Juliette Arsenault – Contributor

At Bishop’s University, we do not simply put on jeans and a t-shirt to hit the club. We enter the Gait doors as cowboys, flapper girls, purple monsters or occasionally even freakishly accurate Adam Sandlers. To attend The Gait in plain clothes is quite frankly a risk of being underdressed for the occasion. (I do not make the rules; I simply observe them.) 

Photo courtesy of Juliette Arsenault

Dressing up at Bishop’s is not an accessory to the weekend. It is the weekend. Every week, a new theme drops on The Gait’s Instagram. As proud BU students, this is not to be taken lightly. It is our duty to respond with face paint, boas, Hawaiian shirts, crazy sunglasses and Amazon Prime packages that make our parents deeply concerned. A true Gaiter knows that if you don’t look a little crazy on a night out, then your blood has not yet turned purple. 

This phenomenon extends far beyond our casual Thursdays and Saturdays. Entire events orbit around costumes. Hoco: when purple is no longer a colour but a religion. St Patty’s: when the campus resembles 3000 leprechauns. Winterfest: when your classmate is suddenly an après ski icon from the 70s or even the recent Rubber Ducky Golf Fundraiser: an event so gloriously ridiculous that it could only exist at Bishop’s. 

The question is, why do we do this? Some may say it is childish, but I prefer to say it is childlike. Gaiters have perfected the art of channeling their inner six-year-old. The six-year-old who would try on their Halloween costume every day of October until the big day. In the university world of midterms, Moodle notifications and deadlines, putting on a wig on a Thursday night is, I dare say, an act of liberation. 

I’d also argue that there is an element of practicality to it. Beyond the Bishop’s bubble, fitting in can be scary. But when you are surrounded by hundreds of people wearing a purple tutu just like yours, it’s impossible to feel out of place. The fur coat you found at the community cupboard opens doors (and dance circles) that a plain outfit could never open. No matter who you are, your outfit is your invitation; everyone is welcome, and everyone can have fun. It is about more than a costume. It’s about being part of something bigger, celebrating our friends, making memories, taking great digital camera pictures and contributing to the Bishop’s legacy. 

So, whether you are a seasoned vet of Gait Gatsby or a baby Gaiter approaching your first BU Halloweekend, know this: at Bishops, you’re never doing too much. It is tradition, it is our culture, it is the school spirit stitched in thread and sequins. And if you find yourself resisting, take it from me, by the time you are in a violet unicorn onesie with purple war paint on your cheeks at Hoco, you will understand. 

Until then, I’ll see you at The Gait or on the Bishops Fashion Show runway. I’ll be the one in the cowboy hat.