The Fairest of All Halloween Costumes: My Lifelong Passion for Snow White

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Like most kids, I watched mounds of Disney movies growing up. Some little girls fall in love with Ariel, and some fall in love with Belle, but I fell in love with Snow White. From the first time I laid eyes on her and the seven dwarves, I adored the story of the fairest girl in the land, who was ultimately saved by her Prince Charming. When I was 5 years old, I begged my Great Aunt Ginny to make me a Snow White costume. This was well before the days of the Internet, where you could pop onto Disney.Com and buy one. Ginny's costume was simple, but it was also seamlessly perfect. When I slipped into it, I felt Snow White's magic seeping in through every thread. Several years later, I wrote and directed an adaptation of Snow White for my fourth grade class. We sang and danced our way to Snow White superstardom. In my late 20s, I adopted the role of Snow White again when I worked as a college academic adviser. At this university, Halloween meant a costume contest - and the academic advising team was competitive, determined to win the Best Group Costume Award. We decided to portray Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, having just enough people to do so. They nominated me Snow White, naturally. "You look just like her," they gushed. "The fair skin, the dark hair, the red lips. It's uncanny. You could play her at Disney." I have to admit, I do enjoy playing the role of Snow White. In fact, it's the only costume I do for Halloween these days. It's not that I'm not creative, but this is the costume that feels most like "me." I've had Snow White in my blood since age 5. Now at age 30, her cheerful, brave spirit courses through my veins more deeply than ever. Even better, I've met and married David, my real-life Prince Charming.