Behind The Awkwardness: Baggy
January 8th, 2013
“Mom decided to save money on costumes that “you only wear once.” She tied trash bags on my brother and I and stuffed them with newspaper, smeared brown eye shadow on our faces and pasted big signs on our chests that said TRASH.”
(submitted by Michelle)
Tags: halloween
I did this as well as a kid, though the ideas were always my own. But I would never, ever “label” my daughter as “trash”. That’s just too symbolic for me, and as smart as she is, she’d pick up on it too. :/
The kid on the left totally looks like Paul Williams.
My parents did the exact same thing to me. I actually had previously considered submitting the photo–I am still slightly in shock having seen this photo, and having read the comments. I honestly thought I was the only one. My folks still brag that it was the best costume ever. No wonder we grow up with issues!
I’ve never been trick or treating as rubbish, but ive had to wear bin bag costumes in the past. Only we stuck yellow and white stars on ours. Don’t know what we were supposed to be though?
The night sky maybe?
Well, to be fair, looking up home-made costume ideas on the net wasn’t an option back in 1976.
My mother once took down my ruffle-y curtains and used a baste stitch to make me a princess outfit and then she put them back up afterwards. Take that, Scarlett O’Hara.
I love your mom. That’s awesome.
Mom must of watched “Pretty in Pink” the night before.
It isn’t so much the costume that gets me (most people have gone as a hobo or garbage for whatever reason), but was it absolutely necessary to label the kids “TRASH”?
0_o
I can not believe I wasn’t the only one who’s mom decided “I can just put a trash bag on you and stuff it with newspaper” as a Halloween costume!!! Mine happened in the late 80s (I don’t remember what year specifically.)
Oh my gosh mine too! Ugh I still remember it 35 years later. It was horrible.. if my mother knew how awful I felt about being labelled “garbage” that Halloween she’d never have done it (I hope!)
Mine, too! Although, my mom got fancy and put my hair up in a ponytail on the top of my head using a twist-tie…
I had a similar situation as a kid in the late ’60s, but my mom kept putting the bags over our heads (I had three brothers) and we had trouble breathing until we stuck our noses through.
My mom called it “being a gypsy”, the only difference being we wore the mis-matched clothes with a skirt.
I can so relate. I can’t tell you how many years my mother told my sister and I that we were going as hobos, so “just pull something old and mis-matched out of your closet” ….. (sigh) ….