I’ve never been a fan of Halloween. My dislike of trick-or-treating started at a young age due to my nut and dairy allergy.
I was the kid who could only reach for the sugary, chewy candies as opposed to the king-sized classics. You can imagine how awful that was for a kid.
Now my dislike has lessened because the holiday is becoming less prevalent in my (almost) adult life.
In terms of the costume category, I’m not entirely opposed to dressing up; I applaud those who think of something creative and laugh at others who choose to support the economy and buy a costume in a bag.
I’ve come to the conclusion that every year the same three get-ups are seen on the same types of people. Below are the three different Halloween costumes you’re bound to see on Oct. 31, as well as some tips to make these outfits a little more creative.

The sports fan
This person is typically a male who accidentally wears his favorite sports jersey to school, throws a hat on with it and proceeds to parade around saying that he’s a “Blackhawks fan” for Halloween. Essentially, this has been his default costume for the past four years: it requires no remembrance of the celebration and zero effort.
In order to make this outfit a little more exciting, I suggest wearing the aforementioned sports paraphernalia and then adorn the look with a literal fan around your neck. That way, people won’t grimace at the fact that you put no effort in, but instead praise you for your cleverness.

The Tumblr inspired costume
Unlike the sports fan, the Tumblr inspired costume is relatively witty. With the that being said, you have to know your audience.
This look is usually taken after a popular meme seen on the blogging network and requires an adept sense of humor to fully understand it. So if your crowd doesn’t know what “Grumpy Cat” is, then you’ve just wasted two hours in the mirror doing your makeup that might be mistaken for black face.
To make this work for every crowd, get inspired by a social media platform that everyone is connected with, like Instagram. Decide to dress up as instagrammer “The Fat Jewish” (ponytail up-do + sunglasses + pizza shirt + beard + bottle of Rosé) and you’re bound to win all the costume contests.

The black cat
Halloween isn’t truly Halloween if you don’t come across at least one black cat. Real, fake, inappropriate, or childish, they’re everywhere on this particular night. In middle school, the costume wasn’t nearly as popular; in high school, this girl is everywhere.
Like the sports fan, the black cat wants the easy way out of Halloween. All black? Check. Feline-like ears? Check. A black nose and whiskers? Check, check. It’s a given that all the essentials are already hanging in your closet.
There’s another hidden intention to this choice of dress-up: no one will ask you what you are, they can already see it. Often, people shy away from certain outfits for fear of having to explain it to those incapable of using their imagination.
To make this classic costume more creative, wear a cardboard box around your waist hung by suspenders. Then, tape cut-out pictures of kittens to the edge of the box. Next, attach random bits of trash onto the box and call yourself a “litter of kittens.”

Whatever you choose to dress up as, just know that there are ample ways to make it more exciting. Whether that’s adding a box of kittens around your waist or wearing a fan around your neck, it’s the simple elements that make people smile.