Cat girl

Growing up, most of us had a pet of some kind. Whether it was a dog, cat, rabbit, hamster, fish, snake, lizard or rat; you loved the thing, and you know it. This is probably why most of us are animal lovers at heart. If it wasn’t because of a pet, then it was because of all those cute storybook/disney/pixar characters that found their way into our conversations and games when we were younger. To this day we still can’t help but go “aww” when a kitten does something cute or laugh when we hear about a snake that has eaten something ridiculously too big and tried to pretend like it was just going about it’s normal business afterwards. Or maybe you hate all animals? You’d still agree that the playboy bunnies are good, right? Well there you go, your favorite animal is a bunny.

So for this Halloween, when you’re thinking about what you want to dress up as; why not pick an animal?

For women this usually goes in the same direction; put on something cute and skimpy, and add the appropriate ears attached to a headband to denote what animal you are. Bunnies, cats, mice, or perhaps antenna and wings for a ‘sexy bee costume’. There are plenty out there to purchase, but like I said, not many of them will be very covering. If you’re a more modest individual, it might be best to put together an outfit yourself, and only purchase the accessories you need. It might be cheaper that was as well.

For men it’s a little more complicated. Of course you could always go in a full out mascot costume and get lots of hugs from the party goers (it’s like hugging a big teddy bear!), or you could try something a little more creative. For example, a ‘bad dog’ with a spiked collar, floppy dog ears and a metal band t-shirt. Or just wear the ears and a leash and see how many people will take you for a walk.

Regardless of what you do, being an animal this Halloween might be a lot of fun! Give it a shot.

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.

Devil Girl

In the deepest darkest corners of your mind is that little voice that suggests all your worst ideas, and produces all those thoughts that are sometimes so terrible you’re ashamed of them. In cartoons, it’s most often portrayed as a little devil that sits on your shoulder opposite the angel. They chatter into each ear and it’s your duty to decide what to do. Most often, the angel wins out; because that’s what keeps most of us happy, healthy and out of prison. But every so often, the little devil has something to say and you listen well. Not everyone has a problem with being a little bad sometimes. If you’re one of those people then perhaps being a devil or demon for Halloween would be the perfect costume for you.

Like the angel, the devil is present in hundreds of different cultures and is portrayed in just as many different ways. Which gives you plenty of opportunity to use your creativity when constructing or finding a great costume.

First you have to choose what exactly you want to portray. You could be anyone from Lucifer himself, to one of his less intelligent minions, to simply a fellow demon. If you don’t mind stereotypes, then include a lot of red and a plastic pitchfork in your ensemble, perhaps some pointy horns and a long tail with a point at the end. Your outfit could be something as simple as a red button down shirt and black dress pants (you know that the underworld is suave~) or as complicated as evil armor made of -hopefully plastic- human skulls.

As always, if you don’t have the spare time or creative willpower to head down that path, there are lots of outfits available to buy. Additionally, there are some pretty scary looking masks that are more creature than human in looks. You could dress as a demon and look as realistically scary as possible with these. They even have clawed-hand gloves to hide your other fleshy human features.

So be bad on Halloween night in your demon costume, and own it!