Types

• Costumes are usually classified by gender. Characters from pop culture are usually either male or female, and a clearly defined gender works well for teens wanting to assert their budding identities. Monsters, creatures and inanimate objects are costume ideas that can be worn both by both sexes. Adult costumes are usually quite sexualized, making them inappropriate for teens. Teens can put their own youthful spin on popular adult costumes such as nurse, cop or French maid by dressing as zombie versions of each role.
  
  

Time Frame

• Halloween is on October 31 every year, but if the day falls on a weekday, Halloween events might happen the weekend before the day itself. Be prepared by planning your teen costume at least one month in advance. Scary teen costumes are often based on of-the-moment trends, and teens are especially conscious of being in or out of style. Create your costume close enough to Halloween to ensure that your costume idea is still current.
  
  

Features

• The key to a great scary Halloween costume for teens is to have fun. Let your teen pick her own costume idea to feel more independent. Childish features such as fairy wings and princess crowns can now be replaced with vampire teeth and peeling zombie flesh. Humor is another popular choice for teens, as a sense of irony in a costume will help them feel more secure and cool.
  
  

Considerations

• Teenaged Halloween revelers will be more tolerant of blood and gore than adult partygoers, as teens still retain a childlike sense of playfulness. Since teens will rarely have to attend office Halloween parties or other formal events, their costumes can be more dramatic. Don't skimp on the corn syrup and red food coloring for fake blood or shy away from making gory fake limbs and body parts to adorn your teen's costume. However, if the teen is attending a school function, there might be rules banning costumes with weaponry or other potentially dangerous accessories.
  
  

Misconceptions

• In general, teenagers will want to be more individual and trendsetting with their Halloween costumes than adults. Resist the temptation to play to classic teen stereotypes like the cheerleader or football star costumes. The irony of these costumes will be lost on teens since the characters of high school are a daily reality. While children might be content to simply dress like their favorite television character, teens will want their scary costumes to be more memorable and playful than a store-bought outfit.