Halloween discrimination: teens

Halloween night: a night when people wear overpriced costumes and carry pillowcases door to door in hopes of receiving candy to make the cold night adventure well worth it. Many people would describe Halloween as a holiday for the kids and mainly younger ones. It seems as if the older you get, the more you receive rude remarks and avoidance instead of candy. There is no such thing as trick-or-treating restrictions, nor should there ever be, so why do teenagers get so much grief for participating in the holiday?

There should not be an age limit on trick-or-treating, and everyone who actually goes door to door that night should receive candy. Just because someone is older, doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be allowed to participate in childhood activities. Growing up doesn’t necessarily mean you have to miss out on certain child-like activities since you are now “more mature.” Sure, the world expects you to become an adult and stop behaving childishly, but anyone can go out and do Halloween activities with an adult mindset. For example, even though Halloween is geared more towards kids, teenagers continually go out and have fun with their friends too. We are much more respectful than our stereotype projects, we are there to have a good time with friends. Not all teens are not looking for trouble, nor are they planning on ruining anyone else’s holiday.

Additionally, Halloween does not usually fall on the weekend, but weeknights instead. For teenagers, weeknights are filled with homework, cramming for a possible test the next day and extra-curricular activities, which allows for very little fun time. By partaking in trick-or-treating on a school night, high schoolers tend to be productive and plan ahead to get our studies done.

Furthermore, Halloween costumes are expensive. Many of us teens create our own costumes, presumably with a lot of effort and hard work. By dressing up in homemade costume, teens express their determination for a successful candy hunt. However, if a some enthusiastic teen does not dress up, or dresses up like a “typical 21st century teenager”, he or she should not receive candy. If teens truly want candy, then they need to put in just as much effort as younger child would.

If a teenager decides to spend their school night outside walking door to door on Halloween in a costume, then they deserve candy. If they put effort to their costume and prioritize their school work, then it is wrong to refuse them. To not give a Halloween participator candy just because they are a teenager is unjust. Halloween should be a holiday that everyone can participate in at any age.