From Mayberry to Mayhem

What a fun and interesting Halloween I had!

I went to visit my brother and his family in a small town in Northern New Jersey to continue my tradition of going trick or treating with my nephews. I love it! They were so adorable dressed as the "Unknown Reaper" and a "Ninja". (OK- now I would swear that my eldest nephew was the "Grim Reaper" but he insisted, no). And just in case you were wondering- they still haven't learned to design Halloween masks that aren't hot and uncomfortable for kids.

After trick or treating, the boys joined in the town's Halloween Parade. All the kids walked down main street dressed in their costumes, and prizes were given away for best costume. The adults walked alongside the parade, talking and socializing. We wrapped up our festivities by picking up a couple of NJ Pizzas. While I enjoyed my time, it did feel sort of surreal.

I headed back to midtown Manhattan at around 11 pm. Arriving at Penn Station was like arriving in an alternate universe.

I felt like I was in the middle of Mardi Gras in New Orleans! Actually, the streets of New York more closely resembled a gentleman's club. Seriously. Very few men were dressed in costume. Or maybe they were and I just didn't notice. What I saw was the women- everywhere. Dressed like exotic dancers. I saw slutty cops, slutty school girls, slutty devils, slutty cupids, slutty Dorothy. Notice I didn't say "sexy"...I said "slutty". Reminded me of the outfits I used to order via mail order catalog from Frederick's of Hollywood in the days before the internet. Or the uniform I wore as a blackjack dealer in Florida.

My internal monologue went something like "Oh my God, what is she thinking?... Wow, that girl could be a model...OK, now that's a cheesy costume...Does she know her gut is hanging over that micro-mini?" I found my internal comments getting catty, and a gnawing feeling of negativity growing inside.

When I paused to ask myself where the negativity was coming from, I was surprised at the answer-- Jealousy!!

I actually found myself wishing that the costumes that were popular when I was in my 20's were as fun, flirty, sexy and trampy. I even found myself thinking "I wonder how I would look in that?" or "That would look good on me."

Observing these two extremely different Halloweens made me wonder- which universe do I belong in?