I was recently asked about my favorite Halloween costumes as a child and, upon reflection, realized I had been a princess for more years than one. Not a Disney princess, either, just a princess. It’s my mom’s fault. She named me Sarah, which means “princess,” so I grew up assuming I was born into royalty. Looking back, it explains why I kept returning to the same Halloween costume year after year. Why be anything else when your name already comes with a title?
Curious what this said about my childhood personality, I consulted the internet. According to several unofficial Halloween costume psychologists, I wasn’t interested in identifying with a specific character. I was attracted to the fantasy itself. I didn’t need Cinderella’s story or Belle’s story. I was content imagining my own.
I was, and still consider myself, highly imaginative. As an adult, I appreciate the more imaginative costumes. People can be incredibly creative with makeup, style, and character details.
Personally, I love costumes that are funny and punny or creepy and scary. I also respect those who go all out for characters they admire, like Superman or Beetlejuice.
So, what does your childhood costume choice reveal about who you were under the mask? The internet, naturally, has opinions.
Superhero: Whether it was Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, or someone else, superhero kids tend to be drawn to courage, justice, and the idea that ordinary people can do extraordinary things. Also, capes have excellent dramatic potential.
Witch: Creative, independent, and perhaps a little mischievous. Witch costumes range from spooky to glamorous, but they almost always signal someone who likes a touch of mystery.
Pirate: Adventurous souls who would rather search for treasure than follow directions. The eye patch, the swagger, the inexplicable confidence. Pirate kids often grrrrrow up to be pirate adults.
Ghost: You understood minimalism long before it was trendy. Why spend weeks planning a costume when a bedsheet and two eye holes could get the job done? Resourceful, efficient, and/or possibly just a procrastinator.
Animal: Whether you were a cat, dog, horse, or something more exotic, animal costumes often appeal to kids with active imaginations who enjoy pretending to be something entirely different for a day.
Character Costumes: If you dressed as a favorite movie, television, comic book, or video game character, chances are you connected deeply with stories and wanted to step into a world you loved. Every costume came with a backstory.
Funny or Punny Costumes: You weren’t dressing up for the candy. You were dressing up for the moment someone finally got the joke. The groan is part of the reward.
Of course, costume choices probably reveal less about our personalities than the internet would like us to believe. Sometimes a princess is just a princess. Sometimes a pirate costume happened to be on sale. But even now, I find myself looking at Halloween costumes the same way I look at book preferences. They offer a small clue about what captures a person’s imagination.
