Halloween Costumes: The Influence of Music in Pop Culture

The time has come for a weekend of frights, fun, and fashion. Whether you started putting your  costume together in August or sweeping the shelves of Party City a few days before the big day, dressing  up for Halloween is one of the greatest joys of life. There’s nothing more exciting than embodying your  favorite TV show character, pun, or superhero for a night out with friends.  

As we approach the Hallo-weekend, I thought it would be interesting to admire the impact that music has had on costume culture. Amidst the vampires, cheerleaders, and Squid Game tracksuits you might  find people dressing up as their favorite music icons. From Britney Spears to David Bowie, many artists’  best works and moments in fashion will be honored just like they are every year. Some Tiktok users even  expressed their excitement to dress up as Olivia Rodrigo from her “Good 4 U” music video.  

As someone who will be dressing up as Tejano music icon, Selena Quintanilla this year, I feel like it is  such an empowering experience to embody the persona of an artist that you love and to honor the work  they have contributed to the world. Whether they have passed or not, it is interesting to note how much  of an impact they have made on pop culture, especially when it comes to Halloween costumes.  

Movies, tv shows, and public figures are the main sources of inspiration because they are at the  forefront of social media. I mean, how many Joe Goldbergs and Wanda Maximoff costumes are there  going to be this year? Music is not presented in the same way as other forms of media. You turn on Jimmy Kimmel and the music performance is only a brief intermission compared to the interviews with  the Hollywood guest stars. I’m not saying that no one cares about music, but outside of the music lover scene, albums and artists receive a different kind of buzz. So when it comes time for Halloween, it is exciting to see music inspired costumes bringing an artist’s work and energy to life.  

Whether it’s in the background, on the car ride home, or live in concert, music is a big part of popular  culture as many of the costumes will show. I cannot wait to see all the fun looks this year will bring and I  hope that everyone has a safe and spooktastic Hallo-weekend!

About Alyssa Ceballos

Alyssa is a sophomore from the south suburbs of Chicago that loves the dreamy feeling that music brings her. She loves to keep an open mind and is always looking for new artists to listen to. When she’s not daydreaming to Kali Uchis’s “Telepatia,” she’s binging the latest show on Netflix.

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