As the years go by, the days of Mom or Dad purchasing a Halloween costume for their child come to a halt. Through teenage years and into adult years, people’s schedules get busy and budgets don’t allow for the purchase of a pre-made Halloween costume.

Although teenagers and adults might not be trick-or-treating, many are attending costume parties for Halloween. More and more, people are finding creative ways to make a unique costume that is sure to stand out, without the price that comes with a manufactured costume. 

Students commonly use clothes they have and buy props, or make them if possible. “I usually make my costumes, but sometimes buy parts of the costume on Amazon,” said Iman Benlimlih, Junior. 

The Scribe conducted a survey, and 65 percent of the students polled said they make their costumes. Pinterest is where most seem to find their ideas for these last-minute costumes. Social media outlets such as Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube are giving students not only solo costume ideas, but group costumes as well.

Junior, Elizabeth Blais, found an idea on Pinterest as a last minute option for her and her friends. “Last year, I did The Three Blind Mice with two of my friends,” Blais said. Blais said people really enjoyed the costume and thought it was clever. 

The majority of people go as a group, because they feel more confident; especially if the costume is more risque or outlandish. 

Laney Walden, freshman, said she finds her costume ideas off of Instagram. “Pictures on Instagram are normally at parties, so the costumes are cute, clever, and practical,” Walden said. Looking through Instagram, it’s easy to find picturesque costumes that fit different styles. 

Many of the costumes found on Instagram can easily be made from items already in your wardrobe. For example, you can turn a simple cheetah printed cardigan into a full cheetah costume, using some black leggings and makeup. Or, for an easy group costume, glue a letter M on some shirts to resemble M&Ms.

According to Fox Business’s article, “2019’s most popular Halloween costumes are here”, by Cortney Moore, the most popular Halloween costumes this year include: Characters from The Office, Stranger Things, and Fortnite. The easiest costumes are often based off of fictional characters from pop culture. 

More and more, people are dressing up as celebrities and public figures. Dramatizing certain attributes of a celebrity will make it obvious who you’re dressing as, and can often get a laugh out of people. “I love the idea of dressing up as Billie Eilish,” said Benlimlih. 

So, whatever you’re looking for, whether it be a cheetah or M&Ms, there’s a way to make it yourself.