5 Halloween Costumes for All Shapes and Sizes

By Caitlin Seida

Every year I fight with myself about what to wear for Halloween. It happens to be my favorite holiday and I love nothing more than dressing up. My "claim to fame" is my Lara Croft costume that went viral - so you know I'm all about defying expectations and don't give a flying rat's ass about whether or not I'm the right "size" to pull off a costume. But not everyone is so confident. Here's a list of five Halloween costumes suited to all shapes and sizes. They're easy to pull together, don't show TOO much skin and are woman-positive - no "slutty cop" or "harem slave girl" options here.  (more on the accusations of "slutty" costumes tomorrow from Staff Blogger Terri Jean, so stay tuned!)

Betty Boop

Get yourself a red dress and heels, style your hair in pinup-esque curls, throw on some gold hoop earrings and some bangles and you're ready to go. Betty Boop has universal appeal - her exaggerated figure needn't dissuade you from dressing up as her because NOBODY looks like Betty Boop does (and if you do, please send us pictures!). Play up your lips with a vampy red lipstick and you're ready for a night on the town. Betty's got this charm and innocence that makes her a fun Halloween costume for ladies of all shapes and sizes.

Rosie the Riveter

Female empowerment? Check. Easy and cheap to throw together costume? Check. Iconic? Check. All the makings of a great Halloween costume whether you're svelte, plus size or in between. Get yourself a blue work shirt, some work pants and red bandanna and you're ready to go. Play up your hair with pinup curls, accentuate your eyes and get ready to show off those biceps! Rosie is as easy as it gets and she emphasizes the strength in every woman. We can do it!

Mother Nature OR Medusa

Do you want to be nurturing to the whole world or cut down everyone in your path? Either way, these costumes are as simple as starting with a basic white sheet for a toga. Mother Nature can opt to dress in earthy tones like green or brown, while Medusa can opt for silvers and blacks - but at their most basic forms, these costumes can both get away with the "toga party" look. Tease your hair and for Mother Nature, adorn with leaves, flowers, vines and even some birds if you feel like it. For Medusa, get a bunch of fake snakes from the dollar store and pin them to your locks. Makeup is entirely optional for either, and you can be as creative or as plain as you'd like to go. These costumes are forgiving of body shape because most of the emphasis is on the face and hair and the costumes themselves can be as loose and flowy or emphasize whatever part of your body you like best. They're also both iconic female figures.

Sexy Ghost

Did you buy a bikini at the beginning of the summer but didn't feel comfortable wearing it (if so, why not girl? YOU can rock that thing!) Put it to good use with the "sexy ghost" costume that doesn't show even a little bit of skin. Throw on a skin colored body suit (white shows through white - skin toned makes an almost invisible under layer) and toss a big white sheet on over it - then put the bikini on top of the sheet. Cut out eye holes for you to see and you're done. Easy as pie.

Velma from Scooby Doo

Who wants to be cold on Halloween? Velma provides the answer to that. Track down an orange sweater, orange knee socks, practical shoes (no blisters, SCORE!) and a skirt to match your shoes (Velma wears an odd shade of pink, but when I put together my costume I opted for black and considered brown). The "real" Velma has short hair and glasses, but with a costume as iconic as hers, it doesn't matter whether you do or don't add those accessories. Velma emphasizes the positive - she's the smart one of the group. And don't think she's without sex appeal, either - one only has to do a quick Google search for "sexy Velma" to see she's got quite a fan following who think nerdy girls are the HEIGHT of sexy.

What are you going as for Halloween this year? Tell us in the comments! Or better yet, show us a picture!

Caitlin Seida has been writing since 2006, with her work appearing on various websites including Livestrong.com, TypeF.com, Salon.com, Dogster.com and The Daily Puppy. A Jill-of-All-Trades, she splits her workday as a writer, humane society advocate and on-call vet tech. What little free time she has goes into pinup modeling, advocating for self-acceptance, knitting and trying to maintain her haunted house (really!). You can find her on Facebook, on Twitter, and of course here on I Feel Delicious!