Halloween is tomorrow! Since we’re allowed to wear costumes at school, I thought it would be a good idea to discuss what costumes we can and cannot wear. After consulting Mr. Ishida, the Student Activities Coordinator, I had a better understanding of the guidelines for outfits.
First of all, there’s only one real official rule regarding school costumes. Halloween costumes can NOT violate the school dress code. If you don’t know what exactly the dress code is, that may be an issue. You can find the dress code in the school agenda. If you don’t have access to that either, I’ll go through all of them in this article.
Dont’s:
Visible Underwear: This rule is relatively self-explanatory. However, to clarify, this isn’t referring to the occasional bra strap. This refers to more exposing behavior. Basically, nobody wants to know what brand of tighty whities you own.
Exposed Midriff: An example of an exposed midriff would be a small shirt that leaves a gap between your shirt and pants, exposing your stomach. As long as you’re creative enough, you can still find a way to incorporate such clothes into your outfit. My personal solution to avoiding this is wearing an undershirt.
Low-Hanging Pants: This relates to the rule of visible underwear. Put simply, pull your pants up. If you can’t keep your pants up: Belt.
Suggestive imagery: Suggestive imagery typically refers to decals on shirts referring to various subjects that are not appropriate in a school setting. In the case of Halloween, I advise you to also consider the theme of your costume itself as imagery. Wear what you like off campus, but let’s keep school grounds away from anything “rated R”.
Offensive Phrases: Moanalua High School is a place of respect. Honor that by being mature with your costumes, and avoiding any offensive material. In this case, use your own sense of judgment. It’s just plain rude to wear a costume in bad taste, and we are all old enough to know better.
Display/Advertisement of Drugs and or Alcohol: Drugs and alcohol aren’t allowed at school. On that note, neither are advertisements, or clear references. And, frankly, they’re illegal. Promoting illegal activity at school is just going to get you in trouble at best, or investigated at worst. So no, you cannot pretend to be a bottle of wine for Halloween.
Display/Advertisement of Weapons: On that note, no fake weapons! This is, again, a school. Weapons, fake or not, have no place here. Also, it’s in bad taste, considering the issues we have as of late.
Masks: There were actual testimonies regarding people sneaking in on Halloween by taking advantage of a mask. Let’s not get caught up in that, and leave our masks home during school hours.
Dos:
Go for a spooky look! It’s totally okay to go for a scarier aesthetic. In fact I’m going to actively encourage it! Feel free to have fun with whatever idea you have! (Please please please just keep it school-appropriate.)
Go for a cute look! Halloween is for fun first, costumes second! If you would rather wear something that suits a non-scary taste, have fun!
Go all in! Costumes are meant to be fun! Feel free to put as much effort into it as you’d like. The dedication is visible, and it’s appreciated!
By the way, during lunch on Halloween, there’s a costume contest that will be judged by the audience! You can sign up using the form right outside Mr. Ishida’s office. The judges will be near students, so even if you don’t want to participate, drop by to watch and to support a friend!
