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Trying on and performing new identities for Halloween

October 31, 2016

Ever noticed how putting on a costume on Halloween can sometimes transform you into character? Much like a dress rehearsal for theatre, a simple prop or clothing change can put us into performance mode. I spoke with Dr. Leigh Anne Howard, professor of communication studies and director of USI's Master of Arts in Communication Program. Howard comes from a performance studies background and teaches courses in culture and communication in the Communication Studies Program.

"It's about framing," said Howard. "The costume helps frame and punctuate. It puts you in a different mindset. The costume is a marker that something is different and it gives people permission to be different," she said. "It signifies to others, 'This isn't the real me.' Halloween is the one time that makes it culturally okay." Halloween becomes a "cultural performance, a socially-oriented performance of who we are as a society."

Howard says the rituals associated with Halloween also prepare us for this performance. Whether it's carving pumpkins, hanging decorations of skeletons and bats, or watching your favorite scary movie, it puts us in the spirit of the day. Howard, whose annual Halloween tradition is watching Rocky Horror Picture Show, says rituals are "important cultural markers for the performances."

Besides the performance, Halloween also gives us a much needed break. "By fall, the year is almost up and Halloween is the deep breath allowing people to push on through what for many is their most difficult season, winter," said Howard. She also emphasizes the importance of play, even as adults. Halloween is the time adults can tap into their inner child, imagine themselves in a new identity, dress outlandishly and step outside the normal confines of society, all in the good company of friends and family. Who will you be October 31?

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