19 Funny Feminist Costumes For Halloween

Halloween is hands down my favorite holiday. It's a splendid time of no awkward family dinners, no exchanging of gifts, and no uncomfortable office parties. Halloween is an evening (or an entire weekend, if you love it as much as I do) of binging on candy, sipping on themed cocktails, and getting dressed up as whatever/whoever you want to be. And these funny feminist Halloween costumes are exactly what you need to make this the best holiday ever. The very best part of Halloween is obviously the costumes, but to be perfectly honest, finding a right one (especially as a woman) can be a total pain. These are here to fix that.

There are plenty of "sexy" ideas out there — sexy police officer, sexy nurse, and even a sexy zombie — but women deserve more options. Don't get me wrong; I think Halloween is the perfect excuse to be body positive and bare however much of yourself as you'd like. But what if you want to make a different kind of statement with your costume? Halloween costumes aren't just about being scary or sexy. They can be silly, provocative, and yes, they can be feminist. What's even better, though, is when you can find the right costume that is a combination of some of those things.

So if you're sick of being a sexy kitten, here are 19 Halloween costumes that are both feminist and funny. Trust me, these are contest contenders.

1. Lisa Simpson

I started playing the saxophone when I was in third grade because my idol was Lisa Simpson. Totally normal, right? Any gal would be lucky to fill her brainy, hilarious shoes for a night

All you need is a red dress and matching red shoes, Lisa's signature pearls, and of course, a saxophone (if you don't have a real one, you can find an inflatable version). Carrying around a few books wouldn't hurt, either.

Image: Polyvore

2. Tina Belcher

Oh, to be Tina Belcher. A hopeless romantic, Tina is a young woman unafraid to express her sexual desire. Did I mention she is completely hilarious, too?

To pull off Tina's look, you have to get a blue T-shirt, a darker blue skirt, knee-high gym socks, and high-top sneakers. To finalize the costume, add a small yellow clip to your hair, and don't forget the glasses! If you have a group of friends who want to dress up together, you can easily turn this into part of a group Bob's Burgers costume.

Image: Polyvore

3. Sexy Tampon

Believe it or not, this won't be the most ridiculous "sexy" spin on strange things this Halloween, but it's probably the best.

Dress in all white from head to toe, put a red bikini on top, and voila! Who said menstruation couldn't be sexy?

Image: Polyvore

4. Daria

Everyone's favorite '90s girl had a lot of attitude, a lot of angst, and honestly, a lot of great style.

The get-up is pretty basic: green blazer, orange T-shirt, black skirt, lace-up combat boots, and, or course, circular glasses. It's a funny and totally comfortable Halloween costume that you can probably make with things from your closet.

Image: Polyvore

5. Jane

If you consider yourself more of a Jane than a Daria, then grab your BFF and dress up together.

Jane's outfit is as simple as Daria's, and as long as you have the red jacket and signature ear piercings, everyone will know who you are. Well, everyone who matters, anyways.

Image: Polyvore

6. Leslie Knope

How many times have you wished you could be Leslie Knope IRL? Since that role is already taken, you can do the next best thing and be Leslie for a day.

Throw on a power suit (a pantsuit of some kind would work great), grab a plate of waffles, and make sure you have a big binder wherever you go. You can use it to take down all the phone numbers of the new friends you make that night, because everyone will love your costume so much. You'll be the most popular chick in Pawnee — er, at the Halloween party.

Image: Polyvore

7. #FreeTheNipple

This is a costume that is punny and progressive, so basically, it's the best — and Miley Cyrus-approved.

Adorn yourself in hashtags, fill a basket with rubber nipples, and hand them out to every person you see. You have just become #FreeTheNipple.

Image: Polyvore

8. Wage Gap

Did you know that women only make 78 cents for every dollar a man makes? Well, you can make a big statement about it with another easy DIY costume that plays with words.

Simply give yourself a gap tooth using tooth blackout, rock the dollar sign glasses of your childhood, and get ready to argue for equal pay in between helpings of candy corn. If you want to go all the way, look for money-printed leggings or a dollar sign shirt. But if you want to stay simple, you can use the makeup and glasses with whatever you're comfortable wearing.

Image: Amazon

9. Selina Meyer

Yes, Elaine Benes is one of the most amazing and hilarious female characters on television, but we've seen that costume before. Besides, Julia Louis-Dreyfus' current role as Selina Meyer, President of the United States, is LOL funny and totally empowering.

To become the charming, hilarious Selina, put on a red blazer, a string of pearls, and an American flag pin symbolizing all your badass power. Oh, and if you really want to look the part, make sure to get the hair down pat, or maybe consider rocking a wig.

Image: Polyvore

10. Princess Bubblegum

Forget Cinderella and Snow White, because the most badass princess is Adventure Time's Princess Bubblegum. Independent, intelligent, and completely in love with the color pink, this princess really has it all — and she didn't need a prince to get any of it.

Though you can probably buy a Princess Bubblegum costume, you can easily make your own with a pink dress, pink boots, a purple belt, a tiara (she is a princess, after all), and long pink locks. Like I said, this girl (and animated feminist inspiration) loves pink.

Image: Polyvore

11. Birth Control Pills

Why not celebrate your right to birth control by being birth control?

Find tights and a bodysuit or leotard in that signature birth-control-packet pink, and wear a hula hoop with differently-colored balloons — white, blue, and green work — glued around in a ring to look like the pills inside the container. Just be warned: People will try to pop your balloons. Don't let them mess up your cycle!

Image: Polyvore

12. A Woman On A $10 Bill

The Treasury announced this year that the $10 bill would be redesigned to feature a woman by 2020. But who says you can't design your own?

Wear all green, decorate yourself in money symbols, and paint your face with the number 10. Everyone will get it — and anyone who watched the Republican debate will love it.

Image: Polyvore

13. Candace And Toni

This costume is better done in pairs, because Candace and Toni from Portlandia are inseparable.

Get your feisty friend to layer in long skirts and baggy sweaters, drape yourself in bohemian-style beads, and top it off with super long wings. If you can find or make a bookmark from the Women and Women First bookstore, your costume will be complete.

Image: Polyvore

14. Catcalling

No one — I repeat, NO ONE — likes be catcalled. Show people how ridiculous it is with a punny costume.

Use the cat ears you have from the one time you or a friend were a sexy kitten (come on, you know someone was). Carry around an old-school phone with you all night, and you've got the look down. People will quickly see just how ridiculous catcalling really is.

Image: Polyvore

15. Liz Lemon

Tina Fey has played some amazing characters in movies and on SNL, but the best woman she's portrayed is, hands down, Liz Lemon. Smart, successful, and in love with cheese as much as you, this is an easy and casual Halloween costume that you can make with what you already have at home.

To become Liz, you'll need a blue blazer, striped T-shirt, a lanyard (you know, so you can get in and out of 30 Rock), and her signature specs. Oh, and cheese puffs. Liz loves her cheese puffs, and so will your drunk and hungry friends at the party.

Image: Polyvore

16. Nuva Ring

Birth control pills not your thing? That's OK. There are plenty of forms of contraceptives you can try to dress as, including the Nuva Ring. In reality, it just looks like a small, clear hoop, so to recreate it, dress yourself in flesh tones or light pink and rock a hula hoop around your body. The bonus? If you get bored at the Halloween party, you can always start hula hooping.

Image: Polyvore

17. Woman Laughing Alone With Salad

Is there anything more obnoxious than those stock photos and ads with women eating salads and laughing to themselves? Make a statement about them by becoming a living version of it for one night.

Throw on a pantsuit or a dress if you prefer, and carry around a salad all night. Make sure to smile and laugh a lot ... to yourself ... alone, because that is apparently what women do.

Image: Polyvore

18. Having It All

How can women possibly have careers, families, and fun all at once? It simply cannot be done! Only, it totally can.

Become a woman who (according to everyone else) has it all by dressing in business formal clothes and carrying a briefcase and a baby with you. Extra points if you can somehow manage to carry a martini around all night.

Image: Polyvore

19. Lammily Doll

There are plenty of Barbie Dolls at the costume party, but you can break the mold by dressing up as Lammily.

Dress in her casual attire of jean shorts and a denim shirt, and make sure to rock her long brunette locks. Oh, and most recently, Lammily has embraced womanhood (and menstruation), so your outfit should come complete with plenty of maxi pads. With these key accessories, you might even be a life saver to a poor and underprepared girl at the party.

Image: Polyvore

For more Halloween ideas, check out Bustle on YouTube.

Images: Fox; BXDG, Slice of Chic, GSCSNJ, Day Donaldson /Flickr; Giphy; Polyvore