45+ Feminist Costumes For 2021 That Prove Women Are Here to Slay

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

01

Rosie the Riveter

She's pretty much the symbol for feminism.

02

Birth Control

Yay for contraceptives!

03

Suffragette

This Halloween, rep the ladies who helped women gain the right to vote.

04

Frida Kahlo

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."

05

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy = the ultimate female badass.

06

Cleopatra

Beautiful and powerful.

08

Hermione Granger

Daring, brave, loyal, and — above all — brilliant.

09

Beyoncé

Say it with us: "FEMINIST."

10

Joan of Arc

The original female hero.

11

The Bride From Kill Bill

She's kind of the definition of a fierce female.

12

Daria and Jane

Way too cool for school.

13

Oprah

A pioneer in the television industry, country, world, and UNIVERSE.

14

Elizabeth Bennett

The Pride and Prejudice heroine is known for her wit, intelligence, and unrelenting honesty.

15

Katniss Everdeen From Hunger Games

Girl on fire.

16

Leslie Knope as a Pawnee Goddess

Parks and Recreation's Leslie Knope wears many hats, but our favorite is her role as a Pawnee Goddess.

17

Scully

The X-Files heroine is one of the most iconic female figures in a male-dominated science-fiction genre.

18

Elaine Benes

Seinfeld's titular star may have been Jerry, but we all know that Elaine really ran the show.

19

Cleopatra

Cleopatra is QUEEN.

20

IUD

Birth control is empowering (and important!).

22

Cat Calling

Because catcalling is truly scary.

23

Xena: Warrior Princess

She's got formidable fighting skills and an admirable moral compass.

24

Veronica Mars

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.

25

Daenerys Targaryen

The Mother of Dragons from Game of Thrones.

26

Daenerys Targaryen

A different take on Khaleesi.

27

Voting Booth

A woman's place is in the voting booth!

28

Paper Bag Princess

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.

29

Candace and Toni From Portlandia

The owners of the bookstore called Women and Women First.

30

A Tampon

#StopTaxingMyPeriod

31

A Tampon

Make it a group effort!

32

Shattered Glass Ceiling

Break some glass ceilings with this easy DIY costume.

33

Strong Witch

The sign reads "We are the granddaughters of the witches you couldn't burn," which really says it all.

34

The Future Is Female

Manifest the future of America with this time traveling "the future is female" costume.

36

Cindy Reston From Good Girls Revolt

Revert back to the midst of a cultural revolution in the 1960s with this moving journalist costume.

37

Miley Cyrus

Miley is the definition of feminism with her IDGAF attitude.

38

Emily Davison

The English suffragette relentlessly fought for women to vote until her death by King Henry V's horse in 1912.

39

Miss America

The Latina superhero was Marvel Comics first LGBTQ+ character to star in an ongoing series.

40

Kamala Khan From Ms. Marvel

Staring in the solo series Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan was Marvel's first Muslim character to headline a comic book series.

41

Serena Williams

Winning the most Grand Slam titles of any professional man or woman tennis player in history, who wouldn't want to be Serena Williams?

42

U.S. Representative of New York Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Challenging the status quo each day, AOC is always making herself known.

43

Billie Jean King

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?

44

Angela Davis

A Black feminist, author, political activist, philosopher, and academic, Angela Davis is a force to be reckoned with.

45

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Become the second female justice of the US Supreme Court with this badass costume.

46

Lara Croft From Tomb Raider

An English archaeologist who ventures into tombs and ruins in the video game Tomb Raider, Lara Croft is highly respectable.

47

Elastigirl From The Incredibles

Who wouldn't want to be this powerful superhero?