Choosing a creative Halloween costume is not only difficult, but stressful. More often than not, we over think what other people may find funny. Halloween is a time to be creative, to poke fun at the social faux pas around us, and to enjoy dressing up as something or someone else for the night. This year, I took a step back and examined my surroundings in the work environment for inspiration.
The Social Butterfly
This person jumps at the chance to attend 8 am networking events, plans the office holiday party, and is often flitting around causing people to ask “have you seen ___?” To pull off the social butterfly costume, dress in all black, purchase a pretty set of butterfly wings and print out several social media logos. You can either mod-podge them onto the back of the butterfly wings, or you can tape them to your stomach. Simple, easy, and you can dress as your persona in the office!
The Extreme Organizer
The extreme organizer is the co-worker whose calendar looks like the inside of an M&M store. Each activity is color-coordinated by the account, where it takes place, and what type of activity is happening. She has post-it note colors that you can’t get at your general office supply store. She orders her supplies from companies most people haven’t heard of, and she’s on their new products mailing lists. To pull of this costume, you will need a ton of handwritten post-it notes in different colors labeled with activities of specific times and places. Then, you need to cut out two inch sections of duct tape that say “Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday” and stick them onto your body. Lastly, you’ll put all of the post-it notes in order of when they are happening.
The Blood Sucking Salesman
There is never a shortage of phone calls and emails that come to the office in the form of “are you interested in _____ service?!” You may have tried that service six years ago for a specific client event, but chances are it’s no longer relevant and they somehow “forget” to put you on the do not call ever again list. To pull off this costume, you’ll need your best black suit, some very realistic vampire fangs, and some great stage make-up to make your skin as fair as the moon.
The Nosy Neighbor
There is always one person in the office who knows everything about everyone at any given time. “Two years ago Gertrude said she had food poisoning, but she actually took the day off to go to a One Direction concert…” If you ever want to know what’s going on about your coworkers before they know it themselves, you go to this person. The Nosy Neighbor wears a full body suit of camouflage, paints his face in camo colors, carries around binoculars and wears socks with no shoes: full on stealth.
The Office Ghost
Some people in the office seem to slip by without a single soul noticing. Naturally quiet and staying to herself, the ghost is the mysterious co-worker in the office who everyone constantly wonders about, and the Nosy Neighbor tries the hardest to figure out. Simply the easiest costume: grab a cheap white sheet, cut two holes in it for the eyes, throw a blazer on over the sheet, and you are the office ghost.
The FireFox Browser
Everyone has a love-hate relationship with the internet, especially if it is running slower than usual. We use the internet for everything: research for editorial calendars and cute cats, emailing clients and co-workers who are sitting two feet away from you, and looking up whether or not you are using correct grammar. The most difficult part of this costume is finding an inflatable globe. Grab some fox ears and a tail, a reddish brown outfit, and an inflatable globe and become one with Mozilla.
The Creative Designer
The creative designer is a visual art savior. She listens to your attempts to explain your ideas and turns them into cohesive works of beauty. Creating graphics, PowerPoint presentations, and templates out of thin air are the ultimate form of magic. The creative designer comes with a creative costume — grab a beret, a paintbrush, a large furry coat, and the Chinatown knock-off designer purse you got in 8th grade.
Instead of running straight to the Halloween store, give your costume some thought. Have fun with it. Use personal situations to inspire it, and you’ll be the most original one out there.
