SELF-PRESENTATION BY
YOUNG ADULTS ON HALLOWEEN
This is a qualitative, exploratory data collection project exploring the images young adults choose to project through their choice of Halloween costume and the impressions they hope to make with those choices.
A
student-dominated neighborhood near the Washington State University campus was 
canvassed
by sociology graduate students working in pairs. They took written notes
describing the types
and numbers of people on the street in costumes. The content and impression
given by the costumes were coded. A subsample of subjects was interviewed.
The young adults in this study drew upon a wide range of modern and historical imagery and symbols to construct alternate identities expressing a desire for power. These constructions differed dramatically by gender. 86% of females presented some form of sexual imagery combined with other cultural symbols or types in their costume choice. Males also chose sexualized presentations, but with much darker, violent themes.
Clues to these choices are explored through patterns in the coded data and interviews. Interview responses did not reveal clearly the intentions of the subjects, leaving the question still open to interpretation and future research.
I will be posting my work on this topic as it develops.
Papers: