Haven't figured out what to be for Halloween yet? Let North by Northwestern help you out! Read on for some pop-culture inspired costumes.
Not Miley Cyrus, by Chandler Dutton
Halloween is a time of cheer and wonderment. You can be anything you want. So why are you going to be someone that everyone will hate you for being? If there's one thing you should definitely go as this Halloween, it's anything that isn't Miley Cyrus.
I get the temptation; I know it's really easy to find a hammer and a white tank top. I know you'll probably lose your sense of self-respect by the end of the night and that after enough Skol your tongue will at least not be staying in your own mouth. And I know that you'll have at least five opportunities to scream "OH MY GOD THIS IS MY SONG" after "Wrecking Ball" and "We Can't Stop" are played for the n-teenth time at whatever party you attend. HOWEVER, I also know that literally every person will think about going as Miley Cyrus this Halloween – and that every person who actually does will be everyone else's least favorite person for the entire night. Dressing up as Miley Cyrus is like dressing up as the guy who works at a haunted house: You're pretending to be a person who's pretending to be another person.
However, if you're set on "just being Miley" for the night, go as the normal Miley Cyrus sitting in a marketing office laughing about how many millions of dollars she's getting for spanking a giant teddy bear.
Crazy Eyes, by Bo Suh
If you’ve been itching to try out Miley’s VMA-style hair – but without the rest of her outfit – try going out as Crazy Eyes from Netflix’s Orange is the New Black. Crazy Eyes (real name: Suzanne) is a fan-favorite from the dark-comedy-drama, recognized by, as her nickname suggests, distinctive bug eyes that would make Zooey Deschanel jealous.
The costume is simple: Khakis and tan scrubs over a long-sleeved gray tee are all you really need. If you want to go even further, carry around a dandelion to represent Crazy Eyes’s affections for Piper, the series protagonist. Capturing her personality is the challenging part. Crazy Eyes is wildly unpredictable and has a certain unhinged gaze that makes her a ticking time bomb of madness. Spontaneously outburst in Shakespeare monologues, if you can. Fans of the show will understand.
Walter White, by Jeremy Layton
With over ten million people nationwide tuning in to the Breaking Bad series finale just weeks before Halloween this year, Walter will be a very recognizable figure, and one that won’t break the bank at the costume store. The essential piece of this outfit is a pair of wire-framed glasses, but beyond that there are three very different roads you can go down. You could dress up as the Season 1 pre-Heisenberg Walter White with a simple get-up that may make you feel the chilly October breeze where you don’t want to. Don a green, long sleeve button-down on your torso, then throw on nothing but a pair of tighty-whities to cover your rear end. Any pair of brown shoes would work for your feet, and high socks are preferable. If you want to go as the badass, Season 4-and-beyond Heisenberg, the key article in the costume is the iconic black pork pie hat.
Beyond that, you’ll want a black overcoat, a purple button-down and dark pants to tuck the shirt into. You could substitute the regular glasses for dark shades, although it may be difficult to rage in a dark, blacked-out fraternity basement with that type of visibility.
For those willing to splurge a bit more, you could also pick up a full-on yellow lab suit and gas mask and dress up as Walter mid-cook. (A funny idea for a duo would be to buy matching lab suits and dress up with your friend as Walter and Jesse.) A bald cap would be ideal, but not completely necessary. For added authenticity, fill a bag with blue crystals and carry it around as the classic blue meth. But don’t smoke that shit. Don’t smoke real meth either.
North West, by Bo Suh
Step aside, Blue Ivy – a new celeb baby is in town. North West emerged into the world only a few months ago, which makes her the perfect pop culture costume for this Halloween. Adult baby costumes are pretty creepy, but you can pull this one off without really having to look like you just crawled out of your crib. This costume is perfect for displaying some school spirit, too – just wear a Northwestern T-shirt and cross out the “ern.”
If you want to add some Kanye representation into your costume, dig around to see if you still have some shutter shades. Those preferring the Kardashian route should get dolled up with a long, flowing dark brown wig and dress in sharp black-and-white. Pad up that ass, too. If you still want to add some baby items, add a pacifier, rattler or, if you’re really adventurous, an adult diaper. Act like you're the hottest, most talented person in the world and you'll be the spitting image of your parents.