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Halloween is the ideal time of the year to remind the world how hilarious and sassy you are. Your costume can be entirely based on a meme or a pop culture reference that will have your friends laughing and strangers begging to get a photo with you. Why stick to an unoriginal packaged costume when you have the chance to do so much more? Here are 12 ideas to help you plan the funniest costume of the year.

1. Miley at the VMAs

It’s easy to be Miley at the 2015 VMAs for two reasons. One: she wore so many outfits. So. Many. Two: most of those outfits already looked like they could be costumes, including this one where she was essentially dressed as the LGBT Pride Flag. Throw on this rainbow flag dress and a couple of matching accessories, and you’re good to go!

2. Basic b*tch


Let’s be clear: this costume is for those women looking to proclaim and own their basicness. Wear your black leggings and carry that PSL with pride, sister. But if you’re looking to poke fun at your fellow females, move along.

3. Kanye running for president

To be Kanye running for president, you can literally just wear a large beige t-shirt. Or you can kick it up a notch by dressing in his VMAs outfit with added accessories, like a “Vote for Kanye” sign, an American flag or some DIY election buttons.  

4. Donald Trump

Speaking of presidential candidates, Trump is just begging to be a Halloween costume this year. Yandy already has this prepackaged one, but we recommend putting the costume together at home and adding a speech bubble sign with one of Trump’s many infamous quotes. 

5. Left Shark

Thanks to the Internet, you can buy several different versions of Left Shark. Amazon has one, and so does Katy Perry. 

6. #TheDress

It was literally the only thing this year that everyone talked about for an entire week, so even your grandparents will get the joke. If you’re dressing up with friends, wear both color schemes to really throw people off. 

7. Ariana Grande with a donut

Temporary red hair dye and any donut will make this costume an easy go-to this year. It’s probably best to use a fake donut, though, so you don’t eat your costume before the first hour of Halloween is over.

8. Amy Schumer

Amy Schumer and her movie hit the world by storm this summer. Dress up as Amy from Trainwreck or as Schumer herself; nobody will really know which one you’re trying to be. 

9. Cinnamon Roll — Too Good for This World, Too Pure

The Onion is known for its satirical hilarity, but for some reason, this particular article is legendary. Make an existing cinnamon roll costume even better by crafting a headline sign from the article to attach to the costume. 

10. “Uptown Funk” 

If you’ve got a group, dress up like the entire “Uptown Funk” music video cast. If you don’t, just go as Bruno Mars like this adorable kid did. 

11. Nicki Minaj at the VMAs

This one is the perfect response to every girl who will be dressed as Miley from the VMAs. Bonus points if you make a cardboard cutout speech bubble that says, “Miley, what’s good?” 

12. Snapchat Rainbow Mouth

How unique is this? Plus, you only need makeup and a little facepaint to create this look. Watch the tutorial video above to bring our favorite long-gone but never forgotten Snapchat Lens back to life. 

Alaina Leary is an award-winning editor and journalist. She is currently the communications manager of the nonprofit We Need Diverse Books and the senior editor of Equally Wed Magazine. Her work has been published in New York Times, Washington Post, Healthline, Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Boston Globe Magazine, and more. In 2017, she was awarded a Bookbuilders of Boston scholarship for her dedication to amplifying marginalized voices and advocating for an equitable publishing and media industry. Alaina lives in Boston with her wife and their two cats.