Kinds of Appropriate Halloween Costumes for Teens

Retro

Suggest that your teenager dress in a retro costume. This could include dressing as a hippie, a service member, a 1970s used-car salesperson or a retro diner server. Finding pieces to make a retro costume is easy with a trip to a few thrift stores. Purses, shoes and clothing for costumes from another era -- at an exceptional price -- appeal to parents and teenagers alike. Embellish the retro clothes you find with a quick trip to the fabric shop to pick up some bric-a-brac or oversized buttons. Poodle skirts or Valley Girl costumes are other suggestions.

Many teenagers idolized superheroes when they were little and will have no problem dressing up like these characters. Stop by the local costume shop before the season starts and reserve a costume for Halloween, or check thrift shops during the off-season for costumes that will look great and fit perfectly. Many thrift stores stock such items on a separate rack, starting in September. Other costume options include favorite characters from old childhood shows like "He-Man" or anime characters kids have admired through the years.

Historical costumes are ideal for teenage friends wanting to celebrate the season as a group. Choose a former head of state like Henry VIII and have multiple friends dress up as his wives. Choose a monk, a queen or a former president like Ronald Reagan or Bill Clinton. Choose a historically popular novel and pullout characters -- Captain Ahab, complete with a white whale carried under one arm, or the Three Musketeers are options. The possibility for imitation is endless.

Costumes that illustrate a pun help shy teenagers break the ice at parties -- and they can be the easiest and least expensive costumes to assemble at home. For example, a collection of blood-splattered cereal boxes attached to an old T-shirt make you a "cereal killer." Head-to-toe tree camouflage with sunglasses makes you a shade tree. A simple bunny costume -- sweat suit and bunny ears -- with bits of fake spider web wrapped around it makes you a dust bunny. The possibilities are endless -- and memorable. Throw a pun-themed party and see what shows up.