Overheard at Stanford is a biweekly column written by Linden Hansen ’27. Hansen takes notable quotes she hears around campus and develops them further — whether they be insightful, astonishing or humorous! No matter what, they are guaranteed to represent the pulse of the student body.

“We’re gonna be the three different eras of Arnold Schwarzenegger.” 

— Overheard at Stern Dining on burrito bowl night.

Arnold, our guy. Bodybuilder, actor, politician. So much to unpack there… a genius Halloween costume. So, kudos to this creative thinker for inspiring this week’s column. 

I myself have been struggling with the daunting task of building at least three costumes to rock this weekend. They must be niche yet recognizable. Risqué but not too much. Representative of my personality. Cheap but sustainable. Arguably, it’s the scariest thing about Halloween— a holiday dedicated to dress–up, a weekend devoted to agonizing about appearance. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good fashion show. But Halloween is not an art — it’s an exhausting marathon. We scroll through Amazon religiously with drooping eye bags, hunting for the perfect $3 rhinestone fishnets. Meanwhile, our subconscious identity crisis solidifies.

It’s implied that first impressions are crucial this Halloween season. That ghoul in the corner could be your next situationship… and the masked clown could be your ex. So inevitably, the costume you choose must say something about you. Really let your best qualities shine through. 

But is that actually possible — all in one costume? What if you’re a checkers player whose satirical sense of humor lends to sketch comedy and ripped calves prove conducive to cheese rolling… not to mention you’re a sensitive soul with an affinity for Harry Potter fan fiction. And you’re obsessed with slime ASMR Youtube… And you love Hot Cheetos. Try boxing up that package into a singular costume.

Anyways, the point is: Halloween limits us. 

We’re not meant to occupy just one identity at a time. For Halloween, or forever. For some reason, the overall trend in the zeitgeist right now is to claim a title. For example, you’re either an Instagram baddie or an anti-social media elitist. It’s a pattern often repeated in popular media. We see this in something like “The Breakfast Club.” There is the jock, the criminal, the princess, the brainiac and the basket case. Of course, we all know what happens at the end, and that compartmentalization of personality is unproductive. But there you sit, in your dorm at 2 a.m., looking up “quirky Halloween costume 2024” on Pinterest. You’re biting your nails, your fingers are trembling, and you’re haunted by the question: Is this me?

Yes, sure — it’s you! And so are all those other costumes you’re into. Own it. We’re bred on the ideology that only one identity is possible. And only one at a time. But it’s not true! We are students, athletes, friends, lovers, leaders, comics, creatives… and all in one beautiful web at one beautiful second. Morphing and shifting and evolving with time. 

A couple weeks ago I had a comforting conversation with my beloved hall mates and our fearless leader RA. She encouraged us to acknowledge all our different identities and nurture each and every one of them. This was post–Econ midterm, and some of our academic identities were suffering. But we also had our identities as friends! Mentors! Teammates! Innovators! 

When one being falters, little is lost. Appreciate its unique complementary nature to the others. We are multifaceted, and that alone is identity enough. 

So, this Halloween, I propose an experiment. Dress up intuitively. When you trudge to your closet in search of some show-stopping garb. Instead take a second and think… What do I want to be right now, at this moment? Channel a sheer display of identity. Let the sauce flow. Be a warrior magician fawn or a fairy construction worker from the 80s. Just see what happens.