Yulian Brown, a sophomore, will always trick or treat.
Even when he’s 30?
“Of course,” he said.
Tonight, children of all ages will trick or treat from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in Shaker Heights. The city’s online calendar includes no mention of an age limit, and there is no law about who can participate, so any ideas about being too old to don costumes, grab a candy container and head out for a night of trick or treating are purely a matter of society’s expectations.
But, eventually, kids age out of the holiday. That includes SHHS students, who expressed feelings of pressure to grow out of childish Halloween traditions and to grow up instead.
Most students interviewed said that while they will not trick or treat tonight, they will still dress up. Some said that their costumes have become more intricate, while others said that they have taken a simpler approach to dressing up as they’ve aged.
Brown, who is going to trick or treat, said that his costumes have become more detailed. As a result, it’s hard for adults who pass out candy to distinguish between him and little kids, so they haven’t given him guff for being too old. “I feel like they would, if they knew,” Brown said.
When it comes to trick-or-treating, some students acknowledge that there is a point when students should stop. “I feel like no high schooler would say that,” said sophomore Ekko Armstrong, “but my parents think there is an age limit.” What’s that limit? About 15 years old, said Armstrong, who will dress up with friends, but won’t trick or treat, this year.
Junior Lincoln Borstein said he was planning to trick or treat, but, a few days after being interviewed, he changed his mind. “I guess it ended with being an upperclassman,” Borstein said.
Society holds teenagers in limbo – they have to be mature, but not too mature, at the same time. Some girls interviewed said that they feel pressure to wear costumes that are mature, or “sexy.” Sophomore Maya Shrestha said that almost all the women’s costumes at Spirit Halloween were objectifying versions of men’s.
This contradiction makes it hard for teenagers to do what they really want to do on Halloween. Shrestha said that an ideal Halloween, free of pressure, would include having a get together with friends and finding a fun, secluded area to play games. Borstein said he would trick or treat, then have a sleepover with friends.
Armstrong’s ideal Halloween seems to toe the line between kids and grown-ups. Said Armstrong, “I would be outside, throwing candy at children.”
