Three years ago I was on deadline when October 31st rolled around. My son was seven at the time. He wanted to be a pumpkin pie for Halloween.
The year before he was Emmett from The Lego Movie. Year before that he was Jack Skellington from Nightmare Before Christmas. He’s been Doc Brown from Back to the Future, Neo from The Matrix, and of course, Harry Potter. Like most kids, he is attracted to the cultural figures he relates to. Inevitably he chooses male heroes because they are abundant. Not that I haven’t tried to counter that…
…but as soon as he was old enough to understand that attire can be used to project identity, he made different choices. And aside from continually pointing out the gender disparity to him, I feel a bit helpless. So when he wanted to be pie for Halloween, I was psyched. How wholesome and uncomplicated. No unconscious bias in pie. And the aspirational qualities! Sweetness, freshness, simplicity…
But unlike a costume based on a movie character, it’s difficult to render for a human body. Luckily I was on deadline and had no free time, so I spent hours researching how to make a delightful pie costume. Conceptually we shifted from pumpkin to cherry because of the color palate. The pie itself was simple enough to make (I used this as a model). The whipped cream hat proved challenging, but we got there.
And although it was difficult for him to sit normally…
… it was impossible not to pick him out amid the throngs of Harry Potters and Luke Skywalkers and Emmets mobbing the streets during trick-or-treating. His weird-ass costume was a hit with both candy-takers and candy-givers alike. I was proud of myself for buying a glue gun to make it. I stayed proud until one rowdy parent spotted him a block away and bellowed this adorable tune at full volume (do yourself a favor and never google those lyrics).
So much for uncomplicated.