We've all heard the saying "the future is female," and that statement has never been more true (or necessary) than right now. For Halloween this year, a strong and powerful female costume may be the perfect choice to make a statement. If you're tired of dressing as a sexy mouse, a sexy Bob Ross (yes, this exists), or a sexy anything year after year (there's absolutely nothing wrong with dressing sexy, but sometimes you gotta switch it up!), then ladies, we've got you covered. There are so many costumes ideas that focus on all of the things about women that make us strong, fierce, and overall awesome (in addition to our undeniable sexiness), which is why we've rounded up the most iconic female costumes to wear this Halloween. Check out our favorite inspirations ahead!
— Additional reporting by Haley Lyndes
She's pretty much the symbol for feminism.
Yay for contraceptives!
This Halloween, rep the ladies who helped women gain the right to vote.
A celebrated painter and inspiring woman who was unapologetic about who she was and said awesome things like, "I was born a b*tch. I was born a painter. I was born f*cked. But I was happy in my way."
Buffy = the ultimate female badass.
Beautiful and powerful.
Behold the female body part in all its glory.
Daring, brave, loyal, and — above all — brilliant.
Say it with us: "FEMINIST."
The original female hero.
She's kind of the definition of a fierce female.
Way too cool for school.
A pioneer in the television industry, country, world, and UNIVERSE.
The Pride and Prejudice heroine is known for her wit, intelligence, and unrelenting honesty.
Girl on fire.
Parks and Recreation's Leslie Knope wears many hats, but our favorite is her role as a Pawnee Goddess.
The X-Files heroine is one of the most iconic female figures in a male-dominated science-fiction genre.
Seinfeld's titular star may have been Jerry, but we all know that Elaine really ran the show.
Cleopatra is QUEEN.
Birth control is empowering (and important!).
The first female pilot to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Need we say more?
Because catcalling is truly scary.
She's got formidable fighting skills and an admirable moral compass.
Teenage sleuth? We wish we were as cool as Kristen Bell's alter ego was in high school. All you need is a camera and a casually cute getup.
The Mother of Dragons from Game of Thrones.
A different take on Khaleesi.
A woman's place is in the voting booth!
The Paper Bag Princess is a children's story that has been praised by feminists for its portrayal of a princess saving a prince from a dragon, rather than the typical damsel in distress scenario.
The owners of the bookstore called Women and Women First.
#StopTaxingMyPeriod
Make it a group effort!
Break some glass ceilings with this easy DIY costume.
The sign reads "We are the granddaughters of the witches you couldn't burn," which really says it all.
Manifest the future of America with this time traveling "the future is female" costume.
Dress up as the robed Roman liberty goddess, Libertas — also known as the Statue of Liberty — with this fun costume.
Revert back to the midst of a cultural revolution in the 1960s with this moving journalist costume.
Miley is the definition of feminism with her IDGAF attitude.
The English suffragette relentlessly fought for women to vote until her death by King Henry V's horse in 1912.
The Latina superhero was Marvel Comics first LGBTQ+ character to star in an ongoing series.
Staring in the solo series Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan was Marvel's first Muslim character to headline a comic book series.
Winning the most Grand Slam titles of any professional man or woman tennis player in history, who wouldn't want to be Serena Williams?
Challenging the status quo each day, AOC is always making herself known.
Billie Jean King was the number-one tennis player in the world for six years straight. In the '70s, she challenged professional tennis player Bobby Riggs to a battle of the sexes tennis match. In 2009, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama. Need we go on?
A Black feminist, author, political activist, philosopher, and academic, Angela Davis is a force to be reckoned with.
Become the second female justice of the US Supreme Court with this badass costume.
An English archaeologist who ventures into tombs and ruins in the video game Tomb Raider, Lara Croft is highly respectable.
Who wouldn't want to be this powerful superhero?