When you bring up the words ‘Wild West’ in your head a few things pop into mind. Gold rushes, horses, cattle drives, buffalo, gun fights, and saloons, are all things greatly associated with this time in united states history when the people were encouraged to leave the east coast and move west. But even more so than all of those things are the stories of cowboys and indians that later spawned many hundreds of movies and televisions shows (many featuring John wayne).

Cow Couple

So why not be a denizen of the wild west this upcoming Halloween? It’s a little more politically correct to be a cowboy instead of a Native American ‘indian’, but if you’re going to a private party and your friends don’t have any qualms about what is politically correct or not, then go for it.

Long dark hair, and tanned skin is characteristic of ‘Indians’, so if you already have those features it will make your costume that much more authentic. There are many different types of costumes to purchase that feature different types of suede-looking fabrics, and colorful jewelry for both men and women. If you wanted to add a little extra something, you could research the war paint that different tribes wore and paint your face accordingly.

If you prefer to be a cowboy (or girl) however, there are also lots of different ways to dress as one. Cowboys ranged from general ranchers with chaps, ten gallon hats, and boots with spurs to bounty hunter types with long black trench coats, to the criminals of the wild west that would highjack entire trains in order to steal what was aboard. The difference between a criminal and a normal cowboy (costume-wise) can be as simple as putting a bandana over your nose and mouth and donning an awesome leather coat. So adding accessories to your costume can be the make or break between what you’re trying to portray. Have a little fun with it!