What Was Your Best Halloween Costume Ever? [Plus: 20 Fitness Inspired Halloween Costumes]

I wish this were me but unfortunately I couldn’t find any pics of my gold statue costume, despite looking through every single picture I took in college. (It didn’t take long. I lived in the days before digital cameras and when you’re using film that takes a week to get developed, well, I have about 50 pictures total. Which is what most people take in one night and post on Facebook now. Wow I feel old.)

Being a gold statue for Halloween was awesome for several reasons: 1) I got to borrow my roommate’s real-feeling fake boobies and nothing bonds friends faster than a C cup that looks like an obscene Jell-O mold in your hand; 2) I had the cutest gold vintage dress ever; and 3) nobody knew who I was. It was reason #3 that makes that costume epic in my mind. See at that point in my college career I was majoring in crazy hair dye colors (cheetah orange was probably the worst), a whole lot of black emo-ish clothing and a crap ton of black eyeliner, so putting on a gold blond wig, fake boobs, and gold leopard print heels – and literally painting my skin gold (I don’t recommend it, it did not come off well) – was as out of my box as I could get.  I remember passing my cute coworker with whom I worked every single day and having him not recognize me even after I said “hi.” So what if I looked like a woman impersonating a man impersonating a woman (is that a drag-drag queen?) and I was forced to hold perfectly still for inordinate amounts of time for people to “get” my costume? I wasn’t me for a night and that’s all I wanted.

These days I have not the time nor the money (how is it I was so much richer in college when I got paid $3.33 an hour plus tips?) to be that creative. At yet despite all my Halloween-hating, I will take any reason to dress up and run with it. I’m still working on this year’s costume though (and I promise I’ll get pics!). So when Shape.com asked me to do a slideshow on the best fitness inspired Halloween costumes I was all over it like body glitter on fake cleavage.

Here’s my personal fave from my slideshow:

Chuck Norris …is so tough that every October he makes the rest of the world dress up in silly costumes, just for his entertainment! (Sorry, I had to try!) Denim, denim, and more denim is your ticket to being the toughest guy in the universe (for one night). Rip the sleeves off a denim shirt, tuck the shirt into your jeans, and top it with a jean jacket. Add a double holster and boots and no one will ever mess with you again. 

To see all 20 “hot and hilarious” Halloween costumes inspired by fitness icons, check out my slideshow on Shape!

While you’re there, check out my (funny!) slideshow for Shape’s 30th anniversary: Popular Fitness Equipment, Then and Now

Also for their 30th anniversary issue is my article on how “Fitness” has changed over the past 3 decades. (Shout-outs to Suzane Somers’ thigh master, Tamilee Webb’s be-thonged buns of steel and my own childhood pogo ball!)

In case I made you laugh too much, you can read my essay for Redbook on how my Internet mommy friends got me through my miscarriages.

And please, help me figure out what to do with the information that a registered sex offender has moved into my neighborhood!

What is your favorite Halloween costume of all time?? Why did you love it?

 

 

 

21 Comments

  1. I had a Get In Shape Girl kit, too! It was a favorite birthday present when I was 7!! My mom has photos of me in the pink tights, striped leotard and the bangles, looking all “rockstar” with my undies sticking out from beneath, hahahaha!!!

  2. My mom & I did the Jane Fonda workout almost every night, an hour after dinner. Then I got Olivia Newton John’s “Physical” album & started working out to that in my room. Which was difficult, because I had a tiny room AND my record would skip when I did jumping jacks.

    I LOVE Halloween and, if I may say so, have had some pretty amazing costumes over the years. One of my favorites was “Mad Maxina.” My brother had been Mad Max a couple years earlier & I just borrowed his stuff. Cheap and fun!

  3. The gold statue costume makes me think of Goldfinger- the old James Bond movie where a girl dies because she’s painted with gold paint, so her “skin couldn’t breathe”, and “if only they had left a patch at the base of her spine, she could have lived”.

    Every time I watch that movie (which is quite frequently), I think to myself “really, even in the 60’s they knew that people breathe through their lungs, not through their skin, I mean..we’re not amphibians”. I just love old Bond movies, they crack me up with their antics and horrible gadgets.

    My fave costume of all time was being a princess in a dress that my mom made for me when I was like 7. It was perfect. I loved it because I actually felt like a princess, and no one else had my same costume, so it was super special. I’m such a girl.

  4. The idea behind my favorite Halloween costume was actually a lot like yours! During college, I was kind of a gloomy, Goth-like looking nerd, but on Halloween I borrowed a few obnoxiously colorful clothes from a friend, bought a neon pink wig, and went as a ‘rainbow’, or something like that. People were shocked and hardly recognised me. 🙂
    Oh, and one or two years later, I dressed up as a ‘blond bombshell’, with a revealing neckline and a long-haired wig. People didn’t recognise me either. But that wasn’t for Halloween. 😉

  5. I laugh that for me—for YEARS–halloween has been super staid.
    Youre far more likely to find me dressed as me 🙂 and in costume the other 364 days a year…

  6. I made a gorgeous red and turquoise genie headdress that I still have. Paired it with a tank top, red and black balloon pants and hot-glued matching sequins to a pair of black flats. I also once did the ‘black cat’–loved that I was thin then enough to pull that off in stirrup pants 🙂

  7. I think it all began in my surgical residency, when one year they had a Marx Brothers film festival at our hospital’s psychiatric unit. I kid you not. As my junior resident and I were on call that evening and we had a break in the workload, we thought we would just crash the party and watch a little film!

    Animal Crackers was playing on the small silver screen, and maybe the beyond-strange atmosphere and audience had something to do with it, but the experience was memorable to say the least and had a lasting effect on me. Since then I’ve done several versions of Harpo at Halloween.

    In the beginning I was the traditional Harpo. I wore the top hat, raincoat, blond wig, and of course, the ever-active horn. Being mute like Harpo only added to the fun. Over the years, as my experiences grew, so did Harpo. I dressed as “Harpo goes to college,” “Harpo the artist,” even “Harpo the pilot.” With each reincarnation, Harpo and I found new ways to experience Hallowen!

  8. My fave group costume was the year my dept all dressed up like the Wizard of Oz cast and gave out candy in the kids ward. I was Dorothy, complete with sparkly shoes. My friend Todd was *the* best tin man ever…
    My fave on my own costume was my tank girl costume…complete with missile bra and mirror ball army helmot. I go all otu on costumes and I can’t wait to be done school to have time to make one again :). iank was a hoot o owear, but the missiles really got in the way when I danced! 🙂

  9. My best Halloween costume to date is when I went as Peggy Bundy from Married with Children a few years ago. I wore a huge red wig, leopard print spandex pants, bright red fake nails, etc. Other people at the bar loved it and knew who I was supposed to be instantly. They were yelling, “Hey, Peg!” from across the room. It was awesome.

    The bummer, though, was that the 22 year old DJ wouldn’t enter me into the costume contest because he had no clue who Peggy Bundy was…darn whippersnappers! I think I would have won if he’d entered me. I’m pretty bitter about that still.

    I’m really looking forward to the Monster Dash on October 29th because it’s an excuse to wear a costume AND run…so much fun! Have to finish making my costume this week, though.

    • Hey, don’t lump all whippersnappers in with those that clearly have horrible taste in tv, haha! I’m 23 and I used to watch Married with Children every night! But seriously, that’s an awesome costume!

  10. My mom alway used to make my costumes as a kid and those were absolutely the best! Dorothy, a fairy princess, black cat, etc. In recent years my favorite was Medusa. Green eyeliner and so many little plastic snakes that it took me 50 bobby pins to hold them in my hair. Awesome.

  11. My favorite costume by far would have to be Evil Lyn from HeMan. I knew someone that geeked out on making HeMan costumes, so the costume was handmade for me. We even went to the leather shop to buy a huge piece of cow that got cut into patterns and dyed purple and black. For the helmet I had to sit with a plastic bag on my head to protect my hair while he molded magic-sculpt to my cranium for three hours. But the result was totally epic. Loved it. I won quite a few costume contests that year.

  12. I dressed up as Tom Baker’s Doctor Who when I was 10. I plan on putting up the picture come October 31.

  13. I think my favorite costume was when my Mom dressed me up as a gypsy when I was 8. She got me an awesome flowing long skirt, some scarves and adorned me with tons of her jewelry! I felt like the best dressed up girl in the world. Sigh. I miss my mother, I hope I can do all that for my Sam!

  14. I’ve always loved Halloween, and pretty much any excuse for a costume, but I must say that I’ve been getting much better at costumes the past few years. Last year, I made a beak mask and tail feathers and went as Toucan Sam (complete with a box of froot loops to act as my purse). The year before that I was Mr. Peanut. And the year before that, I was a pinata (a costume that I’ve recreated a few times over the years even though it does take forever to glue/tape all the streamers to my outfit each time).

    This year, I’m excited to go as Marvin the Martian… as long as I can figure out how to make the skirt (I’m thinking tutu with sturdier top layer?)

  15. One year my friends and I went as the cast of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory…I was Violet, when she turned, well, violet 🙂 I dressed as a giant blueberry basically…the costume was so hot, and I could hardly breath, but it was totally worth it! haha we even did a little skit for each house. I went home with more candy than I could ever want….best. year. ever.

  16. Not sure it’s my favorite costume, but it’s my most memorable…I was Dolly Parton when I was in 6th grade, Yup, flat hair, flat chested short kid, turned into a big blonde wig wearing, extra foam padded bra, purple paisley dress and high-heeled cowboy boots- Dolly Parton! The best part? My mom had lunch with the school principal, shortly after Halloween, and she showed him the pictures. Embarrassing? Yup!

  17. I went as civil liberties under George W. Bush one year. No one got it (I wore a dress covered in the bill of rights and torn to shreds, and put bruises and scratches on my face), so that’s why it’s one of my favourites. It was pretty much the worst Halloween costume ever, but that’s why I love it. Evidence that political costumes don’t really work that well!

  18. Halloween is the best time of the year. We take it serious in my house.

    Last year i was Sookie Stackhouse, in her waitress outfit -blonde wig, from True Blood.
    Year before: Emma frost from X-Men {all white outfit corset, cape, legging, boots, blonde wig}
    Year before that: Britney Spears school girl outfit in her video oops I did it again.
    This year: my daughter & I are going as Santana & Britney cheerleaders from Glee or Goth vampires.

    Btw, my son didnt want to go trick or treating last year since he was ‘too old’ so i got him one of those ‘Hello, my name is’ stickers. He dressed normally & wrote GOD on the sticker & we ALL went trick or treating….hello-i NEED me some free candy! LOL ;p

    My fave costume s a kid–a gypsy since i got to wear the layered blouses/vest & skirts, scarfs and TONNES of jewelry & make-up

  19. When I was working as a trainer I always wanted to dress up as either Hans or Franz (remember them from SNL?) with grey sweats and a huge, leather weight-lifting belt and train my clients with an Austrian accent all day while calling them “girlie-men.” But I always chickened out. Plus, it’s hard to find plain grey sweats any more!

  20. This is a living statue from Cincinnati circus company.