Halloween can get competitive, even if you don’t think it can. In passing conversations, I heard all about the parties people were going to and the elaborate costumes they wanted to dress up in. Almost always, people say that they hope no one else is wearing their costume — that theirs will be truly original.
If you’re participating in a group costume or couples costume, obviously you want to collaborate with the people around you. However, when you’re showing up to a party in a solo ensemble, very rarely do you want someone else to be wearing the exact same thing. It creates a point of comparison—wow, their costume is better than mine, or I can’t believe how well they made __ look.
It can make you feel less creative. The hours you sunk in months ahead trying to develop an idea that displays your interests are suddenly shared with some stranger on the other side of the bar.
In my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with matching someone. Honestly, I think it can create real moments of connection. Say you’re somewhere and someone is wearing something similar to you or a character related to your cinematic universe; you now have something to talk about with a stranger!
With the emergence of social media, the costumes people concoct are more specific and thoughtful every year. “Gay Halloween” is a trend that began in the 2010s, and it substitutes the traditional costumes—bats, cats, and the occasional ghost—with obscure pop culture references.
I love this trend, and I appreciate that each reference is more niche than the last. In a world where everyone wants to be individual yet recognizable, this is the perfect trend to hop onto. Whether you’re already planning next year’s costumes, or just want to see how niche costumes can really get, here were my favorite “Gay Halloween” costumes.
*I do want to preface that not all of the creators mentioned in this article chose to participate or mentioned “Gay Halloween” in their initial video. However, due to the nature of their costumes, as well as their positive interactions with comments about Gay Halloween that were left on their videos, that’s how they were chosen to qualify for this list and trend.*
“Bags” by Clairo
On Halloween, there’s no shortage of girls dressed in Christina Aguilera’s recognizable “Dirrty” music video outfit, or Britney Spears’ “I’m a Slave 4 U” 2001 VMAs look. But what I loved about creator @chiaralovesu’s Clairo costume was that she had her own spin on one of Clairo’s most well-known songs instead of just dressing up as the singer herself.
Her white puffy-sleeved top, mini bangs and black skirt are reminiscent of Clairo’s overall image. However, by simply wrapping a brown paper bag around her with a printout of a Spotify screenshot of the song “Bags”, she was able to take her costume to another level. This wasn’t an excessive amount of extra work, and it gives passersby enough context to understand the niche-ness of her costume, which loops them in.
“Dear (Deer) Basketball”
One of my favorite Gay Halloween micro trends was people interpreting their favorite memes. This creator was inspired by Kobe Bryant’s poem, “Dear Basketball”. In a 2017 short film, Kobe Bryant read aloud a poem that began with, “Dear Basketball, From the moment I started rolling my dad’s tube socks and shooting imaginary, game-winning shots.”
People initially edited the poem over cringe-worthy videos of them playing terrible basketball, but this creator had an entirely different approach. Dressed up in deer antlers and a Lakers jersey—the team Bryant played for—as soon as the sound plays, you can tell exactly where his inspiration came from. While he number on the jersey isn’t Bryant’s, by simply flipping dear basketball to “deer” basketball and displaying the team Bryant played for, he created a seemingly original take on a trend.
Floor of the Movie Theater
Sometimes the best costumes are right under our feet. There are so many costumes that require extensive sourcing; however if you’re going for a low-mantienence costume you can make with things you already have at home, go for the floor of the movie theater.
Whether your favorite candy, traditional popcorn or random items make up the details of your costume, tape anything that gets dropped on a movie theatre floor to a simple black or blue outfit. Then it’s lights, camera, action, for a costume everyone will recognize, but won’t have thought of themselves.
Emma Chamberlain & Jack Harlow
Back on track with our niche cultural references is Emma Chamberlain and Jack Harlow at the Met Gala. In 2022, Chamberlain was conducting red carpet interviews with other celebrities, and her interview with Harlow ended in him saying, “Love ya, bye!” Almost instantaneously, cultural excitement built and everyone wanted to see if they would cross paths again on the Met carpet. Luckily, in 2023 and 2026, we got to see the pair reunite.
For this couples’ costume, the pair made their own versions of Chamberlain and Harlow’s original Met Gala outfits, complete with the microphone. Not only was this super cute, but it was so perfect, and if they wanted to keep the trend going, they could recreate later Met Gala outfits Chamberlain and Harlow wore in subsequent interviews.
Derek Hough & Bruno Tonioli
With the ever-growing number of TV programs, content creators, and movies, there’s no shortage of celebrities to capture. Trending heavily in the zeitgeist currently is Dancing with the Stars. Every week, people recreate dances from the show and voice their opinions on episodes on TikTok and Instagram. For creator @denalivinson and her friend, they decided that one of their costumes would be judges Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli.
They capture the pair by visually shapeshifting into them using wigs, clothing, and makeup, and they expertly channel the judges’ energy. In this 13-second TikTok, dancing like the two men, it was clear that these are celebrities they studied, and they gave us 10-out-of-10 performances.
Austin & Dez
On par with niche Internet references are the throwback characters. For creator @aubreyfitzg and her friend, Austin Moon and Dez from Austin & Ally were the perfect pair for their Halloween costumes. I swear, I only liked one video of someone dressed up in these costumes, but for the next few days, every few videos on my For You Page were another pair dressed up as the iconic duo.
While people traditionally choose to dress as TV characters for couples or group costumes, it can be even funnier to dress as best friends or supporting characters. Another comedy duo in Austin and Ally, I would love to see people dressed up as Trish and Dez next year.
Ted Lasso
In the previous two duos, all of the creators put on wigs, got character-specific clothing and changed most of their appearance to transform into their characters. However, many people are doppelgangers, or just have a passing resemblance to their favorite characters.
This creator dressed up like Ted Lasso, but in many ways, he already looked like him. The clothes Lasso wears in the series are ones people can readily buy or likely already have. However, Lasso’s most notable characteristic is his bright personality (and his mustache). Dancing in this video, it’s clear that beyond the visuals of Lasso, it’s his personality that drew @justkeegan to dress up like him.
Blucifer
Going to school in Boulder as an out-of-state student, I see Blucifer — or Luis Jimenez’s “Blue Mustang” — every time I fly in and out of Denver International Airport (DIA).
The 32-foot-tall, 9,000-pound fiberglass sculpture with glowing red eyes is positioned outside of DIA. Already an unsettling statue, I was even more alarmed to find out that Blucifer killed Jiménez.
I appreciate @calliecarlsen‘s costume because she didn’t paint herself blue just to be a character like the frequently replicated Tobias Fünke from Arrested Development or a Smurf. With a horse head and glowing eyes, this costume is niche to all those who pass through DIA.
OJ Simpson Car Chase
From the glove shenanigans in the courtroom to the two-hour-long Bronco chase, I truly believe that the OJ Simpson case will never lose cultural relevance. For one man, his Halloween costume was a track around himself, where the 50-60 miles Simpson was chased by police was reduced to a single loop. With the helicopter that brought the coverage to the TVs of millions during the live event perched on his hat, this costume could be made by any parent whose child has toy cars and planes lying around.
Every Insurance Figure Ever
Personally, I don’t think anyone can make it through a commercial break without seeing at least one ad for an insurance company. Whether it’s what Jake from State Farm is wearing, or Mayhem from Allstate breaking another appliance, there’s no escape from these figures.
This friend group took inspiration that is constantly in their face and turned it into an elaborate group costume. From LiMu (Liberty Mutual) Emu to the Aflac duck, this is a costume that any large group can copy.
“BEAT UP CHANEL$” vs. “brand new chanel$”
Back at it with the pop-culture references, creator @sammyjfotoday and his friend dressed up as Slayyyter’s “BEAT UP CHANEL$” and “brand new chanel$”. Sometimes, you and your friend both want to wear the sexy singer costume that really isn’t meant to be a duo-look.
Referencing two songs from the same artist like this allows two friends with the same interests to shine together. If one is interested in special effects makeup, or one has a tiara already from another costume, this is a perfect way to quickly throw together an extra costume. Both in white t-shirts with printed Chanel logos, the details make clear who is the “BEAT UP CHANEL$” verses the “brand new chanel$”.
Timothee Chalamet Meme
There are timeless memes, and there is a constant circulation of new content. Creator @elty.melty took one of the many memes of Timothee Chalamet that somehow is always returning to—at least my—For You page. Simply throwing on a blue sweater Chalamet wore as his character Elio in Call Me By Your Name, printing out all the interaction buttons, and pinning them to his sleeve, he has a dance move he can repeat all night.
“I’m Not Wearing Hockey Pants” Batman
A new twist on an old classic is another area where Gay Halloween excels. Last year, this man, Rudy, dressed as Batman—a character that’s been repeated and mass-produced as a costume—but he put bright red hockey pads over his suit. Initially, some didn’t understand his costume.
In The Dark Knight Rises, there’s a scene where Batman (Christian Bale) is fighting off a group of villains who are meeting together. However, before he gets there, a number of off-brand Batmans show up in hockey pads and random gear, ready to fight like vigilantes for their city. After the fight, Batman ties up both the villains and these phony heroes. One of the men asks him, ‘What’s the difference between you and me?’, and Batman responds, ‘I’m not wearing hockey pants.’ This comedic moment in the script doesn’t go unnoticed and is a moment of levity in an otherwise heavy movie.
However, in the realm of Batman costumes, I can honestly say that I’ve never seen it so directly intended by someone. As someone who has dressed as Batman and has hockey pants, I’m sad I’ve never attempted this outfit. This type of nuanced listening and observation is something that can continuously allow people to revamp an otherwise repeated costume.
Dressed Up As A Straight Man
One of my favorite costumes I saw was @robertgigs and his boyfriend @whoisrodb dressed up as two straight men. For Robert and Rodrigo, this costume may not have even been recognized by passersby. However if you visit Robert or Rodrigo’s pages, it’s apparent that these looks are not their typical aesthetics. They went very stereotypical straight men with their costumes, poking fun at the obsession with fishing, grilling, golf and cars.
A Crossover Episode
For creator @mylescurr and his friend, Coach Roz Washington and Coach Sue Sylvester were exactly who they wanted to be for Halloween. Both from Glee, these similar yet strikingly recognizable individuals wearing the same red tracksuit offer many witty lines and scenes to recreate for TikToks. While Sue Sylvester is often a solo costume, adding in Washington or another character offers a quick way to make an individual costume a duo option.
Rachel Berry Covered in Sparkly “Slushie”
There are also so many ways to apply aspects of a show and do so in a glamorous way. While for Rudy it worked to throw hockey pants over a Batman costume—a warm solution for a cold night– for @blissiemaye, it wouldn’t be comfortable or realistic to walk around covered in a frozen slushy.
In the hit TV show Glee, having a slushie thrown in a character’s face was an over-the-top expression of bullying. A number of characters had slushies thrown in their faces–with Rachel Berry being the first to experience this–and it became one of the key symbols in their marketing campaign.
Instead of throwing a slushy in her face, @blissiemaye put on an outfit that resembled something Rachel would wear, and cut up a strip of blue gemstones. Sticking them all over herself, she created a beautiful representation of the vibe of Glee, without having to walk around all night in discomfort.
This Gay Halloween was full of niche references, memorable characters, and unsung moments. Whether a new take on an old classic, or a previously undervalued quote, I hope that these can offer some inspiration for future Halloweens.