Last weekend I bolted to the AMC Common 19 with my two closest friends, dressed up as Sonic, Shadow and Dr. Eggman. “Three adult tickets for Sonic 3, please!”
I remember feeling deep discomfiture as a kid when others encouraged me to dress up for the movies. It felt awkward and embarrassing to stand out and be socially deemed as childish. In an appearance-based society, it is challenging to break the barrier between social norms and “living for the hell of it.”
It wasn’t until the “Barbie” movie in 2023 that the world’s view on nerding out for the sake of art appreciation suddenly shifted. Do not get me wrong, this group activity has existed since the earliest days of film; however, during the 2010s people as a whole suddenly seemed to stop caring. Regardless of the why, it cannot be denied that theater culture was at a consistent decline. Disappointing? Yes. But shocking? Not so much.
Attending the cinema in costume is a form of appreciation for those involved in the visual art. In the context of Greta Gerwig’s Academy Award-winning masterpiece, dressing up head to toe in pink attire quickly became a trend across social media. Regardless of age, sex or ethnicity, it was collectively agreed that dressing up at a local cinema was a great way to show support for the long-awaited film, while also breaking free of social standards to embrace the child-like excitement that came from unwrapping a Barbie doll on Christmas morning. In an interview with Variety, Greta Gerwig herself stated, “[Seeing people at theaters voluntarily dressed in pink] was this overwhelming thing like ‘oh it belongs to them.’ It doesn’t belong to me, it belongs to them. And they wanted to dress up!”
The freeing moment of acceptance as I strutted through my local movie theatre in bright pink five-inch heels and a mini skirt, followed by various compliments from women also coated in the striking color, felt like an epiphany: I can make the most out of the mundane and the world truly is my oyster.
The topics of freedom and free will have evolved into some of my favorite concepts to ponder during my in-between moments. To make a long story short, my experience of feeling trapped and unfulfilled in my day-to-day life ultimately pushed me to tap into my younger, sillier self as the way I was handling misfortune was clearly not working.
It started with small changes, like ending my day with an Amazonian clay facemask as I spent hours playing video games with my internet friends, letting myself feel like the geek I’ve always been but suppressed. This snowballed into geeking out even more by wearing full-on costumes to attend my local Renaissance Fair with my best friend. I discovered that surrounding myself with people who are also okay with loosening up helped me realize that life doesn’t need to be so serious all the time and it is safe to act accordingly, however it feels most appropriate.
In many subcultures in today’s society, the thought of being immature and straying away from the “grindset” is a big no-no. In a competitive university environment where building connections and acting professionally is the norm, it is understandable why so many are afraid to let themselves feel childish. At the end of the day, the average grown adult who seems to have it all figured out is likely still connected with their inner child, so the willingness to give up “feeling silly” because of the comparative social eye feels arbitrary.
So should we be dressing up for movies? I would’ve laughed at this idea just a few years ago, but as I grew to discover the beauty in having fun amidst the humdrum, I became a big advocate for it. I mean, why attend a cinema ordinarily when you could spice up the experience with themed consumes? Dressing up as movie characters does not have to be a big, borderline obnoxious “in-your-face” activity, but rather a simple guide for wearing colors that match the appearances of those featured in the film — like wearing blue for Sonic, black for Shadow and red for Dr. Eggman. Whether you feel inclined to try this out or not, I highly encourage you to test your comfort level by pushing your idea of what normalcy and fun look like; at the end of the day, I would not be getting through my long days of classes and meetings if I didn’t have extra special (though nerdy) events to look forward to at the end of each week.