5 Halloween Costumes For Meeting Your New BFF
by Danielle Hampton
Okay, let me first preface this by saying that this post is for you if you’ve ever had trouble making new girlfriends in your adult life. In my 29 years, I’ve been incredibly lucky to be surrounded by some of the most amazing ladies on the planet, but even so, I love meeting new people with the possibility of making a new friend here or there. The problem, though, is that I think I’m kind of weird. My darling husband likes to call it borderline snobby (whatever, Hank), but I definitely feel strongly about a few things needing to click with potential new friends. I mean, hello, I’m not 12 anymore. I feel like I can be picky at this point. So if we meet and we have nothing in common outside of the fact that we’re both women and think Ryan Gosling is hot, I think it’s a fair assumption to say we probably won’t become BFF anytime soon (although love for Ryan G can be a bonding point). However, that’s not to discount the whole opposites attract thing – I have quite a few friends who are nothing like me – but for the sake of this column, let’s just say we’re looking for our bff soulmate… you know, the whole “OMG, ME TOO” friend. The peanut butter and jelly, sister soulmate, the where-ya-been-all-my-life kinda deal.
These five Halloween costumes are made for meeting your new best friend. On Halloween night, if someone recognizes you to be one of these five people, you can consider it friend love at first sight. For real.
1. Sylvia Plath.
Here’s what you do: take a cardboard box and make it look like an oven, some way, some how. Stick in on your head. Wear a mid-century vintage dress and carry around a notebook and pencil. Look worried and over-analytical most of the night. Say things like, “As amid the hectic music and cocktail talk, she hears the caustic ticking of the clock.” Warning: you may end up not even getting a chance to meet new, awesome, literary gal pals because weirdo Lit. major dudes won’t be able to get over your “super amazing, inspiring and somehow sexy” costume. I may or may not know this from experience.
2. Claudia Kishi.
Yes, from The Baby-sitters Club. This fabulously eccentric 13-year-old is pretty much the definition of cool. Think artsy, think funky. For my own personal version of C.K., I’d most likely wear a crop top with a vest over it. The vest would absolutely have to have some sort of DIY element to it though – buttons sewn on haphazardly or maybe even some paint. I’d pair it with some longer shorts and Docs with colored laces. If you don’t have long black hair you’d need a wig, but you’d definitely want to do it in one of her signature styles – either a long side braid or messy bun. I’d also probably bring along an old school ’80s rotary phone (hello, she was the only girl who had her own line), stuff my pockets with candy and wear a “BSC” button on my lapel. You never know, maybe your future best friend is out there, figuring out just how exactly to convey her inner BSC-member self, Stacey McGill.
3. Angela Chase.
My So-Called Life was the show of my adolescence. It was unfortunately short-lived, but even in its brief lifespan it made a huge impact on me. I can remember every episode with such clarity, and outside of the show’s obvious crush-worthy character Jordan Catalano, Angela Chase completely won me over with her painfully awkward, self-aware teenage naivety, who I could without a doubt relate to. Growing up, I had my very own Jordans, Rayannes and Rickies, and even now, I always feel an immediate kinship with anyone who shares my love of this series. So dressing like Angela Chase for Halloween seems like an easy choice. Choosing which Angela look to go with is simple, too – in my mind, I always picture her in one particular look she wore in a lot of the promo photos. A red flannel dress, with a cream sweater with green and mustard yellow sleeves, tights, Docs and a red Jansport backpack. Her signature red bob is key too.
4. Kurt Cobain – but specifically Kurt Cobain from his Unplugged in New York appearance.
Sure, you’re probably a girl. But there’s no reason you can’t switch it up for one night. And I guarantee you once you slip on that green mohair, angora-yarn vintage sweater that you’ll hopefully find at a thrift store, you’ll never want to take it off. Cardigan, raggedy tee underneath, thifted gray-ish pants and generic sneakers complete the look. Top it off with an acoustic guitar and you’re set. Bonus for greasy hair, bloodshot eyes and a scratchy voice. The sweater is the dead giveaway though, and anyone who recognizes that gets one hundred extra friend points in my book.
5. Viola Swamp.
There’s one particular vintage children’s book that a few of my friends and I consider to be the coolest kid’s book of all time – Miss Nelson Is Missing! The book’s premise is all about this very sweet teacher who decides to pretend she’s gone missing so her unruly students appreciate her more once they’re at the mercy of a mean substitute teacher. Ms. Nelson is tired of being walked all over, so she disguises herself as Ms. Viola Swamp, the meanest, scariest sub in all of the land. To achieve Miss Swamp’s signature look, you’d need a black, puffy wig, possibly a fake, crooked nose and lots of pink blush. A simple black, short-sleeved dress will do, just be sure to wear green striped tights and clunky black shoes. To top off the look, I’d probably carry around a ruler and a gradebook.
So there you have it, five Halloween costumes for a rad gal who wants to meet other rad gals. I am certain that anyone who would recognize any of these looks would be my kinda friend. These are my five. What are yours? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
Happy Halloween!
See more posts from Danielle
10.12.2011 |
SUBSCRIBE
COMMENTS
please help us maintain positive conversations by refraining from posting spam, advertisements, and links to other websites or blogs. we reserve the right to remove your comment if it does not adhere to these guidelines. thanks! post a comment.
I love the Sylvia Plath idea – definitely doing it!
Send pics please!
My aunt, a kindergarten teacher, dresses as Viola Swamp every year for Halloween. I love that it made the BFF cut.
Yes! I love your Aunt! My new BFF!
seriously laughing at the sylvia plath thing. is it funny to non-literary types? i dont know!
I don’t know either, but it’s funny to US…and that’s what matters!
Could I add one more to that list? Tess Winehaus from Drop Dead Gorgeous….the hilariously oblivious character who loves her dog and has a ball of twine on top of her head. I’m 99.9% sure I’m going to be her for Halloween this year.
Amazing! And like I said to the commenter above- pics please!
Drop Dead Gorgeous! If I seen someone dressed as one of the characters from that movie I would flip!
Love all the ideas, but I have to say, reading the Claudia costume idea took me back. I’d forgotten how much I loved her character when I was growing up.
I feel like my group of girlfriends and I should all be different BSC members. So rad.
I love the Kurt Cobain idea!
Right?! God I love him. Especially in that sweater.
I think I love you.
And I bet I love YOU!
Love the BSC and Viola Swamp ideas! Drop Dead Fred would be a good one!
I remember being scared of getting a teacher like Viola Swamp as a kid….and of course my second grade teacher dressed up as her for Halloween.
My ‘potential costume’ list this year has been ever changing, but my BFF and I are bound to find each other if I dress as one of these: Ms. Frizzle, Max Fischer, Luna Lovegood or Riff Randall (or maybe just any Ramone would work). WHERE ARE YOU LONG LOST BFF?!
Extra points if you dress up as someone totally obscure and unrecognizable and your new, as yet unknown, best friend recognizes who you are supposed to be. Instant soulmates.
http://www.curiousvisions.blogspot.com
I was already planning on being Kurt this year
Let’s be best friends, duh.
No joke, I’m terrified of Sylvia Plath. I had a dream where she chased me around and tried to make me put my head in an oven just like she did. She grew 30 feet tall and her arms grew all long like Freddy Kreuger’s did in the first Nightmare on Elm Street. She’s a good author, but she scares the hell out of me.
haha these are awesome! And know what’s sad? If I dressed as any of these, none of my BFFs would know who the heck I was
. I’m really tempted to be Sylvia Plath. Buuut Kurt is a pretty close runner up…. 
haha if only I had my wardrobe from middle school- I WAS Angela Chase, in fact a friend used to tease me by calling me “my so-called”. Oh middle school humor, sadly none of my friends now would get it
I love how on the Halloweeen ep of MSCL, Angela’s little sister dressed up as Angela for trick-or-treating. While I’m sure no one outside of her family and Brian C got who she was, homegirl was totally paving the way for this very post!
Ha! I went as Kristy Thomas when I was 9. I really wanted to be Claudia (my favorite!), but I hadn’t figured out wigs yet, and secretly I was probably feeling a little unworthy of copying her awesomeness. Kristy was safe.
I’d love to see pictures of the Sylvia Plath costume.
L o v e d Miss Nelson is Missing as a kiddo! I still love it! Now I totally want to dress up like that for Halloween. So amazing.
Angela Chase – sigh! SO unfortunate the series was only one season long. The Sylvia Plath one is hysterical!
I too am a bit of a friend snob, a vast contrast to my boyfriend who considers everyone he meets a friend. And I agree, when you reach a certain age and self respect level, you deserve to be a bit selective. I LOVE the idea of attracting a bff soul mate thru costume…perhaps I’ll try it with my daily clothing as well.
P.S. I <3 Claudia Kishi.
I am so being Claudia Kishi. This is such a genius idea, thank you so much!
I could be some Green Eggs…looking for my buddy Ham!
Looovee this! And Miss Nelson Is Missing was my all-time favorite book as a kid!
I’m OBSESSED with the idea of Claudia Kishi. I almost spit out my tea when I read that. Brilliant.
LOL wow i feel like these costumes might scare away potential BFFs. particularly the sylvia plath one.
I wanted to do the Sylvia Plath costume for my Mental Disorder groups Halloween party 3 years ago but they 86ed it because it made light of suicide and too many of the group members had lost family members to suicide.
my new BFF would definitely be wearing a costume as Ramona, Madeline, Gregor Samsa, or any member of S Club 7. I, of course, will be dressed as Marie from The Aristocats.
I’m going to be Maeby Funke from Arrested Development. Hopefully I find a new BFF. Fingers crossed!
Trying to talk my bestie into dressing as Ab Fab’s Patsy & Edina ..she’s tall and blond, I’m shorter and red-headed, and we both drink entirely too much vodka…
Love those ideas, but this year I’m going as Daria Morgendorffer. I’m hoping to find my Jane! And the thrifty total cost of $7.50 will make up for it if I don’t.