CATEGORY: UNIVERSITY YEARS
PHOTO: BACKWARDS COSTUME

When I was going to school in Eugene, there was no time for fun.  Between school and motherhood there was little time or money for frivolity.  I never went to a movie all the time I lived there.  I did, however have one night out.  It was the only one in all the time I lived there.  It was a Halloween party.  It was to be held in a hall where there was room for dancing.  Could I pass that up?  No, No, NO!!!!

I did not have time to make a costume.  After pondering awhile, I decided to go backwards.  I had a peasant dress that would lend itself to being worn back to front and could be combined with a shawl which was necessary for concealing the fact that I had breasts–obvious even though I bound myself tightly with towels.  I got a mask that had a woman’s face and a whole head of hair.  I taped blue marbles in the eye holes.  The hair was black so I sewed a scrap of black sheer material under it and divided the hair just enough in two places that I could see out through it.

I drove to the party slowly, because my side vision was, to say the least, limited. While I was stopped at a stop sign, I heard brakes screech to my left.  I looked that way, which meant I turned the back of my mask to the sound.  The car next to me was full of people.  They were all staring at the driver of the car on their right who’s head was on backwards.  I waved at them and continued on my way.

At the dance, I knew a couple of architecture students who joined in the joke by dancing with me.  I danced with them backwards with my arms bent around as far as I could to assume the right position.  I bent my head as far back as I could so my head would look more natural.  The thing I couldn’t distort was my feet.  I could see out the back of my head, so I could watch the people behind me.  I especially noticed the guys in the stag line noticing me.  They would look at me casually and then look again questioningly.  They could tell something wasn’t QUITE right.  When their suspicious appraisal got down to my feet, their eyes would fly open.  Then they would look me all up and down again and start laughing.  It wasn’t long before there was a whole line of fellows waiting to dance with me.  I had never been so popular at a dance!

After that, it became my favorite Halloween costume.