Crack Up Undercover With These 8 Meme-Inspired Costumes to Wear for Halloween 2022
We’re entering one of the final laps of the year and it’s time for a little look back at what we have to leave behind. Honour the fads and fallen frenzies that at some point had us shaking our fists at the powers that be at Mars Wrigley, struck by our feels, or even simply drawing a chuckle or two. Get inspired and check out our top picks of some of the most meme’d characters and stories to turn into Halloween costumes.
Julia Fox
“I actually did it mysaaaaahlfffff...yeahhhhhh....” If the mention of 2019 action thriller “Uncut Gems” immediately triggers the basal instinct to plug your ears, then you might have been a witness to the burning balefire of Julia Fox’s 15 minutes of A-list shine this year.
Spiking in Google searches over the first half of 2022 thanks to her prolific and highly online “relationship” (spelled out with quotation marks here because surely that had to be a publicity stunt on both ends) with rapper Kanye West, Julia Fox became the zeitgeist’s “muse” thanks to her peculiar latex-clad stylings paired with avant garde coal-mine chic makeup, distorted valley girl accent that got memed to death on TikTok, and confusing antics.
Get the look: Grab your darkest eyeshadow palette and smear the black dust all over your eyelids like there’s no tomorrow. You can also grab a packing brush and load on the black shadow with a more shape-focused intent in mind, be it squarish or rounded.
Black rubber gloves are essential if you want to recreate her red-carpet outfits, with a third one attached to your neck making for an easy replica of her Vanity Fair Oscar party dress, minus the human hair. Alternatively, get some inspiration from Julia herself and watch this tutorial on how to crop off a tank top, extreme edition.
Characters from ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’
A stunning moviegoing experience that played with all the senses by unthreading the fabrics of consciousness and reality to mind-eff everyone, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” arguably tops the throne as one of this year’s best films. If not the best.
Unravelling the mundane and unremarkable life of Evelyn, an Asian-American woman trapped in a stale life plagued by a fading marriage and strained relationship with her queer daughter, the story follows her metaphysically coming to terms with all her issues. Switching between parallel universes, genres, and all the stages of every emotion, there’s no shortage of characters to cull inspiration from, making for a quirky solo costume or even a group ensemble.
Get the look: Depending how the level of effort you’d like to commit to, the options range from a recreation of simple everyday getups of the Wang family in the universe they are first introduced in with a googly eye attached, to versions of Evelyn’s alter egos in the various other worlds she travels through. It could even be as simple as digging up or thrifting a gaudy, tax-auditor core outfit as a base and sticking a post-it note showing a haphazardly sharpied circle onto your forehead. Like the movie so radically depicts, the choice is all yours.
Evelyn
Having appeared as a sign spinner, a Kung Fu master, a Chinese Opera singer, and a literal rock, Evelyn is most recognisable in her usual garb of a purple floral shirt under a maroon zipper vest. A notable mention however is sausage-fingered Evelyn, who would make for a night of side-splitting laughs while you poke and wave your way about in front of everyone. Or it would at least draw a couple of strange looks your way.
Joy/Jobu Tupaki
Designed by Shirley Kurata, the amount of costumes Joy burns through in the movie must exceed a count on both hands. Each embodying its own delicious brand of evil, her looks are perfect for anyone who dares to turn up the dials on flamboyance.
Chef and Racacoonie
It would feel unfair not to mention this adorable duo that spurred from a simple ESL mispronunciation: the heart-warmingly hilarious gag parodying “Ratatoullie.” Find yourself a chef costume with a toque blanche—a crucial detail—and place a racoon stuffed toy to hide underneath as a lovely surprise.
Webb Telescope Photo
Yes, we are going to take a shot at looking like a non-human, and non-tangible 2022 icon this Halloween. Captured by the world’s most powerful space telescope, the Webb Telescope, this history-making image condenses the dazzling array of lights and stardust that our world has never seen before.
We’re sure we won’t have to instruct you to think back to the day the photo was released to bring back flashbulb memories from the inescapable flood of Instagram stories reposting it to the nth degree. Admittedly, and unfortunately, the sense of wonder the image evoked began to dwindle thanks to what feels like the entirety of the internet bombarding the same post over and over.
Get the look: If you too would like to capture everyone’s attention despite their continued obliviousness towards your existence over the rest of the year (since when was Karen from finance an astronomy geek?!), this is the night to pull out all the stops on the glam and the spooks.
The costume fit and fabrics are up to your interpretation, as their core elements only require a black base with an addition of decals that shine against the lights or contrast in brightness. Go the extra lightyear ahead and incorporate glow sticks, mini-LEDs, or even a string of fairly lights for that extra sparkle.
De-Sexified Green M&M
What began as a case of good will, M&M’s announced a head-to-toe revamp of their beloved characters’ designs in January. Once revealed, the flare ups of denial, anger, bargaining, and depression that followed led to an unexpected yet characteristically internet-style, online uproar targeted towards...the Green M&M’s shoes.
Accusations of a “reverse yassify” and a theorised boardroom discussion surrounding the crisis of an M&M that “leaned into the sex appeal” flew all over Twitter like wild sparks. Discontent followed the swapping of heeled Go-Go boots Green has donned since her first appearance in 1995, to Stan Smith-esque running shoes that were apparently such an abomination the public decried them to be unsavoury “old maiden, 40-50 year old auntie sneakers.” No matter where you stand on the issue, we’re certain you can agree that M&M-gate was a discourse of utmost importance in the world order.
Get the look: Easily found in the average dresser’s closest or at least torn off the “Basics” shelf last minute at your neighbourhood fast fashion chain, all the garments you will need to evoke this se— we mean candied symbol is a bright green upper layer over white pants or tights, and white tennis sneakers. Don’t forget to include the mandatory white “M” stuck or written on your shirt.
The best part of this character is the freedom that you have in interpreting her look, turning the dial on the levels of comfort or even suggestiveness (wink wink) as you please. Bonus points if you and a partner in Halloween crime do a before and after pair costume, with one person rocking the M&M’s previous pump kicks and the other in her new sneakers. Got a whole squad with you? Then there’s your group outfits sorted, once you assign your Red, Blue, Brown, and Yellow M&M’s.
Ken and Barbie
Slated for release in the summer next year, Greta Gerwig’s interpretation of plastic legend Barbie will be hitting the screens with stars Margot Robbie as the titular blonde beauty and Ryan Gosling as boytoy Ken. The movie follows the expulsion of the eponymous protagonist from Barbieland for being “less than perfect-looking," ensuing in a wacky search for her place in the real world where adventures ensue
The release of initial on-set photos showed Barbie in a hot pink blast of an outfit in some, and driving a bright pink car while wearing a patterned blue getup in another. Naturally, the internet quickly ate it up, and thus “Barbiecore” barged its way through the front of the fashion crowd amidst the Y2K revival that currently rules the style zeitgeist. Not to mention the meltdown that came with Ken’s divisive double denim look, complete with the added details of boxer briefs with a waistband that spell out his name.
Get the look: Though details on the plot and official teasers have been largely kept under wraps so far, the costumes we have seen include a cowboy-inspired getup, roller-skating garb that’s just an explosion of neons, and the blue pattern-mixing look from her debuting character reveal.
Each outfit that has been shown seems to call to a certain era of fashion, perhaps in a thoughtful nod to Barbie’s career as a fashion pioneer over the years. Load up on bright colours and look for classic cuts and silhouettes, finishing off with an inclusion of something pink (if your entire outfit isn’t already repping the colourway), and a wig of a perfect blonde blowout.
‘Euphoria’ Season 2
HBO’s risqué teen drama “Euphoria” has left an acrylic tipped cultural fingerprint since first airing in 2019, with its second season returning to the small screen earlier this year. As with any other teen-centric story fuelled by drama, sex, and drugs, the show is controversial yet wildly raved about for its gritty portrayals and dramatic classroom fashion.
Get the look: The gorgeous cohort of East Highland High are always dressed to the tens in eyebrow raising, dress-code defying looks, giving you a wealth of options to pick from, especially if you’re going for hot instead of scary this Halloween. With every episode being a gold mine for memes, memorable moments that blew up online definitely include but aren’t limited to everyone in the bathroom during "B*tch you better be joking", copycat Cassie vying for Nate’s attention, and the iconic as ever “wait, is this play about us?” fight.
Maddy
Setting off an entire trend of selfies adorned in droop lid eyeliner pointed to the skies and indifferent pouting, Maddy (played by Alexa Demie) is the indisputable queen bee of the group. Slip into a cut-out bodycon dress and sharpen your winged liner skills for this party look that she wears the night her on-off boyfriend Nate (played by Jacob Elordi) hooks up with bestie Cassie (played by Sydney Sweeney) right under her nose.
Cassie
Reflecting her inner turmoil, Cassie has gone through a rotation of apparel that strays from her casual and girlish pastel pieces in Season 1. In a look you could double up on with your bestie, look no further than the matching teal and lavender sweat co-ords and mini purses she sports in emulation of Maddy. Add a high pony and glittered makeup to seal off the look.
Kat
Undergoing yet another style evolution to go along with her wavering sense of self in a newfound relationship, Kat has incorporated elements from her punk-ish, dominatrix-inspired closet into a wardrobe of colourful clashes. Playing around with patterns and textures, her outfits largely revolve around ‘90s cuttings and dark shades of greens and reds.
Wordle
Six chances, five letters, three colours. For what felt like an inescapable eternity, word-guessing game Wordle had the world in a chokehold. Renewing itself daily, it seeped into the daily routines of English-speakers everywhere, eventually picking up in popularity with an estimated 300,000 plus users every day by the time January was in full throttle. There isn’t so much to unpack here, but it is perhaps its simplicity that makes the game so popular. And its simplicity is also why it would make for a fantastic last-minute, ultra-low effort, group costume.
Get the look: The only elements crucial to representing the game are the colours grey, yellow, and green, as everybody’s Instagram story will have you know with the endless cryptic arrangements of squares in the above colours. Grab your four companions, choose a five-letter word, tape the marked square labels to yourselves, then enjoy as your group becomes the most popular entertainment at the party once the other guests wait their turn to try their hand at the puzzle.
Scammer Stars
Perhaps in a bid to retain their audiences amongst an increasingly segmented industry, it seems like every large streaming service had pushed a documentary surrounding a modern-day figure of interest to ring in the year with. Several that had turned its subjects into household names overnight include Netflix’s “The Tinder Swindler” and “Inventing Anna,” as well as Hulu’s “The Dropout.”
Get the look: Though the subjects of all the above documentaries are dressed in uncomplicated ways, each person has a few identifiable traits that give them that recognisable (docu-)star factor. Be prepared for the “hey don’t I know you from somewhere?” thrown your way, and extra candies if the person drunkenly asking reaches their lightbulb conclusion that you were on the news at some point.
Elizabeth Holmes
Damaging Theranos scam aside, what makes Elizabeth Holmes so uncanny upon a glance is her dead-eyed, dissociative look. Drop in some bright blue contacts in the most unnatural shade you can find, then line your outer eye corners just a bit thicker than the rest of the area and brush thick clumps of mascara on your bottom lashes for that unsettling thousand-yard stare pop. Slap on a bright red lip, a blonde wig, and a turtleneck, and you’re ready to go around offering unwilling partygoers Nanotainer tests. Really, red M&Ms or skittles will do.
Anna Delvey/Anna Sorokina
She might have been more fake than she was Fendi, but she turned out some convincing looks all the same. With a courtroom closet that grants her at least clearance from the Fashion Police, Anna is easily referenced in thick framed glasses, a ribbon choker, and a stylish dress worn with ballet flats.
Simon Leviev/Shimon Hayut
To those making headway to Lan Kwai Fong, listen up. The streets are finally clean of suited-up finance bros for the night—at least the ones that are all dressed up, they’re always lurking around the Central district nevertheless—so get ready to channel your inner slacks-wearing, Rolex-flexing, hottie-hunting partyer who has made his business off a woman-funded Ponzi scheme, the “Tinder Swindler.”
Embodying all the surface-level hallmarks of the typical high-rolling businessman, your outfit might be indistinguishable from the typical lad with “Entrepreneur” in the bio at first glance. So, you’ll have to really sell the performance with convincing cries “my enemies are after me!” when pleading for another free shot at the Halloween function.
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