BY ERIN ALBRIGHT, staff writer

With Halloween quickly approaching, some of you might be worrying about what your costume should be this year. Although Halloween during a pandemic might look different compared to previous years, you can still have plenty of fun dressing up with your roommates and walking around campus (wearing masks of course!). 

Long gone should be the days of dressing as basic-looking lifeguards and cowboys. 

Here are some quick, easy, cheap and fun costumes you can put together with things in your closet!

Brawny Paper Towels

Just hear me out on this one. Have you ever had Brawny brand paper towels and seen the guy or girl on the front just standing there, looking so proud in front of the trees and mountains? Well, all the character is depicted wearing is a red flannel. You get to  choose your choice of pant. If you wanted to wear pajamas, you could still complete the look. So throw on your favorite plaid red flannel, pandemic-safe mask and pants of your choosing. Go grab a roll of Brawny paper towels and you’re ready to go.

Rosie the Riveter

A longtime fan favorite, the Rosie the Riveter costume serves two great purposes: it’s cute and it represents an allegorical female cultural icon. 

Nearly everyone already knows how to dress as Rosie, but here is a simple breakdown. 

You likely have nearly all the pieces: gather your favorite pair of jeans or leggings, a denim jacket, red bandana, a black t-shirt and red lipstick. Tie the red bandana around your head as a headband, with your hair tied back in a bun or ponytail.

Mr./Mrs. Clean

Maybe I shouldn’t have focused on so many cleaning product characters… but the Mr. Clean guy on the Magic Eraser box is a great and easy costume that anyone can do. 

Put on a fresh-looking white t-shirt and some white pants. Grab a $3 bald cap from Party City and you are all set. 

Mr. Clean even has a little hoop earring on his left ear, so throw that on if you’re feeling fancy. Put your mask on and you’ll be looking fresher than ever.

Skier

Okay, this might be a little basic… but at least it’s comfortable, right? Whether you ski, snowboard or stick to the sled you’ve had in your garage for years, this costume is simple and anyone could pull off this look. 

Put on your warmest winter jacket, a cute beanie/hat, some boots and warm pants. The pants could even be sweatpants, I’m not judging. 

If you happen to have brought ski goggles to college, I guess you could wear those too… despite Ohio not having any mountains. 

Tiger King

It was only six or seven months ago that Tiger King was on everyone’s TV screens. This costume idea allows you to channel your inner Joe Exotic or Carole Baskin. 

To go as Joe, you’ll need a baseball cap, jeans and a fake mustache. For your shirt, you could wear a plaid button down or a tiger-print shirt (if it is glittery, even better). Also, if you happen to have the time to grow your hair into a mullet, that would really pull the look together. 

If you are looking to channel your inner animal activist and go as Carole Baskin, you’ll need some jeans, a flowery headband and a bright flowery shirt. Good accessories could be ‘70s style jewelry and tiger-print socks. A cat stuffed animal would finish the look.

Remember that with all your costumes, you should be wearing a mask and staying COVID-19 safe. When in doubt, have a costume contest with just your roommates.