It is that time of year again – Halloween.
As the cool autumn breeze rustles through the trees, families wander the neighborhood while children race from house to house, candy buckets in hand. But among the sea of costumes, it’s impossible not to notice how many people chose the same exact ones. Instead of ghosts and ghouls inspiring originality, it feels like déjà vu every October.
Dressing up for Halloween became popular in the late 1920s and early 1930s, when most costumes were homemade. The original purpose was to mask one’s identity in a “spooky” way to help play pranks around the neighborhood, reducing the risk of getting caught.
Fast forward nearly a century: as the internet grew in popularity, one would think that the ability to Google would encourage people to be more creative around the holiday season. Unfortunately, it seems as though social media has had the opposite effect on young adults – especially when it comes to picking a costume for Halloween.
#5 Ghostface
If someone wants to look like every other guy on Halloween night, dressing up as Ghostface is the way to go. Partially due to the fact that the new movie, “Scream 7”, is coming out this February, the Ghostface costume only seems to grow in popularity every year. However, posers that dress up as Ghostface do so simply for the aesthetic, as they have probably never even seen the “Scream” movies.
Word of advice, unless someone is a true fan of the movie franchise, stay away from this costume.
#4 Police/Prisoner
Some people believe that by dressing up as a prisoner they will end up stealing someone’s heart, when in reality, the only thing they will be stealing is an ice packet after they get hit in the face by the truth.
Dressing up as a prisoner is one of the most unoriginal costume ideas ever. Think about it: at every Halloween party, there will be at least four people dressed as either a prisoner or a police officer. Even worse, there might be a couple who dresses up as this duo, arguably the corniest thing ever. Both these costumes really show lack of imagination.
#3 The Lorax
Often described as “pretty girl humor”, the Lorax was once a funny and original costume, but is now riddled with popular girls trying to stand out and be different.
“Pretty girl humor” is a popular TikTok term that refers to conventionally attractive people who have an underwhelming sense of humor. It is often suggested that their good looks make social interactions easier, preventing them from developing a real personality.
Ironically, the rising trend in dressing up as The Lorax to “stand out” and “not be like the other girls” has led to people becoming a copy and paste version of everyone else. Save the energy that would go into painting a face orange and invest it into coming up with a more unique costume idea next time.
#2 Angel/Devil
Nothing screams last-minute costume more than dressing up as an angel or devil for Halloween. The unfortunate part about this specific costume is that if people put half the effort into executing this Halloween look, it would be a top-tier costume, maybe even a timeless one. However, many just wear all white or attach red wings and a pair of horns and call it a day.
Additionally some may even view angel/devil costumes as a sign of “disrespect” towards the Christian religion. In particular, the willingness to dress up as the devil, which some may even confuse as a form of worshiping and celebrating evil.
#1 Corset Costumes
Each year, people reach for the same look—whether it is an animal like a cat or deer, or a Greek god like Cupid – throwing on a corset and calling it a day. Not only is it lazy, it is boring and unoriginal. The worst part about this trend is that – most of the time – the corsets do not fit the person properly, often resulting in a look that screams “too big”.
Every Halloween seems to be a parade of the same recycled ideas, just with different faces. Maybe one day, people will remember that the whole point of dressing up is to be someone else – not everyone else.