Halloween Costume Manifesto '17

We declare:

1. That Halloween costumes are for the enjoyment of both the viewer and the wearer.
2. That Halloween is not Carnival, the Saturnalia, nor the Bacchanalia.
3. That Halloween costumes need not be frightening or macabre.
4. That Halloween costumes may depict a visual pun, provided it is lucid and intelligible without explanation.
5. That to put a Halloween costume on a dog, cat, or other animal is okay.
6. That Halloween costumes may be ribald or risqué, as sexual provocation contains an element of horror.

We fight:

1. Against impractical Halloween costumes that require the wearer to carry an accessory in the hands.
2. Against unguessable Halloween costumes which require the viewer to ask, “What are you?”
3. Against non-costumes which are instead performed rôles, personas, or characters.
4. Against over-elaborate Halloween costumes that are more spectacle than costume.
5. Against all tendencies which have the effect of discouraging the wearing of Halloween costumes, including mandatory costume edicts.