Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Toronto MU chapter.

Slutty nurse. Slutty cat. Slutty witch. Put ‘slutty’ in front of pretty much any other word and it’s probably been a Halloween costume.

We all remember the Mean Girls words of wisdom.

“In Girl World, Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.”

Despite the obvious stereotyping and slutshaming, I’m not here to disagree with that. In fact, I’ve had my fair share of scantily clad costumes that made me feel like a total badass. 

But some women like to keep their bodies to themselves, for a multitude of reasons. Top of the list being it’s usually cold on Oct. 31. 

For whatever reason, here are five Halloween costumes that will keep you covered, get you compliments, and won’t make your pockets hurt.

ariana grande

Ariana Grande’s classic look is a high ponytail, oversized sweater, and knee high boots. Granted, she usually doesn’t wear pants, but her outfit at One Love Manchester provides the perfect modest substitution that is still obviously Ariana. All you need is some heeled boots, baggy jeans and a HUGE sweater. Of course, don’t forget the ponytail. And if makeup is your thing, throw on a winged eyeliner.

BBC/YouTube

Ashley Spinelli from Recess

Ashley Funicello Spinelli, commonly referred to as Spinelli on Disney’s Recess, was everybody’s favourite tomboy archetype. Even more importantly, her outfit is easily recognizable and triggers immediate nostalgia. Throw on your Doc Martens or any black boots, a leather jacket and run to your nearest second-hand store to find a red dress or big red t-shirt, striped stockings and an orange beanie. The element you really need to sell the look is the hair. Get out your hairspray and scrunchies, and boom: Spinelli.

Mabel from Only Murders in the Building

Selena Gomez back on our television is what we needed this year. And with her new character Mabel, we’ve got some great outfits that are easy to recreate for Halloween. Mabel’s colour palette consists of browns, oranges, and yellows. So while you could recreate her look piece by piece, all you really need is boots, circle glasses, a backpack, and a yellow beanie. If the rest of the outfit sticks to those colours, you’ve got Mabel.

Hulu/YouTube

Harry Styles

Now, hear me out. The outfit Harry Styles wore to the Grammy Awards in 2021 is the one I’m always reminded of when I think about him. It’s definitely androngynus and would be a very stylish Halloween costume. Find a yellow plaid blazer, a purple boa, throw on brown or black pants and add some fun shoes. As long as the blazer and boa are there, the rest of the look is secondary.

Harry Styles at the 2021 Grammy Awards Red Carpet
Photo by Francis Specker / CBS

Barbie

From all the hype around Margot Robbie in the upcoming 2023 Barbie, to seemingly every celebrity showing up to a red carpet in hot pink, it would seem a Barbie get-up is the way to go this Halloween. The mini skirts and crop tops can easily be replaced with full coverage tops and pants. The only essential part is the colour, so toggle those ‘pink’ search filters.

Cassie Argao

Toronto MU '23

Cassie Argao is a fourth-year journalism student at Toronto Metropolitan University. She has aspirations of working in television news production or sports reporting. When she's not writing or editing, she's watching a Blue Jays game or walking her dog.