2021 Gumbo final - Book - Page 112
112
lsu halloween
E
very year people of all ages dress up as scary
monsters and funny characters for Halloween,
but college students especially enjoy thinking up
creative costume ideas for the spookiest time of the year.
The longtime tradition of donning costumes on Halloween
night originates from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain
held to mark the beginning of winter, where people would
wear costumes and light fires to scare away ghosts.
Over time, the tradition has evolved and lived on into the
21st century where people dress up as anything from lovable
movie characters to well-known Halloween creatures like a
black cat.
Even with some Halloween celebrations minimized this
year due to COVID-19 concerns, many students still used
their imaginations to dress in unique outfits.
Digital advertising junior Madelyn Murret and civil
engineering junior Quinn Fuentes twisted the meaning of a
couples costume this Halloween.
Instead of imitating a popular couple, the pair dressed
up as different versions of the character Eleven from their
favorite Netflix series, “Stranger Things.” Murret, like
many college students, enjoys the opportunity to dress in a
costume.
“People like dressing up for parties, taking pictures and
having an excuse to be something else for a night,” Murret
said.
Other students also took inspiration from Netflix for their
outfits.
Pre-nursing senior Madison Hanks dressed up alongside
her boyfriend as members of the Cobra Kai dojo from the
pair’s favorite popular Netflix series, “Cobra Kai,” which
follows Johnny Lawrence from the cult classic “Karate Kid.”
“It’s just fun to dress up any way you want,” Hanks said
Mass communication junior Mallory Panzavecchia donned
a yellow hazmat suit in reference to the popular crime
drama, “Breaking Bad.”
Panzavecchia said people enjoy Halloween because they
can have an alter ego for the night.
“It allows people to show their creativity,” Panzavecchia
said.
Some students developed costumes that were outside of
the box, yet easy to achieve.
Biochemistry junior Kole Martin dressed up as “Jake from
State Farm,” from the State Farm commercial. His costume
only involved a red shirt and a nametag, but was easily
recognizable.
Martin said he enjoyed other people asking him for
insurance throughout the night and loved that others
received his costume well.
“I like dressing up for Halloween because it’s always fun
for people to guess what I am,” Martin said. “Most of the
time it’s easy to guess, but sometimes it’s challenging and
that makes it fun. I also like to experience everyone else and
their excitement about how they made their costume.”
Chemical engineering junior Aaron Hutchinson chose to
support the New Orleans Saints and dressed up as the Saints
coach, Sean Payton. He said since the Saints were playing
Halloween weekend, he couldn’t think of any better way to
support his favorite NFL team than dressing “as the man
himself.” Like Martin, Hutchinson’s costume was simple and
just involved a Saints shirt and a baseball cap.
“I think people dress up for Halloween to have fun with
friends,” Hutchinson said. “Dressing up is a great time.”