Costumes to Buy or Make for Halloween 2021
With Halloween 2021 quickly approaching, last-minute shoppers are clamoring to find the perfect costume for trick-or-treating or attending parties. While some opt for classic costume ideas that never seem to fall out of favor, others look to pop culture and personal creativity to find their theme of choice. With that being said, it’s time to take a look at 2021 Halloween costume popularity to see which classics make the cut, and which new costumes will represent 2021 for years to come.
As with previous years, many classic costume ideas are still fashionable and relevant in 2021. Such classic characters identified by Alexander Djerassi include: famous superheroes, cheerleaders, cowboys/cowgirls, witches, cats and aliens. Many of these costumes remain popular in 2021, because they represent characters and themes that are relatable, admirable or simply represent what Halloween is all about. However, with the rise of social justice and feminism support in the last year or two, 2021 should bring new variations of these traditional costumes to help them stand out as more diverse and inclusive.
Along with the traditional costumes still in high demand for Halloween 2021, Djerassi acknowledges pop culture and current events have inspired new themes and ideas that represent the year 2021 as a whole. With the recent success of Disney’s The Mandalorian, Star Wars characters and themes are now at the top of the list for many costume seekers. This means a lot of children and adults will be spotted wearing Mandalorian helmets or dressed up in Baby Yoda costumes.
Alexander Djerassi has noticed that two movie characters that should see a rise in popularity for Halloween 2021 are Black Widow and Black Panther. In separate but similar ways, each of these characters has made a timely mark on the social and cultural landscape of 2021. The Black Widow superhero movie has given center stage to a confident, strong woman who has spawned an entirely new generation of fans. This new popularity and social relevance has made the Black Widow one of the most sought after Halloween costumes of 2021. As a lead character in arguably the most popular movie centered around social justice, Black Panther continues to be one of the most popular costumes of 2021. With the recent passing of Chadwick Boseman, the actor famous for portraying Black Panther, this costume has become even more popular as people try to both honor his legacy and inspire world change.
As the popularity of Netflix and other streaming services continues to rise, new shows and movies popularized by those services provide inspiration for new Halloween characters and themes. This was most noticeable in 2020, when it was nearly impossible to walk down the street or go to a party without seeing several costumes inspired by Tiger King. Although no Netflix shows from 2021 have reached the magnitude of Tiger King, there are still some shows and characters likely to find popularity in 2021. A few examples are Emily from Emily in Paris, Beth Harmon from Queen’s Gambit and costumes inspired by the hit series Money Heist.
