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Political Halloween Costumes Beyond Bill & Hill
This year, Halloween and the presidential election are almost exactly a week apart. I can all but assume it will be the subject dominating many minds around All Hallows' Eve, so how better to get in the spirit than to dress up like some popular political couples of the hour? Take advantage of the perfect excuse to get away with bringing up politics in public. Go ahead — blame it on the holiday.
Even better, why not make it a group activity — if you're an introvert like me, it can be a lot more fun (and less intimidating) to go in with a friend on the festivities. When someone comments on your costume, you're not taking the blow all alone; you have a buffer to bounce off the explanation.
You could always do the obvious political couples that quickly come to mind like Clinton and Kaine, Barack and Michelle Obama, or even the ghosts of political couples past, like zombie Abe and Mary Todd Lincoln. (OK, the latter is maybe not the first thing that comes to a normal person's mind, but normal people aren't so much my bag.) Even if you go for old standbys, I wouldn't blame you — sometimes, you need the traditional go-tos to get the job done, and there's nothing wrong with that.
That said, here are some ideas to get you started. The best part is, they're all pretty easy:
Party Animals
Dress up like the two political parties as dictated by their respective mascots: the Democratic donkey and the Republican elephant. It saves you from being too controversial because together, you'll be repping both sides: One of you can go as the progressive Dems and the other the Grand Ol' Party. And, if you're into extra cheese on Halloween, you can pun on being "party animals."
There are a lot of ways to pull this off, from just a straight donkey and elephant costume to your own donkey and elephant masks. Amazon has a combo-platter of sorts that blends the party and the animal in one easy, unisex hat:
Political Donkey Hat, $39, Amazon
Political Elephant Hat, $43, Amazon
Lady Justice And SCOTUS
Another way to steer clear of getting too controversial at a Halloween party is to be Lady Justice (a figure we can hopefully all agree on, theoretically at least) and any SCOTUS member (if it were me, I'd be RBG).
For Lady Justice, you'll need to grab a sheet and fashion it into a toga of sorts. You can also blindfold yourself by cutting off some of your excess sheet from your toga, but make sure to out cut eye holes.
To maker her scales, here's a DIY, and you can get a sword on Amazon:
For a SCOTUS member, like RBG, all you need is a judge costume which you can snag off Amazon.
Judge Costume, $19, Amazon
Putin And His Horse
If you're willing to be a little more controversial, you can go as Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and his beloved horse — just imagine you're galloping around the Russian countryside with the wind blowing through your bald cap all night.
One of you can be Putin — all you'll need is a bald cap,
If you're the one going as the designated horse, you can get a horse costume here:
Horse Costume, $53, Amazon
Or if you want to fly solo on this one, you can still dress up as Putin and have your own inflatable horse:
Inflatable Horse, $32, Amazon
Inflated sense of self, destructive tendencies on a world-scale, and an ego that will suffocate any room is a must for this costume.
Trump And Pence
OK, OK: this is the one time you should do an obvious-to-this-election cycle political couple since you can piggyback on the Putin costume. Dress up as Republican running mates Donald Trump and Mike Pence.
You can both go twinning in a suit, red power tie, American flag lapel pin, and if you're Trump, try to do an awkward-air-kiss to your Pence all night.
Brexit
Brexit was a big burden this election season, even across the pond in the United States. To lighten the mood, go as a Brexit couple and pray that sort of rhetoric doesn't bleed into America to the same degree it did in Britain.
All you need is this U.K. flag costume:
U.K Flag Costume, $56, Amazon
Your S.O. can wear a suit, or even T-shirt and jeans, and throw on this Brexit-inspired bowtie
Brexit-Inspired Bowtie, $6, Amazon
Leslie Knope And Ben Wyatt From Parks And Recreation
If you're going for a more local district feel (and more outwardly romantic), go as Leslie Knope and Ben Wyatt from the hit show Parks and Recreation.
If you're Leslie, all you'll need is a smart, business casual pant suit and a Knope 2016 pin:
Knope 2016 Political Pin, $6, Ebay
If you're Ben, you should also go for Pawnee, Indiana-inspired biz-casual office look. Be sure to be especially doting to Knope. Here's a video for a little guidance:
Happy Halloween!
