Celebrating Halloween is not only for kids but also for kids at heart. The spooky season is a much-awaited event for adults who want to have fun and show their creativity in creating frightful and funny costumes. Many companies have embraced the Halloween spirit to encourage their employees to escape their work duties and party for a little while.
Fun costumes can transform an ordinary person into an animal, celebrity, or horror film character. Costumes may range from sexy, funny, creepy, or a mix of the three. Others prefer to dress in couple or group costumes to have fun with their friends or even win the costume contest. Halloween is also a perfect chance to put your makeup skills to the test by practicing bizarre makeup effects.
Some people are willing to go to great lengths to come up with the best Halloween costume. Those who want a country cowboy look get themselves a fresh pair of leather boots, a plaid flannel shirt, and a leather belt with a custom belt buckle with initials for a Western-style look.
Whatever character you’re planning to be on Halloween, it’s important to consider the right attire you should wear on Halloween, especially if it’s for work. To help you with Halloween costume shopping, here are some tricks to choose a costume that looks good, comfortable, and appropriate for the office.
Consider the dress code policy
Going to work on a Halloween can be so much fun, especially if you can show up in a costume! But before you list down your costume ideas, it’s important to ensure that your chosen attire is ideal for the workplace. Keep in mind that daytime office occasions are not as wild and crazy as evening Halloween parties.
Whether you work in a retail store, restaurant, or corporate office, make sure to put some thought into whatever you’re planning to wear at the office on Halloween. Even if the boss permits the employees to wear Halloween costumes to work, the workplace dress code may still apply.
For instance, if the dress code policy says that clothes should be tidy and professional-looking, this may still apply to any holiday attire. So if the policy requires everyone to dress in modest fashion, don’t come to the office wearing a revealing Halloween outfit. Avoid any costume that portrays a sexy version of any character (e.g., sexy nurse, sexy cat, etc.)—you can save those ideas for Halloween night.
If you’re unsure if the rules for the dress code apply to Halloween costumes, ask the manager. Staying informed will help you avoid being sent home early.
Be sensitive
In today’s workplace, it has become more difficult to say or do things without hurting anyone. This also applies to Halloween costumes which your coworkers may consider as offensive, hurtful, or inappropriate even if you have no intention of doing it. Even if you wore a funny costume as a joke, it can still be hurtful for the affected party. Not all people can easily understand inside jokes, so be careful when picking costumes that evoke a different meaning.
Also, avoid wearing costumes that suggest deeply serious issues or anything political. Your goal is to enjoy, not offend people or make them uncomfortable. Some examples are wearing costumes from another ethnic or cultural background or anything that plays on ethnic or racist tropes, such as images of ethnic groups (e.g., geisha, Eskimo, or Nature American). If you’re planning to use someone’s culture as a costume reference, you might as well not do it. You risk alienating or offending your coworkers, which is not the point of celebrating Halloween.
In addition, appropriating cultural artifacts and motifs is still offensive and insensitive. You can try other costumes ideas out there that are more office-friendly.
Avoid overly scary costumes
Halloween is all about the scary and spooky, but that’s not an excuse for dressing up as an overly scary character verging to absurdity. We hate to break it to you, but terrifying horror characters don’t work in office Halloween parties. While this can be a major letdown for those who enjoy Halloween, a little precaution can save you a lot of trouble from your boss or coworkers.
If there will be kids coming for trick-and-treat, avoid wearing anything gory to avoid scaring the children. Although there’s nothing wrong with a good scare, it’s important to be sensitive to others, especially children, when wearing scary costumes.
Dressing up for Halloween brings a lot of joy not only for kids but also adults. But despite all the craziness and fun of the season, it’s important to follow costume etiquette, especially if it’s for work. We hope you consider our suggestions in mind as you think of your clever Halloween costume idea.
