“What are you going to be for Halloween?” is the question that has been brought up in nearly every conversation since Oct. 1. The discussion of what to be for Halloween is a top priority for everyone looking to put their best foot forward on Halloweekend. Personally, I am still back and forth between a few choices with Betty Boop, Amy Winehouse and a bunny all top contenders. However, I have yet to purchase anything in my Amazon cart. None of these choices are very original, but they are each from a different category of Halloween costumes.
Betty Boop, a classic character from the 1930s, is timeless with a low effort outfit; just a little red dress, heels and good eye makeup are all you need. There are countless classic Halloween costumes like Fembots, Little Red Ridinghood, Alice from “Alice in Wonderland,” any of the Disney princesses and so many more. The classics will always look cute, and there are so many ways to make them uniquely your own. Whether its signature makeup, making a lovable childhood character haunted or just accessorizing in your own way, the classic costumes are always a safe bet for being recognized and getting good photos with your friends.
Amy Winehouse is a historical figure who is famous for her voice as well as her signature look: big hair, tattoos and too-thick eyeliner. She is a popular icon and makes for the perfect Halloween costume that is both recognizable and unique. Choosing to dress up as a celebrity can be difficult, though, as it’s less generalized compared to the classic costumes. Making yourself look enough like someone else is hard to do, but as long as your costume has enough hints you’re safe. My TikTok feed has recently been overwhelmed with “Fight Club” costumes where duos dress up as Tyler Durden. This is a perfect example of a costume with enough cues that it is easily understood. Marie Antoinette, Cleopatra, Kris Jenner, Britney Spears and Jojo Siwa (hoping not to see this) are all under the same umbrella of costume. A person so famous that they are immediately identified.
Finally, a bunny is the perfect costume for the last night of celebrating. Easy, simple, quick and still cute. A bunny, leopard, mouse, polar bear, cat or any other furry creature is perfect and can be accessorized by adding a Beanie Baby tag or ear headbands. Choosing an easy costume may be less creative than the rest, but in my opinion it’s perfect for the final night of going out.
There are so many ways to impress with costume choice on Halloween and no matter what kind of costume you choose there are even more ways to make it your own. Looking for inspiration can be the most fun part of the process. I have had a Pinterest tab open for the past week saving all the ideas that come up on my homepage, and somehow I am already seeing TikToks with ideas I never could have come up with on my own. Costumes based on drinks, emotions, seven deadly sins and childhood story characters have been some of the most fun to see. If your goal for Halloween is to have an “underground” costume then I can recommend looking back in books and stories from your youth: “The Girl with the Green Ribbon,” “Fancy Nancy,” “The Rainbow Fish” and “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” could all be fun ways to put a spin on some classic costumes.
The culture of Halloween in college is one of the most common tropes in movies for a reason: it’s all the glitter, glam and fun that people have been waiting for. Halloweekend is the light at the end of the tunnel for a lot of us during midterm season and nothing is better than planning out the perfect costume to celebrate.
