As a child, I was never a huge fan of Halloween. I felt like I never knew what I wanted to be, and throughout high school, I never had particularly exciting plans for the last night of October. However, after coming to college and seeing the variety of costumes and the excitement that people bring to the holiday, my mindset has slowly started to shift. More and more, I find myself looking forward to what people come up with for their costumes — from classic black cats and vampires to niche pop culture references. October truly brings out everyone’s creativity.
With social media constantly producing more trends, references, and memes, plenty of costumes this year, both in person and online, caught my attention. Here are some of my favorites!
- Internet and Media References
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- Glep from Smiling Friends: This was one of my friends from home! My friends here love this show, and we’re already planning to do this next year.
- Peeta Mellark from The Hunger Games camouflaging himself: The Hunger Games is one of my favorite movie franchises, so this one made me laugh a lot.
- The Pink Wall: As an LA transplant, I thought this perfectly embodied the “performative” aspect of Southern California.
- China Anne McClain: This costume references a Disney Channel interview clip in which McClain and Zendaya compared their summer plans.
- Cute and Creative
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- Marie Antoinette: Probably my favorite over-the-top costume I saw this year! The details were beautifully done.
- Mad Scientist: Super creative and really fun to look at. I saw this one in person!
- Royal Guards: Definitely on my list to do next year! The jacket would do a great job of keeping you warm, and the costumes are simple but adorable.
- Knight in Shining Armor: I saw this one in person quite a few times. It’s an easy option if you want a more casual look, but it can also be dressed up!
- Couples Costumes
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- Green M&M and Tucker Carlson: This costume references the criticism Tucker Carlson made after M&M’s redesigned its characters to appear more inclusive and modern.
- Voodoo Doll: Another costume worn by one of my friends! She’s great at thrifting and transforming pieces into her own costumes, so this one turned out especially well.
This year, I dressed up on Halloween and didn’t actually go anywhere. Halloween can come with pressure to be super social or have an exciting night planned, but this year taught me that it doesn’t always have to be that way. You can dress up just for the fun of it, even if you have nowhere to go. Sometimes, that’s all Halloween needs to be!