This Year, the Best “Hot Girl” Halloween Costumes Were Ugly as Hell

You’ve heard that quote from Mean Girls about Halloween enough times that repeating it would be embarrassing—but it seems like something may have shifted in “girl world.” This year, some of the most notable hot girls (including Worldwide Hot Girl Spiritual Leader, Megan Thee Stallion herself) weren’t all that concerned with the male gaze. In fact, they weren’t afraid to get downright ugly with it. The best celeb costumes subverted sexy tropes with an unsettling dose of the grotesque and a side order of pure body horror. Maybe it’s because all the obvious “sexy Halloween” costume tropes have already been done by other celebs in years past. Maybe it’s because they’re tired of having to appear as avatars of beauty and glamour the other 364 days a year. Maybe it’s because Halloween is supposed to be scary. Or maybe it was Halloween trendsetter Heidi Klum’s instantly iconic and deeply unsettling “human worm” costume from last year that permanently shifted something in the culture. Whatever the case, this year’s best celeb Halloween costume were upsettingly ugly.

Megan Thee Stallion

Meg goes all out for Halloween. Her previous two costumes this year channeled her nerdy side (an anime character) and classic beauty (a dazzling human flower), but for her third (and seemingly final) ‘fit for the holiday, she channeled the eternal camp icon herself, the “girl gremlin” from Gremlins 2. She rechristened the character “Greta Snow” for the occasion.

Saweetie

Yes, this version of Edward Scissorhands’s body may be tea, but the hands are still messed up enough to where he can’t properly drink a cup of it.

Nadia Lee Cohen

Photographer, artist, and front row “It” girl Nadia Lee Cohen’s work is all about deconstructing images of femininity (her recent androgynous makeover of Kim Kardashian certainly made waves), so her Halloween costume is fitting. She went as the video girl from Aphex Twin’s iconic “Windowlicker” video, a getup that’s sufficiently eye-catching even if you’re not familiar with the greatest IDM hits of Warp Records.

Florence Pugh

With our sincerest apologies to Guy Fieri, we do have to include this look.

Brooke Candy

What’s more terrifying than a school bully? The California rapper attended Ivy Getty’s Halloween party at Jean’s in New York City as Roger Klotz from Doug.

Leomie Anderson

Over in London, model Leomie Anderson channeled Doja Cat for Maya Jama’s Halloween Party—and went as a horrifying imp.

Heidi Klum

Yes, peacocks are famously gorgeous birds, but this is still pretty damn horrifying. Not quite “human worm” level, but it still possesses the power to upset a small child.