pants” SNL skit costume three days before Halloween on Main Campus to see people’s reactions.
Phase one: Act casual
To begin our observations, we started on the Quad. Wearing a $6 wig from Wal-Mart, a stick-on mustache, and a passive expression, Rachel coolly strolled by several groups of people. One of the groups openly laughed at her awkward posture and bizarre attire, but never actually seemed to question why she was wearing her costume in the first place.
Moving away from the Quad and into TDU, we found ourselves in a similar situation. While casually eating a kid-sized ice cream cone from Auntie Anne’s, two students pointed and giggled at their strange sighting. As if wearing a mustache was not strange enough, it was now coated with ice cream.
Phase two: Stay awhile
We took our observations to the next level by not only passing by, but by sticking around to see others’ reactions. Rachel took a seat next to others at one of the Grace Street bus stops. While doing so, we found many people blatantly staring with puzzled expressions suggesting, “Is this person aware that she is wearing a fake mustache, and does she know it’s covered in ice cream?” Rachel’s accomplished acting of an oblivious persona would suggest otherwise.
Similarly, Rachel chose to stand near the crosswalk with others waiting to cross the street. The longer she stood there, the larger distance there was between her and the crowd. What may have been an appropriate distance between two strangers not wearing costumes was now an invasion of personal space when Rachel approached them wearing a wig and, at this point, a soggy mustache.
Phase three: Engaging with our fans
When JMU students gathered around Wilson to perform a kick-line with Duke Dog, Rachel eagerly joined in on the end. Her moment of fame didn’t last long considering they all dispersed as soon as she showed up.
Guess they aren’t our fans after all.
Since dancing didn’t seem to be her thing, we moved towards the pool tables. When she approached a group of friends playing Pool and asked to play, they hesitantly consented. Similar to everyone else, though, they offered no other response besides their bewildered looks.
After an afternoon of cruising Main Campus’ hot spots, we received endless mystified glances, awkward gazes, and speechless expressions. So, it is verified. Testing out your costume before Halloween is not a trend that will be catching on any time soon.