Looking for a positive Halloween costume? Halloween is probably my second favorite holiday. Christmas, of course, is my first. This all stems back to when I was a kid. On my very first Halloween, apparently, I went trick or treating only at a few houses. I was satisfied with the amount of candy I had gotten and I was exhausted after walking to 3 or 4 houses. Big night. So naturally, my mom and I headed back home, I ate all of the candy I had gotten that night, and went to bed. In the morning, I woke up and begged my mom to go trick or treating again. She had to break it to me that Halloween only came once a year. I cried. I had no candy left and I had to wait a whole year to go again?!
Let’s just say I learned my lesson and I never went home early from trick or treating again.
Halloween was so much easier when I was a kid. It was all about the candy and going trick or treating. I would always have a contest with my friends to see who could collect the most. But, nowadays, since I’m older, Halloween seems to be a little more stressful. Most of my friends are worried about how they’ll be able to avoid overeating too much candy. Many of my friends also seemed to be stressed about how they will look in their costumes. This stress about candy and looks takes all the fun out of Halloween! When it comes down to it, the costume you wear is all about how you feel in it. It needs to be something you can allow yourself to have fun in. Maybe you put some thought into it… but not too much thought where you begin to feel overwhelmed!
One way to continue to make Halloween fun is to dress up in a body positive costume. Like I said, Halloween is still one of my favorite holidays. I LOVE to dress up and just have fun with it! Here are some of my tips for costumes!
First and foremost, wear something YOU feel GOOD in
The number one way for you to feel good on Halloween is to wear a costume that you truly enjoy wearing. If you are excited about your costume, everyone else will be able to tell. It will relieve much of the stress you may have about dressing up.
Use Pinterest for positive Halloween costume inspiration
Pinterest has a TON of awesome DIY costumes. I have found a ton of great ideas on this site. Get as creative as you want! (Just a forewarning, Pinterest can sometimes have body negative ideas… if you are feeling overwhelmed, log off and try again another time)
Re-create a childhood favorite
Little red riding hood? A pumpkin? A ghost? A witch or vampire? My favorite Halloween costume as a kid was Elmo! Why not be Elmo again next year?
Have a literal body positive costume
Why not wear all white and have other people write positive messages on you? You will make some friends in the process and hopefully inspire others to be positive!
Think about a celebrity that inspires you
Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Derek Jeter (yes I’m a Yankees fan), a past president, Emma Watson?? Try to see if you can recreate being them!
Keeping these body positive ideas in mind, I would like to challenge you and have you think back to when you used to be a kid. Or think about a child in your life right now, whether it be a daughter or son, brother or sister, grandchild or niece or nephew. Think about the joy on his or her face when the day they have been waiting for all year, Halloween, FINALLY rolls around. And they can spend the whole night trick or treating, running around the block and truly enjoying the candy they have. Not thinking so much about the calories or how “bad” the candy is for you. That right there is the true spirit of Halloween! I am a dietitian, and I can tell you that my favorite food is candy and will forever be candy. There is nothing inherently bad about it. Halloween comes once a year, I say we should REBEL and truly enjoy it.
To make your Halloween even more fun, don’t forget to make Halloween themed foods!
Interested in scheduling an appointment with on of our dietitians? We can help you feel comfortable and confident on Halloween and for the rest of the holiday season! Call us at 301-474-2499 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
Whether you are a novice in the kitchen, or a seasoned chef, Dietitian Klara will work with you to help you reach your nutrition goals. Co-author of Nourished: 10 Ingredients to Happy, Healthy Eating, Cooking with Diabetes and Cooking with Food Sensitivities Guide.
