Poodle Skirt

Have you seen the movie Grease? Or at the very least have you seen a movie that was either made or set in the wholesome 50s when people wore 1950s dresses? It was a time when men worked hard and came home to a warm meal on the table, women were generally housewives and wore high heels, red lipstick, and pears every day; and everything was perfect all the time. Or so they would have had us believe. With the kids it was a slightly different story. If you subscribe to the version of teenage adventure that some movies spin out; there were the cheerleaders, wholesome and nice in every way. The jocks, who were distinguished by their letterman jackets, and nice guy attitudes, The nerds who more often than not were seen in sweater vest and thick black framed glasses (that are quite popular these days, go figure). The general kids, who wore poodle skirts to the school dances and went about their merry lives as discretely as possible. And last but not least, the ‘badasses’ of the day who wore leather, aspired to someday own a motorcycle, and slicked back their hair with whatever products they had at the time.

At this point you must be thinking what I’m thinking; that there are an awful lot of options here to get a Halloween costume idea from. All you have to do is pick what niche you want to belong it. Hopefully it’s a lot easier for you than when we have to do it in real life, that’s part of what makes high school so hard for some people. But regardless of that, there are plenty of ways to make your costume great once you’ve decided! Here are a few tips: Girls of the cheerleading variety most often wore their hair in ponytails, but a ponytail would probably look best with a poodle skirt as well, it gives the impression that you’ve tied your hair up because you’re ready to dance. For all other general school girl outfits, hair down with a cute headband would be perfect. For guys, if you already have long hair and don’t want to cut it, possibly look into a wig. There are ‘greaser’ wigs available that include sideburns and a big coif to make it look just right.

The nineteen-fifties were a wholesome, simple time. Families ate dinner together, watched Leave it to Beaver, and the cost of a loaf of bread was a mere fourteen cents. With war a very real part of their past, present and possibly their future, being anti-communist was a very important part of daily life. It was in the 1950’s that “under God” was added to the pledge of allegiance, and many people were arrested under suspicions that they were not acting as patriotic as they should. So, it was understandable that the boys and girls in high school really enjoyed de-stressors like drive-in-movies or nights under the stars at make out point. What they most looked forward to though, was going to the local Soc Hop.

Soc Hop

Soc Hops were held on the school grounds, generally in the gymnasium. To save the varnished floors from being damaged by all the dancing, the students were made to take off their shoes and dance in their socks. Dressing up in a 1950’s costume this year for Halloween would be a fun blast from the past. Just make sure to be careful about which Soc Hop you attend. Chances are you’ll just see all the same people, girls with their hair done up in high ponytails and pink ribbons, boys with crew cuts, poodle skirts, button down shits, sweaters and letterman jackets. But consider if something went wrong, and when the dance was scheduled to end you made your way towards the exit, only to find that the doors wouldn’t open. Imagine being stuck in a continuous loop, spending the rest of eternity dancing to the same songs unable to rest for more than a few minutes at a time. Imagine that you had to do it all with a smile on your face and without speaking a single ill word of the situation. What seemed like fun originally, might turn out to be someone’s worst nightmare.

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