Nostalgic Women Share Halloween Costume Snapshots from the Height of Their Blunder Years in the 80s, 90s, and Early 2000s

Welcome, nostalgic ladies. It feels like the days of bad Halloween costumes are over. Now with makeup tutorials on the internet, every costume and accessory imaginable available on Amazon, and online communities and forums to help you perfect your costume with helpful suggestions, it feels like it might actually be impossible to have an ugly costume. Sure, some cheap costumes end up looking pretty frumpy, but nothing will ever match the types of costumes we had to grow up on. Not only were they homemade, but because costumes were not yet such an accessible commodity, we had to be extra creative - resulting in some incredibly out-of-pocket ideas like the Titanic and the Iceberg, a Mondrian painting, and McDonald's french fries. At least they were made with love!

All of these amazing aforementioned Halloween costumes are pictured down below, posted online by brave internet women who don't mind showing embarrassing childhood pictures just to make online strangers feel a bit of nostalgia. If you grew up in the 80s, 90s, or the early 2000s, and you had your mom make your costumes and your older sister do your makeup, take a stroll down memory lane with these hilarious Halloween pictures!

Author image for Ely Bulnes Ely Bulnes
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  • 01

    My sister can never run away from the cringe...

    Cheezburger Image 10421123072
    via u/tspy11
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  • 02
    55
    via u/leanna_bee
  • 03

    I was so super goth...

    Cheezburger Image 10421122304
    via u/Miss_MafuqinG
  • 04

    Was weirdly obsessed with Kelly Osbourne... begged my mom to let me go to school like this on Halloween

    Cheezburger Image 10421122816
    via u/alwayswantsnacks
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  • 05

    Ah yes, the Halloween where my mom let me parade around the neighborhood as a McDonald's French fry

    Cheezburger Image 10421121792
    via u/kristalewis18
  • 06

    I’m not the cute cat or the little chef... I’m the sandwich!

    Cheezburger Image 10421122560
    via u/rosie-roo
  • 07

    I was really proud of this Halloween costume

    Cheezburger Image 10421123584
    via u/abby_cello
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  • 08

    I was "Goth Raggedy Ann" for Halloween, 2002...

    Cheezburger Image 10421124096
    via u/kathryyyn
  • 09

    My childhood best friend was bubbles from the Powerpuff Girls from Halloween in 2000

    CHAMP
    via u/Complete_Mine5530
  • 10

    Rainbow Brite yarn wig FTW

    Cheezburger Image 10421124608
    via u/sparklingwino21
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  • 11

    Approx 12 years old going to a Girl Scout Halloween party.

    川 WELCOME PLOAD
    via Reddit
  • 12

    At ten years old, I had my first dress up party at my very Christian school and thought this appropriate ...

    1=1 E
    via u/zombi_unicorn
  • 13

    Mid 90’s, my Hocus Pocus phase. I wanted to be Thora Birch so bad.

    Cheezburger Image 10421125376
    via u/tlacuachetamagotchi
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  • 14

    Halloween in 7th grade ‘98-‘99? Anime was definitely not cool yet

    Cheezburger Image 10421125120
    via u/TheVagtasticVoyage
  • 15

    Titanic and iceberg - Halloween 1998

    Cheezburger Image 10421125888
    via u/mrspetie
  • 16

    Throw back to my 2000 homemade Halloween costume. I was so proud.

    GAME BOY COLOR + SILLY START
    via u/Shaynasaur
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  • 17

    Some of my questionable Halloween costume decisions from middle school

    Cheezburger Image 10421125632
    via u/Fiftydollarvolvo
  • 18

    I didn't have a costume for Halloween so I went as a fictional character I made up named Aunt Scarealot

    Paris ulgvare
    via u/Orchidcat
  • 19

    My poor poor mother always did her best to accommodate my ridiculous Halloween costume ideas.

    Cheezburger Image 10421126144
    via u/spectagal
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  • 20

    That time my overly religious parents made me wear a white TURTLENECK under my cheerleader Halloween costume

    Cheezburger Image 10421126400
    via u/reallytraci
  • 21

    When Mom used Desitin instead of make up for a costume. As it slowly slid down my face, I went from a happy to a very sad clown.

    Cheezburger Image 10421126656
    via u/megrox754
  • 22

    Halloween 1999. I wore this costume A LOT.

    Cheezburger Image 10421127680
    via u/NeedsMoreTuba
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  • 23

    I (female) was super proud of my mom-made Captain Picard costume

    PM
    via u/theonewholeans
  • 24

    The time I was in American Girl magazine in 1996. My mom made this costume.

    Grandma and Grandpa I wore my dad's old clothes, and my friend Elizabeth Schmitt got clothes from her grandma. We didn't see each other in costume until Halloween, and when we met we couldn't stop laughing! Our friends didn't even recognize us! Girls Express Wipe Your Feet! I was a rug. It was made of flowered material, fringe, felt, and ribbon. I got the idea from a parade I saw on TV. Erin's Web I won "Most Original" in my school's spook parade. The web is black felt with white ribbon sewn on.
    via u/eld1126
  • 25

    Halloween 2002 I was a cheerleader. My grandparents loved it, my dad (pictured) couldn’t care less

    GOING GOING GONE
    via u/Parsnip8503
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  • 26

    Just saw another post here featuring a Spice Girls poster in the background.

    Cheezburger Image 10421127936
    via u/diabetass
  • 27

    When I was put in charge of making my own Halloween costume, I chose lumpy space princess.

    Cheezburger Image 10421128192
    via u/seretastic
  • 28
    Halloween 98 Disneyland
    via u/

Like what you see? Find more hilarious women's memes and crazy stories on our Instagram @Cheezcake_Humor and more videos on our TikTok @cheezcaked 


 

Tags

costume halloween costumes spooky season halloween childhood Female Empowerment millennials Awkward nostalgia nostalgic lol gen x memory lane girlhood funny
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