Day: October 26, 2011

Y’know, I’m not always a big fan of Halloween… we didn’t participate when I was growing up, and even as a big kid now I don’t usually. One reason is it’s a night to be someone else, but fairly often, that someone else seems to be on five-inch heels, wearing ripped fishnets, tarantula-leg mascara, and a push-up bodice — no matter what animal, vegetable or mineral the costume is supposed to represent. Somehow, we’ve taken a fun, be-a-kid idea, and turned it into something vastly lacking in imagination. For a lot of people, it’s turned into a one-note, lowest-common-denominator sort of thing, with the addition of horrifying amounts of sugar.

I like sugar. I like silly. I like fishnets, even. But, even the most Halloween loving of us will admit that it’s kind of squicky to see little kids dressed provocatively. We seem to keep one-upping each other with the lack of clothing, we girls, anyway.

But, I just discovered a tiny pushback against that: Take Back Halloween.org. People. Talk about imagination. THIS is the Halloween I remember from all the parades in grade school – people who actually tried to do something innovative with their outfits! A site that collects some creative ideas for girls – with multicultural and historical emphasis, too. Hey, you could be Madam CJ Walker. Asase Yaa. Sor Juana – a brilliant nun. Tin Hinan. Boudicca. Or Wu Zetian – the ONLY empress of China. Check it out. A little thought and study, and you are SET for any costume party you might come across.

They have instructions and helpful info about where they sourced stuff, and best of all, a little historical tidbit, so when you have to explain your costume to people – and you know you will – you’ll have all the facts. Just wait ’til they get some steampunk people chiming in and helping out. Apparently, they take suggestions!

Some people have commented that there is some skinshowing in these costumes, too. Yep. Skin is great a great thing sometimes… when it makes sense to be showing some. It’s not about Everyone Dress As Nuns (unless you’re being Sor Juana, and then… well); it’s more Everyone Dress With Creativity. And this just gives you another option.

Fun via the ever-fab MarySue.

It was a Shrinking Violets Promotions challenge put out by Lia Keyes… to throw down and get involved in the outside world. So. I joined Goodreads, as a Goodreads Author. And, if you’re reading this on GR, hello!

I don’t Tweet, I don’t FB, and I don’t network socially in any other fashion, because, frankly, people scare me. (Joke.) — Seriously, social networking is way too much fun, but it’s not for me; I have to work smarter than I would if I spent too much time on it. So, Goodreads is as much as I can do right now, and I don’t even participate there in a traditional way. I stopped giving stars about a year and a half ago, and that confuses some people… but I think stars are too simple a tool for what I generally feel about a book. Maybe if the ratings were something like “I’d Read it in an Airport;” “I’d Read it With PMS,” “I’d Drag it to the Beach;” or “It’ll Take You Away When Your Parents Are Arguing,” they’d have more meaning. But, maybe that’s just me.

And now, your moment of Zen.

Happy week!