Mermaid

Sirens and mermaids were beautiful creatures that would cause the death of sailors In various ways. Sirens (who were half bird, half woman) lived in fields of flowers and would sit themselves on the coasts or cliff sides that faced the oceans. Their songs would draw in sailors and keep them there basically until they died of thirst or hunger. Once they had heard the song, it was like their very souls had been penetrated, and they simply could not find the will in them to leave. It wasn’t that the sirens forcibly kept them there, it was the strength of the song that was so great. In contrast, mermaids were half woman, half fish and though they also sang, it wasn’t so much their songs as it was their beauty that lured sailors to their deaths. They were also said to either be a bad omen, a notification that bad luck would befall a shop. Or sometimes that they themselves were the bringers of this misfortune. Some mermaids were vengeful creatures that would purposefully drag men down to their watery deaths, while others were more innocent and would simply wish to show these men their kingdom out of love; unfortunately despite the motives, it almost always ended with men being drown.

This Halloween why not be in one of theseabsinthe fairy costumes? The costumes are mainly left up to interpretation so long as two key descriptors are included; the mermaid must have a fish tail, and the siren must have bird like qualities, whether it be wings, or talons or something that distinguishes her as a Siren and not an angel or a harpy. Once that important part of the costume is out of the way, the rest is left up to you. If you chose to be a mermaid you could make a sea-shell bra to wear, or just get a flesh colored shirt and style your hair so that it drapes down over your chest. For a siren costume you could include flowers in your hair or outfit. Have fun with it, and be creative! I’m sure that your costume will be a smash hit this Halloween.

Marilyn Monroe

Occasionally people throw parties that have nothing to do with Halloween, themed parties where people dress up just for the heck of it; and one popular topic for these themed parties is having everyone dress up as ‘dead celebrities’. But why not bring this idea and carry it over to Halloween? I admit that to dress as certain people for this Halloween would be in bad taste, as they haven’t been gone for very long and there is still a lot of morning happening on their behalf; but people like Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, Jimi Hendrix, Humphrey Bogart, Freddy Mercury, and Bettie Page are perfectly alright to dress as.

Think of it as honoring their memory by reminding people (in this case, fellow Halloween celebrators) of their amazing gifts and accomplishments in life. For a few of these celebrities there are costumes available to purchase based on what they are most remembered for. Generally the Elvis costumes will feature a white pantsuit with aviator sunglasses and lots of rhinestones to reassure people that yes, he was a king. For Marilyn the most easily available costume would be her white halter top dress from that oh-so-memorable photograph where she is standing in the street and steam from below is threatening to blow up her skirt.

For the others I mentioned -or anyone else you wanted to dress as- there are probably not as many options for buying a costume; but that doesn’t mean there are plenty of ways to get across who you are trying to be. Of course it helps if your friends (or the people at the party you are attending) have similar interest or knowledge but if not; welcome the challenge. Accessories and small details like having the exact hairstyle/color as this person (which can be achieved with your own hair or a wig) can be the make or break as to who recognizes the celebrity you are attempting to be, and who does not. Just remember though, that if you are attempting to make a wig look the way you want it to; under no circumstances should you use a flat iron or curling iron on it. It will melt the plastic and possibly ruin both the wig and your hairstyling tool. Attempt to get one that already looks generally like what you want, and style it using hairspray or gel.

As always, remember to have fun with it! Acting a little bit like the person you are trying to portray will definitely help in getting your point across, and will make the party more enjoyable for everyone. Unless the person you’re dressed as is a dictator of some kind. I wouldn’t recommend acting the part in that case.

Little women in Geisha costumes are beautiful entertainers, trained for years to walk, speak, dress, and play in specific traditional ways. If a woman wishes to be a geisha and she is over the age of twenty-one she can not participate in the Maiko stage where she would apprentice to an older geisha, follow her around, and learn from her example. She must be invited to the geisha community and go through a training stage.

geisha

Once a woman becomes a geisha, whether she began as a Maiko or not, she will have the same duties and way of dressing. Geisha in current times are more scarce then they were before the 1930’s. A loss of interest in traditional things, and the price for the services of a geisha in a different economy have caused the number of working geisha to dwindle from 80,000+ to an estimated one or two thousand. Many women finish school on some level (middle/jr high/high or even college) before they begin their career as a geisha, whereas in the past this was not the case. Currently the majority of geisha reside in specific districts in Kyoto and are known as Geiko.

All geisha are single women, and should they choose to marry they must retire immediately from the profession. As flirting with the people they are entertaining is sometimes part of the job (though prostitution is not) it would be unwise for a married woman to continue her career as a geisha.

These women are easy to spot, dressed in elaborate and beautiful layers of silk kimono, with perfect traditional hairstyles and carefully done makeup. The entire face and neck is painted white, while a “w” shaped patch of skin is left unpainted at the nape of the neck for sex appeal, mainly. The lips are painted red, as well as some of the area around the eye. Some Maiko even paint their teeth black so that the white of the makeup will not in contrast make their teeth look yellow and unpleasant. Instead the black is supposed to make the teeth seem invisible and blend into the dark of the inside of their mouths.

Their elaborate clothing must be worn just-so, and there are specific rules on how to stand, sit, move and act while dressed that way. Imagine if your salary depended entirely on your ability to portray yourself as the perfect woman. They are not just entertainers in Japan, they are artists.

May we reconvene under the blood red moon,
-Black Widow