Does Turtle have the courage of her convictions?

Tonight was the Fall Festival at Turtle's school. All of the children brought their costumes to school for the party that started at 5:00.  Teachers had them in their costumes in time for the party. Games, food and trunk or treating. Fun! We got there and Turtle was not in her costume. She asked for Dusty Crophopper and has had the costume since mid-September. It hung in her closet and everyday she went into her closet and looked at and admired Dusty. Her candy basket (also Dusty Crophopper) sat on top of the refrigerator. Everyday she stood next to the refrigerator and gazed up at the basket longingly even asked if it could also serve as her Easter basket. We brought the basket with us for trunk or treating.

But she was not in her costume. All around us are spidermen, iron men, supermen, Belles, Ariels, and veterinarians. And there she stood in her black pants and black shirt looking forlorn. I immediately took her out of the mainstream of children and parents and sat down with her.

Me: Why don't you want to wear your costume?
Turtle: Because I'm afraid.
Me: What are you afraid of?
Turtle: That all of my friends won't love it.
Me: That is never a reason not to do something. Let's put on your costume.
Turtle: No, I don't like his eyes.
Husband, taped black construction paper over Dusty's eyes.
Me: Look Turtle, Daddy fixed it. Now will you wear it.
Turtle. No, I don't like planes that fly low.
Me: Then we should probably leave since you won't wear your costume.
Turtle stood away from me and said, "Mommy, please change your mind."

That's when I knew there was another reason for not wanting to wear the costume. But what was it? She wasn't talking or maybe she didn't know how. Of course, we stayed, and of course she didn't wear her costume. She got a pink and purple snake painted on her arm. She began to smile again. She had a little bit of food. She smiled more. She painted three orange plates with black plates. She is almost herself again. She  got her picture taken as the head of a monster. She trunk or treated with her best friend.

So, what happened? All I can do is guess. I talked to her primary teacher who thought maybe she didn't want to wear Dusty because all of the girls (with the exception of her best friend) were all in princess dresses. Maybe she felt like it was just too different. At first, I thought this was probable, but I kept thinking about it. The boys in class LOVE that Turtle loves planes, cars, trains, and has seen Planes 3 times. We get stopped by parents on our way out of school who talk with her about her love of Planes and how cool they think that is. Her teachers affirm her love of planes. When she plays with the girls at school she is always a plane or a helicopter who flies the Princesses around. So she has found a way to play with her friends and her friends embrace it. The more I thought about it, the more I no longer thought it was the fact that the girls were princesses.

I think she was afraid of the attention that she would get dressed as the ONLY Dusty Crophopper in school. People would stop and talk to her, the boys would go bananas and she doesn't like attention. I think she would have refused to wear any costume. She gets shy and uncomfortable and wants me to hold her when people are paying attention to her. I think it's the introverted part of her personality rearing its head and holding firm. So, in fact, Turtle does have the courage of her convictions which is to fade into the background and do her own thing sans attention-getting costume.