Written by Joseph Holevinkski, Converge multimedia journalism intern and senior at Gwinnett School of Math, Science & Technology (GSMST)
Haven’t decided what you want to be for Halloween yet? Just got a last-minute invitation to a costume party? We’ve got three trendy costume ideas you can put together in a pinch! And what’s on trendy for this 2021 spooky season you may ask? Squid Game and TikTok, of course!
Skip those overpriced store-bought costumes this year – do-it-yourself is the way to go. All three of these fun options are easy to make, affordable and totally social media post-worthy. Make it to your Halloween festivities on time while sticking to your budget – check ‘em out!
Squid Game Guard
If you haven’t already seen Squid Game, you’ve definitely heard of it! The South Korean survival drama took the world by storm this October, becoming the biggest TV series in Netflix history and reaching nearly 150 million viewers worldwide. This widespread popularity came just in time for the Halloween season! So, dressing up as one of the masked guards from the hit show is a great option. This guard costume is super simple, comfortable and relevant to the current trends, so you won’t have everyone asking, “What are you supposed to be?” all night long!
What you’ll need:
• Red or pink hoodie/jacket and pants
• A black belt
• A black mask or black cloth face covering
• White tape or white paint
- Take your black mask/face covering and either paint or tape a white circle (a triangle or square works too!) over the top ⅔ of where the face will be. If you’re using tape, make sure not to cover any air holes for breathing.
- If you used paint, wait for it to dry completely before putting the mask on.
- Next, put on your mask, hoodie (with the hood up), pants and belt, and you’re all set!
TikTok Pumpkin Head and Ghost
These days, it seems like every trend started on the social media giant TikTok, and that’s definitely the case with these two do-it-yourself costumes! People have been taking aesthetic photos in these homemade pumpkin heads and ghost costumes, posting them on the app and getting millions of views. Both of these classic costumes are affordable, require few materials and only take a couple of steps to make. The simpler the costume, the better (especially when it’s at the last minute)!
For the pumpkin head costume, you’ll need:
• Black long-sleeve shirt or jacket and black pants
• A large pumpkin (larger than your head)
• Tools to carve a pumpkin
• Plastic shower cap
- First, you’ll need to prep your pumpkin. Cut a large hole in the bottom of the pumpkin. Make sure it’s plenty big enough to fit your head through comfortably.
- Thoroughly clean out the insides of the pumpkin. Sketch a face or fun design on the pumpkin and make sure there will be holes for you to see out of. Safely carve out your design using the tools (grown-ups only)!
- Put on your black long-sleeve shirt or jacket and black pants. This will give the illusion that the pumpkin is floating in the dark at night. Or just where whatever outfit you want!
- Finally, put on your shower cap if you want to protect your hair from the inside of the pumpkin, and put the pumpkin on your head. Now you’re ready to get trick or treatin’!
For the ghost costume, you’ll need:
• An old white bed sheet or large cloth (breathable)
• A pair of sunglasses
- This fun twist on the classic ghost costume is the easiest of them all! First, cut two small holes out of your white bed sheet or cloth for you to see out of.
- Drape the sheet over your head and make sure the holes are aligned with your eyes.
- Then, put the sunglasses on over the sheet, and you’re ready to haunt your neighborhood all night long!
