20 Best Pop Culture Halloween Costume Ideas For 2023

“Barbie” is an obvious pick for Halloween this year. The instantly iconic movie has given us plenty of amazing costume options to choose from, but Barbie and Ken’s cowboy-themed outfits from the “real world” will make for an immediately recognizable, impossibly fun couples’ costume.

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You might not have to look too far to find what you need to dress as the “father of the atomic bomb,” J. Robert Oppenheimer, played by Cillian Murphy in Christopher Nolan’s biopic. To embody the film’s titular physicist, you’ll want to obtain Oppenheimer’s signature brown fedora as well as a vintage, professorial suit or trench coat. If you want to make an “Oppenheimer” costume into a joint effort, Albert Einstein also makes for a fun and easy choice – just locate a flowing white Einstein-style wig and you’re all set.

Kendall Roy’s time on “Succession” may be over, but Kendall as a concept will definitely live on. For this costume, you’ll definitely want to opt for the fanciest-looking suit and dress shoes you can get your hands on, but you can make the look a bit more recognizable by adding Kendall’s signature black sunglasses and gray trench coat – and adopting a thoroughly miserable-looking expression.

In a show full of memorable characters, Portia and her outfits on “The White Lotus” season two stood out and made quite a stir while the show was airing. Few of her looks were more memorable – and more throughly maligned – than an ensemble that consisted of a colorful, striped cutout-sleeve sweater, a zebra print-bikini, and white shorts. Grab a champagne glass, try out your best freaked-out expression, and you’ll be all set.

Raquel Leviss, Tom Sandoval, and Ariana Madix were at the center of one of the biggest dramas of the year after Leviss’s affair with Madix’s longtime partner, Sandoval, came to light. Sandoval will be the easiest to dress up as here – just grab a white fedora, a black shirt, and some white nail polish and you’re set, though you could also consider adopting his signature mustache. Meanwhile, Leviss seems to favor short skirts, chunky sweaters, and knee-high boots, and a cropped brunette wig also wouldn’t hurt. Madix is also a great option for a solo look, and Halloween makes for a great excuse to try out her revenge dress.

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Rihanna made history with her performance at the Super Bowl halftime show on Feb. 12, which doubled as a pregnancy reveal for the superstar. To pull off her look, you’ll need red cargo pants, red shoes, and a red bomber jacket. Unfortunately, this costume won’t guarantee you Rihanna-level charisma.

Timothée Chalamet might be gearing up to star in “Dune 2” and “Wonka,” two massive, sure-to-be-blockbusters, but he gives a remarkable performance in A24’s muted horror-romance hybrid, “Bones and All.” Chalamet plays Lee, a cannibal who tries to avoid eating people – until hunger gets the best of him. Lee’s most recognizable look is a long-sleeved, flowing pink shirt over cutoff shorts, and you could also adopt his orange-fringed hairstyle to complete the look.

Wednesday and Enid may be polar opposites, but that makes them ideal characters to dress as this Halloween. For Wednesday, you’ll want to adopt her signature braids and an all-black look, whereas for Enid, you’ll want to break out the sparkly makeup and nail polish. Their school uniforms make for an easy option – Wednesday wears a black blazer while Enid wears a blue one – but you could get creative and put your own spin on the characters. (Just make sure that Wednesday sticks to black while Enid is wearing anything but.)

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If you want to freak people out a bit this Halloween, the mysterious Antler Queen from “Yellowjackets” makes for a genuinely creepy costume. You’ll need a mesh veil, a face covering, a white cloak, and of course, that signature antler headpiece.

Halle Bailey dazzled as Ariel in Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” live-action remake, and her look also makes for a perfect Halloween costume. A tight, shimmery green skirt and a purple bikini top are ultimately all you need here – though you could also incorporate as many “mermaidcore” elements as you’d like.

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Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” tour has given us tons of memorable looks, but perhaps none is more unique than her custom bee costume. Grab a black and yellow jumpsuit, over-the-knee boots, and some kind of antennae-like headpiece to complete the look.

They were first linked in early February, but Bad Bunny and Kendall Jenner are reportedly still going strong – and they’ve already given us a fair number of fun looks to try, including their post-Met Gala outfits, pictured above. For Bad Bunny, you’ll want to grab black sunglasses, a large cross pendant, a brown jacket, brown pants, and tan suede boots. For Jenner, an all-black bathing suit covered by a short, sheer romper or dress will do the trick.

Not all Halloween costumes come complete with a TikTok dance, but this one most definitely does. As the titular doll from “M3GAN,” you’ll need a blonde wig, white tights, ballet flats, and a long-sleeved striped shirt worn under a beige dress. Just don’t forget her signature large striped bow, and be sure you have those dance moves down.

Hailey Bieber gave us a particularly iconic look this year when she stepped out wearing a T-shirt that announced her status as a nepo baby to the world. Grab some loose jeans and a black belt, and order your own Bieber-inspired nepo baby shirt – or just write out the words on a white tee – and you’ll have the perfect casual yet recognizable look for his Halloween.

Kylie Jenner’s decision to bring out a gigantic lion’s head to Schiaparelli’s Paris Haute Couture Week show in January was a unique fashion choice, to say the least, but it also makes for a creative Halloween costume. Grab a lion plushie and wear a sleeveless black dress and a high ponytail for this look.

Live out your 1970s rock star dreams with a “Daisy Jones & The Six”-inspired look. For Daisy, you’ll want to opt for a white lacy crop top and jeans or a flowing, sheer coverup over short shorts and a tight top. A red wig will help tie things together. For Billy, opt for a button-down and black jeans, and don’t forget your acoustic guitar.

Unless you have a Regency-era ballgown tucked away in your closet, a Queen Charlotte costume may involve a bit more work to make or acquire than most others on this list. Of course, it’ll all be worth it when you’re crowned the diamond of the Halloween season. In addition to finding a flowing, regal gown fit for a literal queen, you may also want to adopt one of young Queen Charlotte’s hairstyles or large crowns – and a small Pomeranian might also hint at your royal status.

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Taylor Swift‘s unique and beautiful Eras Tour outfits pay tribute to each of her albums, and all of them will make for great costumes. Her “Reputation”-era outfit might be the most immediately recognizable of the bunch, though. For this one, you’ll want to get a one-legged, one-armed tight black jumpsuit (or cut off one the leg and arm of an ordinary jumpsuit if you feel like getting a bit crafty), and then buy or make some bedazzled red snakes and layer them across your body.

Despite the fact that his best disguise consists of only a baseball cap, Joe Goldberg continues to evade consequences for his actions on Netflix’s “You.” As Joe, you may not be able to blend in or avoid scrutiny as well as he can, but fortunately, a Joe costume is quite easy to put together. Just adopt a tweed jacket if you’re going for his professor era from season four and grab an old book of some kind, and don’t forget his signature cap.