This Halloween week, The State Press staff went all-out and dressed in costume. What follows is a short blurb and pictures of our Halloween costumes. Enjoy.
Aimee Plante, A&E; reporter — Frida Kahlo
(Photo and Edit by Alexis Macklin)This is my second Halloween as Frida Kahlo. I have a not-so-tiny obsession with art history and the famous Mexican surrealist has always been a favorite of mine because of her unconventional beauty. Even as many criticized her for her “unfeminine” unibrow and masculine lifestyle, Kahlo remained steadfast in her pride and even accented her facial hair in self portraits to prove a point. It is because of this gratuitous display of confidence that I find her to be one of the greatest role models for female sexuality. I only wish I could rock her soaring eagle as well as she did.
Samantha Shotzbarger, A&E; reporter — Basic Bitch
(Photo by Alexis Macklin)Native to the Sun Belt in the U.S., this wild creature roams free. Well, as long as there's a Starbucks, a patch of grass on which to tan and a TV tuned to "Grey's Anatomy." Essential to the basic-ness of this costume is the Victoria's Secret sweater and sunglasses. Spandex pants, of course, complete the ensemble, seen here as a representation of all that is basic in this world.
Amy Medeiros, managing editor — Pin-Up Girl
(Photo and Edit by Alexis Macklin)I like to use Halloween as an excuse to try out styles extremely different from my own. This year, I chose to imitate a pin-up style from 1940s. I'm fascinated by how pin-up style has been seen as both empowering and degrading to women since the 1860s, and it was fun to step into the (ruby red, patent leather) shoes of this ultra-feminine style for a day.
Peter Northfelt, A&E; editor — Julia Child
(Photo and Edit by Alexis Macklin)The past couple years, I've taken a near obsessive approach to assembling Halloween costumes. This year, I decided I wanted to embody an inspirational woman of public television days of yore, Julia Child. Her perfect invocation of French cooking by saying, "bon appétit" puts the novice chef at ease when looking for guidance (quite differently from the approach Guy Fieri takes with frosted tips and a terrifying line of pans at Wal-Mart). I watched the classic "Julie and Julia," as well as quite a few YouTube videos of her show, "The French Chef." I also looked at this PBS remix of her show. One of my mottos in the last couple months has been, in following Julia's advice, to pick it up — "it" being anything I've screwed up — and put it back in the pan. Her justification: "Well, if you're all alone in the kitchen, nobody will know."
Reach the Arts & Entertainment Desk at arts.statepress@gmail.com or follow The State Press on Twitter @statepress.
