Halloween is the time of year when we celebrate dreams. However, nightmares take the spotlight. It is a fashion celebration! To honor this special day, I contacted someone with fashion and costume expertise: Marilyn Monroe from the popular Thriller Float in the NYC Village Halloween Parade. If you’re in New York City or see pictures of the Village Halloween Parade, the thriller float will stand out to you. It is a group of approximately 1401 gory and undead individuals, many of them icons, dancing to Michael Jackson’s Thriller as they move down blocked-off 6th Avenue. Marilyn Monroe is near the front, on the left side if they’re facing you on your phone screen. She’s behind Snow White and little orphan Annie. Not only is this Marilyn an undead Thriller dancer, but she also recently graduated from the MALS Fashion Studies program and is a current doctoral student in the Theater and Performance program at The Graduate Center. On days other than October 31st, she is known as Pune Dracker.
I reached out to Pune a few days before Halloween to discuss costumes. She has researched and written about the subject. My first questions were general. I asked Pune what interests her about costumes and to tell me about her favorite one. Pune told me:
Some of my favorite research involves exploring iconic celebrity looks through the lens of fashion as a situated body practice. How might Marilyn Monroe have felt wearing that white halter dress known for being lifted up by a breeze as she stood atop a subway grate in The Seven Year Itch—the dress that its designer, William Travilla, described as “cool and clean, in a dirty, dirty city?” Her performance of sensual pleasure in wearing this garment is genius. This particular look is also a popular Halloween costume, instantly recognizable without a lot of detail or use of props. When I performed as Marilyn in last year’s Thriller float in the Village Halloween Parade, I took the role very seriously. Even though I was covered in gore and dripping fake blood from my mouth and ears, I had to step it up to be Marilyn. I will represent again this year.
Here are examples of the versatility of the Marilyn costume (courtesy of Pune). Cindy Crawford, Vanessa Williams, and Elle Fanning are pictured wearing it. Not only were William Travilla’s costume choice and Marilyn’s performance brilliant, but the fact that it has been worn so often since adds another layer to their brilliance and the meaning of this scene.
Pune’s question about how Marilyn might have felt reveals the global curiosity celebrated during Halloween. During this time when we can be anyone, we inevitably gain insights into what another felt in their clothes and, therefore, their identity.
My final question was, “What is the main subject of your costume research?” Pune answered:
My current work looks at what I think is an emerging trend. While scholars have considered how children’s Halloween costumes reinforce gendered stereotypes and the patriarchy (i.e. police and cowboy costumes for boys, cheerleaders and princesses for girls), there’s something on the horizon worthy of a closer look: unisex and queer Halloween costumes. A brief scan of the market reveals major online retailers like Walmart, Old Navy and Halloween.com have robust sections labeled “Unisex Halloween Costumes,” and an online search brings up articles with titles like “17 spooktacular queer costume ideas” and “120 Best Gender-Neutral Halloween ideas.” It’s true that some of the most popular Halloween costumes of all time—ghosts, clowns, vampires, pumpkin-headed people—are inherently, or pretty close to being, gender-neutral; the context is very different today. I’ll report back on what I discover.
Pune made this. It went along with a proposal for a unisex Halloween costume.
Clothes are an essential part of how we signal belonging. On Halloween, no matter what one wears (within reason), they belong and learn where and how their assumed identity belongs. It is important for children to participate in this experience of learning. It is a day of exploring all the possibilities, not discouraging possibilities.
I wish you many opportunities to dress up in costumes between now and next Halloween!
