Publishing date: Oct, 19, 2021
It’s spooky season, aka the one time of year when it’s socially acceptable to take candy from strangers and dress up as someone else. Whether you opt for the simple “I’m a mouse, duh” type of Halloween costume or the elaborate movie character route, a good place to look for inspiration is celebrities. Reminding us that the sky’s the limit with a good makeup artist and stylist, I always look forward to the inevitable Halloween social media scroll. I can count on seeing celebrities impersonating celebrities—yes 2018 Harry Styles I’m looking at you dressed as Elton John—and the trusted power couple costumes. This year the pressure is on for same word, different font couples Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox and Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker for the latter category. Until then, here are some artists in recent years that took Halloween as seriously as a red carpet event. From Saweetie’s Destiny’s Child costume dressing up as not one, but all members to Lil Nas X’s Nicki Minaj tribute, I applaud you all.
Lizzo as the Fly on Mike Pence’s Head (2020)
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Lizzo dressed as a…fly? Yes, that’s right but she wasn’t just any fly. She was the fly that was perched on Mike Pence’s head during the 2020 US vice presidential debate last year. Photoshopping herself on top of Pence’s head for anyone that didn’t get the reference. Points for comedy and originality.
Cardi B as Medusa (2020)
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Halloween called and Cardi B delivered, dressing up as Medusa, snakes and all. This look really deserved to be in a music video, but at least it lives on Instagram and in my mind rent-free.
Halsey as Corpse Bride (2020)
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Halsey dressed up as Emily from Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride (a great spooky movie for this time of year) nailing the doe-eyed animated character with full-body makeup and blue hair. Known for her Halloween looks, a special mention goes out to her 2018 Poison Ivy costume—leaves never looked so good.
Rico Nasty as the Joker (2020)
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Starting a petition for Rico Nasty to play the Joker in the next Batman movie. The creepy smile, green hair, and clown-inspired makeup are *chefs kiss* I have no notes.
Lil Nas X as Nicki Minaj (2020)
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Lil Nas X will serve looks just because it’s Monday, so it’s no surprise he went all out for his Nicki Minaj “Super Bass” costume—hourglass figure and all.
Saweetie as Destiny’s Child (2020)
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Recreating the album cover for Destiny Child’s song “Bootylicious” Saweetie dressed up as each member of the group. That wasn’t even her only costume, she was also Mystique from X-Men and RuPaul but the Destiny’s Child costume still wins. I love Saweetaween.
Ciara and Russell Wilson as Beyonce and Jay-Z (2019)
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Power couples imitating power couples was the theme for Ciara and Russell Wilson’s 2019 costume. They replicated a scene from Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s “Apeshit” music video nailing everything from the colored suits to the bling.
The Weeknd and Bella Hadid as Beetlejuice and Lydia (2018)
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While The Weeknd and Bella Hadid are no longer a thing, their Halloween costumes were epic. Leaning into the spookiness of the occasion, they dressed up as Beetlejuice and Lydia from Tim Burton’s 1988 Beetlejuice film.
Harry Styles as Elton John (2018)
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Harry Styles paid tribute to a very specific Elton John performance for this costume. Unconfirmed if this was on purpose or not but Styles dressed up in the same outfit John wore for his Los Angeles Dodgers Stadium performance in 1975. The date of the performance and the date Styles wore the costume was the same (October 26th) and in 2018 the Dodgers were also playing in the World Series. Coincidence or Inception-level costume?
Rita Ora as Post Malone (2018)
Rita Ora was almost unrecognizable when she dressed up as Post Malone, capturing his true laid-back essence with a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other. It was the facial hair and face tattoos for me.
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