Army Man

Everyone wants to be a little badass sometimes, and most often this means that you wind up with a leather jacket and a motorcycle. But you don’t need to make any permanent life changing decisions if you just want to be badass for a little while, you could make it happen for Halloween. There are many different ways to do this of course, from simply picking out things that you’ve always wanted to try and dressing as such; for example the leather jacket thing I was talking about. (You could spice it up with one of those ‘fake tattoo sleeves’ to give the illusion of ink, if you wanted.) To making a costume so over-the-top amazing that everyone will forever consider you the most badass Halloween party-goer in the history costume of their lives.

While browsing the internet it’s easy to see who attempted, and who accomplished this goal. One such man probably had a thought process that went along the lines of ‘the military is definitely badass, but there’s nothing too special in dressing in a uniform. I know what would be cool, being a toy army soldier.’ Now, this doesn’t sound too impressive on paper, but the way he went about doing it is what made it so incredibly amazing and unique. This man got himself a uniform, boots, gun, and helmet just like the little toy soldiers wore, and painted them all the same shade of green. But that wasn’t enough, he painted himself green too. As you can see from the photo, it had a jaw-dropping spectacular effect. If he showed up to a Halloween party I was throwing, he would win ALL the costume contest prizes.

Sometimes the way to be the most badass isn’t by attempting to look tough, but by having a unique idea and making it a reality in as flawless a way as you can manage. You’ll be remembered for decades, and it will rock.

ipod costume

Raise your hand if you love music! There are only a few people on this earth today that hate music, and there is something substantial wrong with their mental state. The rest of us love music. We listen to the radio or Cds in our cars, we carry mp3 players with us, we have music stored on our computers and in our phones, we sing in the shower, and hum or whistle when we’re in a good mood. Music is as much a part of humanity as opposable thumbs are. So this Halloween, instead of being something boring or common; show your appreciation for music by creating an original costume!

You could go the route of dressing up a the type of person who sings or plays the type of music you listen to. For example; dress as a punk if punk rock is what you listen too most, or a pop princess if you dig that type of thing. Or you could attempt a costume that was a little less humanoid and a little more specific.

Creating your favorite MP3 player out of cardboard and either wearing it or carrying it around as a gigantic prop would be interesting. Where it would show the current play list on the screen, you could list all of your favorite bands and songs to make it even more personal. Or perhaps you could construct a top or necklace out of old CD-Rs that have been collecting dust in your bedroom since everything is on your mp3 player now. If you’re not too much into this new technology and long for the days of vinal , you could do the same with records. Goodwill and other thrift stores generally have a section where people have donated their old records, and they go for less than a dollar each. Or maybe just go as the record player itself.

There are plenty of ways to show your love for music, just put on your favorite tunes for inspiration and get to working on that costume!

Marilyn Monroe

Occasionally people throw parties that have nothing to do with Halloween, themed parties where people dress up just for the heck of it; and one popular topic for these themed parties is having everyone dress up as ‘dead celebrities’. But why not bring this idea and carry it over to Halloween? I admit that to dress as certain people for this Halloween would be in bad taste, as they haven’t been gone for very long and there is still a lot of morning happening on their behalf; but people like Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, Jimi Hendrix, Humphrey Bogart, Freddy Mercury, and Bettie Page are perfectly alright to dress as.

Think of it as honoring their memory by reminding people (in this case, fellow Halloween celebrators) of their amazing gifts and accomplishments in life. For a few of these celebrities there are costumes available to purchase based on what they are most remembered for. Generally the Elvis costumes will feature a white pantsuit with aviator sunglasses and lots of rhinestones to reassure people that yes, he was a king. For Marilyn the most easily available costume would be her white halter top dress from that oh-so-memorable photograph where she is standing in the street and steam from below is threatening to blow up her skirt.

For the others I mentioned -or anyone else you wanted to dress as- there are probably not as many options for buying a costume; but that doesn’t mean there are plenty of ways to get across who you are trying to be. Of course it helps if your friends (or the people at the party you are attending) have similar interest or knowledge but if not; welcome the challenge. Accessories and small details like having the exact hairstyle/color as this person (which can be achieved with your own hair or a wig) can be the make or break as to who recognizes the celebrity you are attempting to be, and who does not. Just remember though, that if you are attempting to make a wig look the way you want it to; under no circumstances should you use a flat iron or curling iron on it. It will melt the plastic and possibly ruin both the wig and your hairstyling tool. Attempt to get one that already looks generally like what you want, and style it using hairspray or gel.

As always, remember to have fun with it! Acting a little bit like the person you are trying to portray will definitely help in getting your point across, and will make the party more enjoyable for everyone. Unless the person you’re dressed as is a dictator of some kind. I wouldn’t recommend acting the part in that case.