When Democracy Dresses Up and Gets Weird
Halloween 2025 is shaping up to be the most politically charged costume season since… well, every year since 2016. Political costumes have become the ultimate way to signal your allegiances while collecting candy, because nothing says “fun holiday” quite like turning trick-or-treating into a referendum on American democracy.
The top sellers this year include everything from inflatable border walls to “I’m With Her (Again)” t-shirts, proving that Americans will literally costume-ify anything if it makes them feel politically relevant for three hours. Costume stores report that political masks outsell traditional scary masks, which makes sense because why dress as a fictional monster when actual politicians exist?
Leading the pack is the classic “Generic Politician in Prison Stripes” costume, which works for any political figure you dislike and requires zero creativity. Just add an orange jumpsuit and a name tag, and boomyou’re making a “bold statement” that literally everyone at the party has already thought of. This year’s most popular political costumes range from satirical to downright bizarre.
Close behind is the “Social Media Influencer Who Thinks They’re a Political Expert” costume, featuring a ring light, phone mount, and unearned confidence. This one’s particularly popular among people who haven’t realized they’re already wearing this costume year-round.
Satirical political costumes are trending, with people dressing as concepts like “Bipartisan Cooperation” (the scariest costume of allit’s just an empty outfit) and “Balanced Budget” (another invisible ensemble). These costumes work great at parties because no one can see them, much like the actual concepts in Washington.
The “Disillusioned Voter” costume remains perennially popular. It’s just your regular clothes plus a thousand-yard stare and a willingness to rant about the two-party system at anyone who makes eye contact. Accessories include voter registration forms from multiple parties and a flask for “getting through election season.”
Don’t sleep on the “Algorithm” costume, which consists of wearing a mirror to reflect back whatever political opinion the person looking at you wants to see. It’s meta, it’s clever, and it perfectly encapsulates how modern political discourse works.
Political Halloween costumes reflect deeper cultural divides, according to analysts who get paid to overthink costume choices. Apparently, what you wear to get free candy says something profound about American democracy. Or maybe people just like dressing up as things that annoy them.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/top-12-costumes/4
SOURCE: Sarah Pappalardo (https://bohiney.com/top-12-costumes/4)
