29 Topical Halloween Costume Ideas For 2021 That Will At Least Make People Laugh

There are few things more satisfying than a well-rendered reference, especially one worn on a body; but this requires a certain specificity that can elude you when you sit down to actually make it happen. There are so many things I see throughout the year that I think, “That will make a great Halloween costume come October!,” and then forget about right away.

So I’ve collected a bunch of ideas below to take some of the guesswork out of Halloween. Many of these are relevant to happenings of the past year and I hope that least some will inspire your fellow Halloween partygoers to say, “Oh…that’s funny,” even if they show no signs of actually believing that (like, for example, laughter). There are Met Ball looks, viral moments, memes, someone on TikTok who is fond of salmon, celebrities who don’t bathe…so much of what made 2021 truly special! The gang’s all here: Oprah, Doja, Tyra, Gorilla Glue girl, the giant boat in the Suez Canal, dream blunt rotations…whew! What a year!

I’m just giving you concepts here, mostly—the execution is on you. Not many should require too much legwork (besides that “Ocean City” crew seen in Mare of Easttown), and most of these are theoretically possible on a budget. If you really believe in something, it is possible, so believe in these ideas like 2021 believes in you.