Beyoncé is known for her iconic Halloween outfits, but in recent years she has gone from cute and classic costumes to culturally aware homages to legends. She has brought forward a sound message about how black people have influenced the culture with every costume she has done. Beyoncé has found her niche during the spooky season and has brought black culture to the forefront of people’s minds every October 31st.
Every year the rest of the BEE-HIVE and I wait in suspense to see who she celebrates that year. Since 2014 Beyoncé or The Caters pay tribute to black culture and do so gracefully and in a very modern way.
In 2014, Beyoncé dressed as Janet Jackson and Blue Ivy as Michael Jackson which started the Halloween tradition.
In 2015, Beyoncé topped the cuteness that is a mommy daughter look and brought us Coming to America realness from head to toe this time as THE CARTERS. We got the headdress, the gold, and the fur. THE EPITOME OF BLACK ROYALTY.
In 2016, Beyonce traded Jay-Z for Mama Tina and debuted as Salt- N- Peppa. She honored the lady rap icons of the 1980’s.
Also, in 2016 Beyoncé gave us cute and classic Barbie and Ken. But she also gave us a snatched waist and Black Family Goals. The 40th year anniversary of the Black Ken doll was in 2016 and The Carters severed vintage vibes while feeding the culture. This showed the public that Barbie and Ken would never be as fly as Beyoncé and Jay-Z.
Beyoncé showed out in 2017 with her spot on tribute to Lil’ Kim. The queen of female rap and fashion icon was a perfect choice for her. She did not one but 5 looks paying homage to the “Queen Bee” herself –Lil Kim.
Last but not least, Beyoncé has done it again. She picked “LIVING LEGEND,” as Tamar would say, Toni Braxton to pay tribute to. This year Beyoncé debuted her Halloween tribute on Instagram as “Phoni Braxton.” She captioned the picture with: “Sending love and adoration to one of our talented legends. Thank you for the countless bops. Your tone, your beauty, your range and your God-given talent is treasured.” Toni Braxton is a seven-time Grammy-winner and is considered one of the best R&B singers.
Beyoncé decided not to give us not only one but two costumes this year. She and husband Jay- Z also paid incredible tribute to Olympians Flo-Jo (Florence Griffith Joyner) and Tommie Smith. The Carters paid homage to a famous black athlete and a famous black power moment.
Beyoncé was a showstopper in a bright two-toned unitard. She honored the Olympic three-time gold medalist, Flo-Jo at the 1988 Olympics who set world records for the 100 and 200–meter dash that are still standing today.
And Jay -Z stood proud and tall as Tommie Lee. Lee is a member of the 1968 US men’s track and field Olympic team, which won two medals in the 200–meter dash. When Lee won a bronze medal he and his teammate raised their fists in a black power fist that sparked outrage and ostracized them from the Olympics community.
If it’s one thing Beyoncé does well its bring black culture to the forefront of people’s minds and Halloween is one of the best times to do so.