Halloween Underwear: A Guide To Getting Spooky
There’s a chill in the air, the first colors of fall are appearing on the trees, and the local grocery store has whipped out its black and orange candy display. You know what that means: Halloween is right around the corner.
If you love Halloween as much as we do, you can’t wait to get in on the spirit of the season in every possible way –– and that includes wearing the most Halloween-y underwear possible.
There are tons of ways that you can have some classic Halloween fun with just your underwear, and today, we’re going to go over how to get spooky with your bottom layer!
Before We Begin: A Quick History of Halloween
Halloween has been celebrated in the United States since colonial times. Early American settlers carved out pumpkins (and before that, turnips) and placed candles inside to protect themselves from roaming spirits. It was around the middle of the 1900s that it developed into the hugely popular, colorful, trick-or-treat holiday we know and love today.
But the roots of All Hallow’s Eve go back much farther than that. Halloween has its origin in the ancient Celtic ritual of Samhain, in which the changing of the warm season of summer to the cold, dark months of winter was celebrated.
It is believed that, in an effort to ward off evil spirits that would rise at this time of transition, people would dress up in scary costumes and light bonfires. Different Celtic and Anglican autumn traditions involving dressing up and knocking on doors to ask for food may have also come together over the years to influence trick-or-treating.
How To Celebrate Halloween With Your Underwear
Time To Get Nerdy
Halloween is a great time to be a nerd. Whether you’re a kid or a grown-up, you can unabashedly dress up like any character and pay tribute to the movies, games, books, TV shows, and comic books that you love.
You don’t have to wait for your Halloween costume to arrive to channel your inner nerd. Throughout October, you can sport your geeky pride on your most intimate layers. Allow yourself to be inspired by your favorite movies (for example, with a pair of Matrix-themed underwear) or tout the emblem of your favorite superhero.
Dark and Sexy
Scary and spooky can just as easily become sultry and sexy if you want it to. Channel your inner Elvira with some Halloween-inspired lingerie. Whether it's vampiric, magical, or totally kooky, spooky lingerie can involve anything from frills and ruching to lace and even the occasional skull and crossbones charm.
Trick or Tip: While you can go all out, you can also use simple pieces that you already own to embody the dark and sexy vibe. When it comes to this category, black is your go-to. For example, a black thong can do no wrong.
Halloween Colors
You don’t always need to rock a pattern on your undies to get in the spooky season spirit. The wonderful thing about humans is that we love color association. For example, if you see someone wearing a green and red sweater, you may automatically think of Christmas.
And when it comes to Halloween, we all have a few favorite colors that instantly call to mind witches’ brews and jack o’ lanterns.
Trick or Tip: As we all know, black and orange are the colors most often associated with Halloween –– black for all things dark and grim and orange for pumpkins. But there are some other options, too.
The neon green of supernatural ooze and the deep purple of a crystal ball, for example, are also two that are associated with the season. If you’ve got slashers or devilish delights on the mind, blood red is, of course, always an option.
Show Monsters Some Love
Halloween is the time of year to celebrate ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and creatures of the night. The idea of monsters is often tied up in fear, be it fear of nature, mortality, progress, or otherness –– for example, Frankenstein’s monster was, in part, born of a fear of scientific advancement. However, as much as we fear certain monsters, we can also love, admire, and be fascinated with them.
From romantic vampires to cuddly dragons, us Halloween enthusiasts love monsters. After all, at some point, we’ve all felt like Frankenstein’s monster –– a little different, perhaps even a little odd. And this is the perfect time of year to celebrate that.
Try experimenting with underwear that shows your monster love, whether it be a bra made of claws or these boyshorts featuring a slithering Kraken of the deep.
Witchy Vibes
There’s something about witches and wizards that really captures the imagination, especially at this time of year. As kids, a lot of us would get our first whiff of autumn air and start eyeing the broom in the garage or waving around sticks like wands.
Nowadays, witches as a motif are particularly popular as a symbol of power and independence apart from society’s standards of gender and sexuality.
Trick or Tip: You don’t need to brew potions or chant spells to feel like a totally wicked witch. Look for undies with Weeds, potions, and constellations.
Magical Flair
Not everybody is into Halloween for the strictly scary. Some of us like the idea of mysticism, thrills, and magic –– but without all the fangs and gore. If this sounds like you, why not reflect that in your underwear? If you spent your childhood dressing up like fairies and unicorns rather than ghosts and vampires, you could achieve that same effect today –– but under your jeans.
Trick or Tip: Go for colors, cute patterns, stars and moons, and hey –– why not a bit of sequins, if you’re feeling up to it? As long as they’re on the outside of the garment, that is — otherwise, that could get itchy.
Unusual Features
This time of year is all about spooks and surprises. It’s a great excuse to update your underwear drawer with a bit of the unexpected.
That can mean a lot of different things. A strappy reversible bra, a lingerie set you wouldn’t normally splurge on, boxers with pockets, a bralette with a fringe, underwear with a glittery scale pattern –– if it’s something you wouldn’t normally dare to try, now’s the time for some experimentation.
Trick or Tip: Here’s a perfect example. What better Halloween surprise than a little glow-in-the-dark action? For an extra fun detail, look for underwear with glow-in-the-dark features full of little witchy details.
Channel Your Inner Skeleton
When we talk about classic Halloween motifs, we cannot forget the spooky skeleton. Spindly arms, grinning skulls, crawling dismembered hands… it’s all a part of the fun! There’s tons of undergarment fashion out there that really delights the imagination.
Trick or Tip: You don’t have to go with the classic skull or even a human skeleton at all. This bralette, for example, asks what if paleontologists unearthed some prehistoric and imaginary skeletons.
Boo-tiful You
Old or young, we all love Halloween. So get into it with your intimates! This is a time of year to get creative, celebrate everything wild and unique, and express your love for things you’re passionate about with costumes and decorations.
Of course, we can’t forget about the scares. As soon as October 1st (or earlier) rolls around, throw on your favorite loungewear with only the comfiest, softest, most Halloween-y underwear underneath, and plant yourself on the couch for a horror movie marathon with friends.
Sources:
A Brief History of Halloween | The New York Public Library
The history of Halloween | Live Science
Monsters on our minds: What our fascination with frightful creatures says about us | USC News