Happy Halloween, collegiettes! The holiday may be here, but if you’re stuck on what to wear for a costume, don’t worry – this list should help you out. I’ve compiled the best and the worst of this year’s pop culture-inspired costumes, so leave the bunny ears and witch’s hats in the closet, and get ready to rock something new!
DO dress up as your favorite characters from this year’s hit TV shows and movies. Popular costumes seem to be inspired by FX’s Fargo and American Horror Story: Coven, along with some ninja turtle getups inspired by the new TMNT movie. But DON’T follow your child-like fantasies and jump on the Frozen bandwagon. No one over the age of nine should be dressed as Anna or Elsa. If you feel you must get in on this frosty trend, then Olaf should be the obvious choice.
DO go the celebrity costume route. Shia LeBeouf’s bag-over-the-head “I’m not famous anymore,” routine and Nicki Minaj à la the “Anaconda” music video provide some colorful and comedic options. Bonus: couples costume idea, Nicki and Drake…just don’t forget the chair. Or dress up as wedding day Kimye, with a baby North thrown in if you and two friends want to dress up together. But if you can, DON’T go the clichéd pop diva route; there will most likely be a too many Ariana Grandes and Taylor Swifts running around this Halloween.
Finally, DO find inspiration from current events! Personally, I find the Ice Bucket Challenge costume idea hilarious, not to mention easy to put together. Another creative option? The iCloud from which racy celeb pics were leaked. All you would need is some white cotton or fluff to drape around yourself for the cloud, and then a few pictures taped on (preferably not racy ones, in your interpretation). Current events and pop culture happenings provide a wealth of material for clever costumes. But DON’T be tacky. We’ve all seen the sexy Ebola costumes floating around on the Internet, which in my opinion are poor in taste. What’s worse, though, are ISIS costumes in any form. Deadly disease and terrorism are not a joke.
In the end, don’t be afraid to get creative for Halloween this year! There are plenty of unique and timely options. But try to steer away from stale and controversial ideas. After all, fresh and fun costumes will make for much better Instagrams.