Neptune & The History of Halloween Costumes

If there ever were a holiday that could be dedicated to Neptune, it’s Halloween.

Neptune has domain over illusions, fantasies, glamour, dissolution of boundaries, and trends themselves, all of which are primary components of Halloween. For many people, October 31st is the day when participation mystique is particularly strong, and we embrace the opportunity to utilize glamour and disguise to embody that which we enjoy, admire, lust after, or are fearful of. This obfuscation of one’s identity lends itself to a certain dissolution of boundaries, whereupon fantasies and all which holds a mystical allure to a person can feel more accessible—or even more tangible—than usual.

Glamour is intimately bound up with the capacity to intuit and portray feelings and images which are universal, cyclically repeating, and fulfill the unconscious dreams and longings of the collective psyche at any given epoch.

Liz Greene, The Astrological Neptune and The Quest for Redemption

While the tradition of dressing up in costumes on a chilly autumn night is well-established, there are certain cultural trends that have affected the choices people make about their Halloween costumes, beginning most noticeably in the 1960s, when Neptune spent nearly the entirety of the decade in Halloween’s very own sun sign, Scorpio. The 1950s and 1960s as a whole brought more pop culture & political figures into its Halloween trends, with references such as Disney’s Alice in Wonderland, Rebel Without A Cause, Star Trek, Breakfast At Tiffany’s, and Marilyn Monroe herself immediately becoming solidified in the zeitgeist, destined to be replicated by drunk college students for decades to come.

Prior to this, Halloween costumes were largely a children’s affair, and most costumes were inspired by things of a generally spooky nature, like black cats or ghosts or witches or pumpkins, that could easily conceal one’s identity. There was not as much emphasis on dressing up as a specific character or celebrity or other notable figure—far from the Halloween trends we see today.

The chart for Halloween 1969 has Neptune sitting at 27 degrees Scorpio, an exact trine to where Neptune will be this Halloween, at 27 degrees Pisces. Toward the end of Neptune’s transit through Scorpio, Halloween (and Halloween costumes) steadily became an occasion that adults participated in more, and thus the costumes themselves began to take on a more world-aware, referential, and contemporary nature. For example, the first instance of a face mask imitating a politician’s likeness (Nixon’s, specifically) is documented in 1969, and on Halloween that year, First Daughter Tricia Nixon threw a Halloween party at the White House where one guest was said to be wearing a face mask of Lyndon B. Johnson.

Neptune rules over trends, because that which is popular is often difficult to predict and seems to arise from the whims of an unknowable “decider,” developing seemingly overnight and appearing to come out of nowhere. At the same time, trends also represent collective fantasies, and can indicate how the collective is reacting & responding to whichever transitional world they are currently inhabiting.

We are always in between the death of one world and the birth of another, but sometimes this is especially true, as in the cases of both the late 1960s and the present epoch. The sextile between Pluto in Virgo and Neptune in Scorpio as they both prepared to ingress to new signs and usher in new eras echoes the current skies, where Pluto in Capricorn and Neptune in Pisces are in the same configuration, hanging out in the waiting room together before they move on to their new signs and leave the world as we currently know it behind.

As the calendars turned over to 1970 and Neptune made its ingress to Sagittarius, the line between reverence and mockery became even more blurred as trends in fashion in general became less concerned with strict adherence to rules and restrictions and more open to reinterpretation or challenging of cultural norms via one’s clothing choices—it’s not a coincidence that bras became less popular as feminism’s second wave swelled. It’s also not a coincidence that Halloween costumes in the 1970s were increasingly inspired by women.

In 1975, the world was blessed and forever changed by the advent of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which not only ushered in a whole slew of iconic Halloween costumes to choose from, but also became a counter-cultural phenomenon where many folks to this day continue to express, explore, and experience their gender identity through emulating the characters in the film. According to Liz Greene, the popular culture of the early 1970s was led by a “young, thrill-seeking audience” who were not afraid to openly embrace different gender expressions, and Halloween in particular was the only occasion where some closeted queer and trans people could publicly experiment with a different self-expression, due to the laws which prohibited cross-dressing or masquerading (with an exception for some holidays, like Halloween) in many cities at the time.

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Neptune has been in Pisces, another mutable sign ruled by Jupiter, since 2011, and in that time we’ve seen an explosion in celebrity worship and deification, but also an explosion in the mockery and satirical treatments of rich, famous, and exploitative individuals who, for better or worse, capture the attention of the zeitgeist through a certain type of glamour or allure. This is reflected in the way we choose our Halloween costumes, too: one of the most popular Halloween costumes in 2011 was Charlie Sheen, who had behaved erratically in a now-infamous interview in the midst of an ongoing drug addiction that same year and subsequently became a meme.

2011 also heralded the beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe era with the release of The Avengers, and suddenly superheroes were back in the zeitgeist in a way they hadn’t been for a long time, blurring the lines between aspirational tales of heroic individualism wrapped up in stories of saving the world and the idolization of the actors who portray them. It’s like meta-idolization, and it’s incredibly Neptunian. Since then, every single Halloween has been dominated by Black Widows and green Hulks and Steve Rogerses and Iron Mans.

Heidi Klum is a celebrity who is known for her extravagant and highly detailed Halloween costumes, and her Jessica Rabbit costume from 2015 is perhaps one of the most iconic celebrity costumes of the last 25 years. Klum’s untimed birth chart has Neptune at 5 degrees Sagittarius, so the irreverent and exploratory nature of trends and fashion a la Neptune in the 70s is baked into her nativity. On Halloween 2015, Saturn was conjunct her natal Neptune by one degree, and she has talked about how long and grueling and Saturnian the process was for her to become Jessica Rabbit. Saturn and Neptune are typically at odds with one another by nature, but in this case, the synchronicity of their two energies resulted in a costume that was at once glamorous, bizarre, and instantly elevated to icon status. How incredibly Neptunian for one woman known for being beautiful and glamorous to disguise herself as another beautiful and glamorous (albeit fictional) woman and end up creating one of the most famous Halloween costumes of all time.

A costume can also be a political statement, and in 2016, the line between celebrity and politics dissolved completely as a scabies sore in human form was elected president, mere days after being one of the most popular Halloween costumes of the year. Neptune was really cooking with that one, and has continued to serve up all kinds of imperialistic and capitalistic glorification with Pluto in Capricorn as a constant companion the entire time. Nightmare blunt rotation, tbh.

As it stands now, we are at the end of an era. Pluto and Neptune (and Uranus) will enter new signs next year and shifting paradigms will make themselves more apparent than ever. The “young, thrill-seeking audience” of the 1970s who broke all the fashion and gender rules is no longer, but five decades later, that audience is young and nihilistic with (seemingly) nothing to lose in the face of global climate collapse, genocide, and late-stage capitalism (bummer).

Perhaps in this next epoch, Halloween costumes will be less about emulating the current culture and become more imaginative, more future-oriented, more evocative of the world we fantasize about living in—you know, one that actually supports life. We get to explore our fantasies through disguise and the dissolution of boundaries that comes with being in disguise. In this way, we can dip our toes into the “transitional world” of Neptune and escape reality in a way that is more hopeful and inventive, rather than simply emulating some corporate IP.

Halloween costumes will always reflect whatever the collective is glamourizing at that point in time. It’s interesting how, after the moon landing in 1969, Halloween costumes throughout the following decade were rife with astronauts and robots and a more middle-class version of futurism, and now, we have officially arrived in the AI technology era and the possibility of personal robot assistants seems more imminent than ever. I predict that Halloween costumes from 2025 onward may include more robots and costumes that either mock or praise artificial intelligence.

But enough about the next era of humanity. Let’s talk about my predictions for Halloween 2024, which is a mere 8 weeks away as I write this.

My Halloween 2024 trend predictions

Trend: Y2K nostalgia

Nostalgia and Halloween go hand-in-hand and always have, but this year, early 2000s nostalgia has specifically been the focus. CD sales are on the rise for the first time in two decades, despite the ubiquitous nature of streaming services. Low-rise jeans (gross) are coming back into style, as well as Ugg boots and flip phones, and thus I predict this year’s Halloween costumes will continue the tradition of each new generation falling in love with the fashions of their predecessors, for some reason. If you’re dressing up with friends, iconic looks from The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Clueless, or Cheetah Girls can make for a fun and nostalgic group costume.

Trend: Americana, but make it fashion

Yes, we’ll get to Chappell Roan in a minute, but I first wanted to point out that there’s been a distinct upward trend in Americana (specifically Midwestern) and cowboy aesthetics in the last several years and I don’t expect it to slow down any time soon. Imagine the likes of masked gay country crusader Orville Peck, Jeffree Star with his yak meat & guns farm, the undeniably American brilliance of Cowboy Carter… it’s a type of glittering attempt at subverting nationalism and I am here for it. In fact, I anticipate there will be many Beyoncé-inspired looks embracing this aesthetic through the liberal (no pun intended) application of denim and cowboy hats and sequins.

Trend: Chappell Roan

That’s it. Just Chappell Roan. You can pretty much pick any look she’s done in the last 12 months and it’ll be a hit costume, but most specifically, I think the Lil Poundcake look from her Tiny Desk Concert and her Statue of Liberty look are going to be particularly popular this year, for reasons I will get into shortly. Chappell makes for incredible Halloween costume inspiration, as her look is very distinct, with her gigantic red curls and iconic drag looks, so everyone will know what your costume is, but it’ll also be colorful and sparkly and fun and very Midwest Princess. There’s truly a Chappell Roan look for everyone.

Trend: Pink and green

Pink is always in style and undeniably the greatest color ever, but Barbie summer of 2023 brought pink back in a very big way. In 2024, everybody went and found god at the Pink Pony Club, and I think this doubled down on both the Americana and pink trends in a fun and effervescent way. This is also why I singled out the two Chappell looks that I did. On top of that, we are just coming out of brat summer, and I don’t think the brat green trend is going to fully disappear before the end of October. Wicked, which is set to release a few weeks after Halloween, also features an iconic pink and green duo in Glinda and Elphaba, so I anticipate we will see many besties donning those costumes together.

Trend: Iconic duos

With Neptune being ruled by Jupiter in double-bodied Gemini, I suspect there will be an uptick in not only couples’ costumes this year, but duo and group costumes in general. For a triple whammy of an iconic duo PLUS pink & green PLUS y2k nostalgia, you and a friend can go as Cosmo & Wanda (bonus Neptune points if your disguise is one of Cosmo & Wanda’s disguises).

Trend: Femininomenon

2024 has been a huge year for women and femmes in general: they’re dominating the music charts and running for president. Outside of Deadpool & Wolverine, I don’t anticipate to see too many male or masculine-presenting costumes this year.

Trends: Current TV shows & film

Two of the most popular television shows in 2024 so far have been The Bear and House of the Dragon, so the instantly recognizable white-blonde hair of the Targaryens is sure to resurface in a big way. I suspect there will be a lot of Carmy (and Syd) costumes, especially for line cooks who already have this exact wardrobe lying around their house, because it’s simple and easy but still easily recognizable (don’t forget your temporary tattoos to complete the look). I also anticipate we will see some costumes referencing contestants from Love Island and some Gypsy Rose impersonators—pregnant belly and all.
The well-timed remake of Beetlejuice is hitting theatres currently, and the resurrection of Lydia Deetz is sure to inspire many Halloween looks this year. There will be plenty of Deadpool & Wolverine duos, I’m sure, as well as Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn and Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker, and creative takes on Dune-inspired costumes. For a fun and easy group costume, you can get two of your friends to do a Challengers-inspired trio with you—as long as there are tennis rackets involved, pretty much everyone will know what you’re referencing.

Trends: Politics & celebrity culture

Politics & celebrity culture aren’t trends, per se, but rather constant themes in Halloween costumes that have a rotating cast of characters. During election years, naturally, there’s always an uptick in Halloween costumes that are inspired by politicians, so I anticipate this year we will see a lot of coconut-related looks, referencing the viral clip of Presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
Celebrity couples make for excellent couples’ costumes, and I predict some popular pairings this year will be Sabrina Carpenter and Barry Keoghan, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, and for the couples with a sense of humor, maybe some Bennifer costumes too (she’s glamorous, he’s carrying three trays of Dunkin Donuts lattes… you see the vision). And, while it may be impossible for anyone to parody Jojo Siwa better than Jojo Siwa herself, I anticipate a lot of cheeky costumes inspired by Jojo’s audition to be the first lesbian member of Kiss.

Trends: Internet culture and memes

Again, this isn’t necessarily a trend in and of itself, but is comprised of countless trends and micro-trends and bits of virality that have penetrated the collective consciousness throughout the year. In this realm, I predict there will be costumes referencing the disastrous AI-generated Willy Wonka experience, the Hawk Tuah girl, and Jools Lebron pioneering the art of being very demure and mindful.

Thank you for reading.

What’s your Halloween costume this year? Did you learn anything new about Halloween or Neptune while reading this? I’d love to hear your feedback and any revelations you had.

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