Kimberlee K.

With only about two weeks left until Halloween we’ve officially reached that point where you’re either going to have to suck it up and overspend on a costume at an outlet, pull a clever one together at a thrift shop, or cut holes in a trusty white sheet.

I personally am not a huge Halloween person, but I also refuse to be the party pooper in the corner that came as a disgruntled version of myself. So, I’ve got something in the works that hopefully doesn’t turn out terrible. (That’s the spirit!)

When I was brainstorming my costume this year, I scrolled through a bunch of articles online and saw a variety of clever ideas. Television characters and famous personalities, punny collaborations and comically literal depictions of pop culture. In looking through the costumes of athletes and movie stars and TV characters, I started thinking about how funny it is that we love to dress up in “costumes” that depict the casual dress of a character or real-life person. In doing so, I thought about what someone might use to fashion a costume representative of me.

This is what I came up with:

What You’ll Need

• Black leggings
• A t-shirt and a maroon zip up hoodie OR a crewneck sweatshirt
• No-show socks
• Black converse
• A birthmark on the middle finger of your left hand
• A Fitbit
• A broken-in hair tie on your left wrist
• A hydroflask water bottle
• A medium sized purse containing a Mary Poppins assortment of practical things
• A casual blend of awkward, anxious, and confident
• Well timed bad jokes
• Well timed laughter to back up the jokes

How to Pull Off the Character

• Be nice to most everyone, but don’t be afraid to give the occasional dirty look and/or refusal of laughter to a clear cut asshole
• Whenever there is an awkward silence, look at your nails
• Whenever you’re trying to fill an awkward silence, overuse finger guns for no reason and then regret it for hours afterwards.
• Try to work Chopped into almost every conversation
• Squirm around desperately whenever given a compliment
• Consistently be cold, regardless of the weather.
• Constantly mention how much you’re craving ice cream
• Cry after almost every commercial
• Resist making any decisions regarding dinner choices
• Follow all the rules without shame

Key Vocabulary Words/Phrases

• “Dude”
• “Oh my gosh!”
• “What a day”
• “Shitty”
• “I’m about it”
• “Truth”
• “Honestly, though!”

Did I just invent some sort of psychological “know thyself” exercise? Because I feel like I just explored the inner depths of my psyche. Credit me in the textbooks, folks.

In the meantime, what would a Halloween costume of you look like? I might need some backup ideas…