Halloween is the one time a year people are not only not surprised to see others looking like something they’re not, they might even expect it. And whether one chooses to go out of their way coming up with an elaborate costume or opt for something less demanding instead, the results are often pretty impressive.
On this spooky night, you have your classics, such as zombies, ghosts, and skeletons, among others, some unexpected choices—salt, pepper, and cumin, for instance (anyHow I Met Your Motherfans in here?), a few people might walk around in attire a bit more provocative than usual. But there are also those who take an entirely different route from the latter and go out in costumes less attractive, but not less impressive. Scroll down to find some examples on the list below, and see if maybe you can find some inspiration for your own look.
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“It is believed that the tradition comes from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, a time when people lit bonfires and wore costumes to scare off ghosts,” consumer psychologist Cathrine Jansson-Boyd told Bored Panda, explaining why people tend to dress up for Halloween. She added that later, the pope designated November 1st as the day to honor all saints, which over time incorporated some of the traditions of the Celtic festival and grew from there.
According to theVisual Capitalist’s listbased on the most searched Halloween costumes in the US, other popular options include princesses, Spider-Man, witches, and fairies, among others.
“Making people continuously exposed to stereotypical images can influence how genders are viewed more widely in society,” she told Bored Panda. “It has long been known that gender-targeted products inform consumers of traits and values that are expected of the gender.”
“Many costumes include sex-related cues; if people did not buy or wear them, they clearly would not be sold,” the consumer psychologist added. “As we live in a society where being seen as sexually attractive can be positive, many wish to wear clothes and costumes to enhance sexualized appearances.”The mastermind behind one of the costumes on this list, Valentina—known to her TikTok followers as ‘the.art.of’—told Bored Panda that she enjoys seeing people express themselves through costumes.“People love to dress provocatively for Halloween and I’m all for it! It’s really great seeing people feel confident in themselves,” she said in a recent interview.
“Many costumes include sex-related cues; if people did not buy or wear them, they clearly would not be sold,” the consumer psychologist added. “As we live in a society where being seen as sexually attractive can be positive, many wish to wear clothes and costumes to enhance sexualized appearances.”
The mastermind behind one of the costumes on this list, Valentina—known to her TikTok followers as ‘the.art.of’—told Bored Panda that she enjoys seeing people express themselves through costumes.
“People love to dress provocatively for Halloween and I’m all for it! It’s really great seeing people feel confident in themselves,” she said in a recent interview.
Valentina’svideo of her dancingin a Vector—a character from the animated movie Despicable Me—costume has already attracted nearly 19 million views. She told Bored Panda that she prefers funny costumes, because making people laugh is her goal.“I love seeing people’s faces when they see creative and funny costumes I’ve put together,” she shared, adding that she loves Despicable Me. “It’s such a wholesome and funny movie and Vector’s character is hilarious. No one likes a boring villain!”As for other funny and unique costumes, Valentina revealed that there was one that caught her attention: “My favorite costume at the moment would have to be Meredith Blake from the Parent Trap. I saw a girl wearing a black workout set with a backpack, and she had a fake lizard on the top of her head. I screamed out loud when I saw her! It was genius!”
Valentina’svideo of her dancingin a Vector—a character from the animated movie Despicable Me—costume has already attracted nearly 19 million views. She told Bored Panda that she prefers funny costumes, because making people laugh is her goal.
“I love seeing people’s faces when they see creative and funny costumes I’ve put together,” she shared, adding that she loves Despicable Me. “It’s such a wholesome and funny movie and Vector’s character is hilarious. No one likes a boring villain!”
As for other funny and unique costumes, Valentina revealed that there was one that caught her attention: “My favorite costume at the moment would have to be Meredith Blake from the Parent Trap. I saw a girl wearing a black workout set with a backpack, and she had a fake lizard on the top of her head. I screamed out loud when I saw her! It was genius!”
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Another proud owner of one of the costumes on the list, known on TikTok as ‘Love, RyanGirl’, has become viral for herBalloon Dog costume. “I wish there was a more exciting backstory to this, but a few years ago I saw a video of someone wearing a version of this costume and it sparked so much joy for me,” she told Bored Panda, revealing what made her choose such an outfit for Halloween. “I never stopped thinking about it, so when I saw it in the costume store in person this year I knew I had to buy it.”Ryan shared that back in elementary school, she had a friend who would go trick-or-treating with her in a costume she made herself. “Two years in a row she made them out of cardboard; one year, she was a die—singular of ‘dice!’—and another year she was Mrs. Pac-Man. She looked awesome.“Ialmosttook a page from her book and made a costume out of cardboard this year, but then I saw Balloon Animal and the rest is history. I feel like she would be proud of this costume, though,” the TikToker said.
Another proud owner of one of the costumes on the list, known on TikTok as ‘Love, RyanGirl’, has become viral for herBalloon Dog costume. “I wish there was a more exciting backstory to this, but a few years ago I saw a video of someone wearing a version of this costume and it sparked so much joy for me,” she told Bored Panda, revealing what made her choose such an outfit for Halloween. “I never stopped thinking about it, so when I saw it in the costume store in person this year I knew I had to buy it.”
Ryan shared that back in elementary school, she had a friend who would go trick-or-treating with her in a costume she made herself. “Two years in a row she made them out of cardboard; one year, she was a die—singular of ‘dice!’—and another year she was Mrs. Pac-Man. She looked awesome.
“Ialmosttook a page from her book and made a costume out of cardboard this year, but then I saw Balloon Animal and the rest is history. I feel like she would be proud of this costume, though,” the TikToker said.
The description of Ryan’s viral video of the Balloon Dog costume read “Hottest Girl Halloween Costume if you ask me,” and even though it was more of a joke, she agreed that quite a few people tend to use Halloween as a chance to dress rather provocatively.“Absolutely, [but] no judgment from me, because I understand the mentality of wanting to look and feel attractive; and Halloween certainly offers people the opportunity to embrace looks they may not normally.“While I’ve observed provocative looks tend to be the go-to, I’ve also observed the excuse to dress a certain way totally looks different for everyone. Maybe someone wants to live out their favorite book or movie and that makes them feel attractive or brings them joy. For me, the Balloon Animal costume brought me joy and I wanted to bring that same joy to others. So it seems the common thread we all share is that we use Halloween as an opportunity to make people feel something,” Ryan told Bored Panda.
The description of Ryan’s viral video of the Balloon Dog costume read “Hottest Girl Halloween Costume if you ask me,” and even though it was more of a joke, she agreed that quite a few people tend to use Halloween as a chance to dress rather provocatively.
“Absolutely, [but] no judgment from me, because I understand the mentality of wanting to look and feel attractive; and Halloween certainly offers people the opportunity to embrace looks they may not normally.
“While I’ve observed provocative looks tend to be the go-to, I’ve also observed the excuse to dress a certain way totally looks different for everyone. Maybe someone wants to live out their favorite book or movie and that makes them feel attractive or brings them joy. For me, the Balloon Animal costume brought me joy and I wanted to bring that same joy to others. So it seems the common thread we all share is that we use Halloween as an opportunity to make people feel something,” Ryan told Bored Panda.
It is difficult to determine how important Halloween traditions, such as wearing a costume, are for society nowadays. According to Dr. Jansson-Boyd, they might not be very important for people, but they do bring a bit of fun into their lives.“Having said that, it can help foster a community feeling if people are welcoming and engage in the trick-or-treat tradition. Additionally, it can help with social interactions—albeit in a monster way—which is good for people’s well-being,” she added.
It is difficult to determine how important Halloween traditions, such as wearing a costume, are for society nowadays. According to Dr. Jansson-Boyd, they might not be very important for people, but they do bring a bit of fun into their lives.
“Having said that, it can help foster a community feeling if people are welcoming and engage in the trick-or-treat tradition. Additionally, it can help with social interactions—albeit in a monster way—which is good for people’s well-being,” she added.
If you enjoy all things Halloween or are maybe looking for inspiration for a last-minute costume, feel free to continue to this list ofclever costumesor open Bored Panda’s collection ofspooky Halloween foodsfor more.
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