When I was going through ideas for what movies to do this year, I came back to the idea of Mean Girls. Mean Girls is absolutely a Halloween movie, and I will die on this hill. When I was debating which character to be from this movie, I started with the various Halloween costumes the characters in the movie wear. I have a stand with a variety of headbands including (but not limited to) bunny ears, cat ears, and mouse ears. Since I have previously worn some of them with a sexy dress as a Halloween costume, it only made sense to use the mouse ears and some lingerie to be Karen Smith. Plus, I find Amanda Seyfried’s portrayal of her to be hilarious.
I don’t usually list out my undergarments on these things unless they are visible, but since this outfit is basically see-through lingerie, I thought I’d name them specifically.
Accessories: I made these leather earrings years ago. They are the longest version I made (when I created various colors and sizes in this design) and the longest earrings I currently own.
Prop: Blue Disposable Cup
Yes, a red one would have been ideal, but I wasn’t going out to buy any. I had three of these blue ones left in my Party Supplies tub in the attic.
At school, I hang out with my friends Regina and Gretchen. On Wednesdays, we wear pink.
One day, this new girl, Cady, shows up at school. She starts telling us about her life, but I ask the question we’re all thinking: If you’re from Africa, why are you white?
For Halloween, we all go to a party. Everyone keeps asking what I’m supposed to be, but I’m a mouse, duh!
Everyone thinks I’m a slut, but the only one I have eyes for is my first cousin, Seth Mosakowski.
What do you mean cousins and first cousins are the same?!
It doesn’t really matter if Regina thinks I’m a whore. I can always fall back on my fifth sense of using my breasts to determine whether or not it is raining.
Catch me back here tomorrow for another post.
In the meantime, check out the Mean Girls Vibes board on Pinterest.
Even though in middle school my friend group all picked a Looney Tunes character to be our nickname and mine was Tweety, I find Heather McNamara to be the least relatable Heather. Perhaps it is because her character wasn’t fleshed out much beyond being a popular cheerleader with guy problems or perhaps it is because yellow is my least favorite color. (The irony is not lost on me that I currently live in a bright yellow house.) Also, Heather McNamara has the least memorable lines without any really snappy quotes. The only major one being: “Suicide is a private thing.”
Once you’ve done two Heathers from the movie Heathers, you’re basically obligated to do the third Heather. I wasn’t going to go buy some yellow clothing (like a blazer) for this character that I would probably rarely wear again, so instead, I just utilized the few yellow clothing items I already had. It helps that the Heathers’ fashion sense goes beyond completely monotone outfits in all one color, so even though I am using a white suit jacket, the rest of the yellow pieces still pull it together.
I don’t know if I mentioned this yet, but croquet sets are expensive! To acquire mine, I participated in multiple online auctions to try to get a secondhand set in my budget. I lost many times before I successfully obtained one.
Prop 2:Yellow & Orange Cheerleading Pom Pom This was a free giveaway item at a roller derby bout I went to years ago and stored in my costumes tub until now.
At school, I’m a cheerleader, and I hang out with the most popular clique of girls.
After my best friend dies, I start to question my existence.
But even at the funeral, my priority is convincing Veronica to go on a double date with Kurt, and me & Ram that night even though she has started something with JD.
After a couple more deaths of people close to me, I call in to a radio show for advice. There’s got to be more to life than just playing croquet with the girls all the time.
Catch me back here tomorrow for another post.
In the meantime, check out the Heathers Vibes board on Pinterest.
I read my father’s copy of The Puppet Masters by Robert A. Heinlein when I was in elementary school which, objectively speaking, might have been too young. I can see the impact it had on me as when I was researching this post, I realized the idea of having term limits on marriage (that I thought I came up with myself) was written about in this book. lol I wish I owned a copy so I could revisit it now.
Anyway, I bring this up because the 1998 movie The Faculty not only directly references that book and The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney but utilizes a similar premise where aliens have taken over the bodies of humans at a high school in a small town in Ohio. This aliens-taking-over-humans plot is now well-known and used frequently, but word nerds like me and Clea Duvall’s character Stokely Mitchell from The Faculty see the allusions to Heinlein’s The Puppet Masters in the subsequent works since.
I’d also like to point out the star-filled cast of this movie. I won’t name them all, but it feels like everyone who had a role in this was or became well-known. Also, my guy Josh Hartnett, who was born in my hometown, has the absolute worst haircut in this flick as the 5th year Senior who is not only a drug dealer who peddles his wares via Blue Bic Pens, but also is so smart that he manufactures the drugs he sells in his home lab. The 1990s were a wild ride.
Hair: This unbranded Short Red Wig with a Few Blonde Highlights came from my brother. He has no idea where he got it, and I have no idea where to get one either.
Prop 1:Black Plaid High Sierra Backpack which is the closest black backpack I have that gives off a school vibe as opposed to a purse vibe.
Prop 2: If I had a copy of The Puppet Masters, I would have used that. Instead I used one of my favorite OG science fiction novels: We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
Prop 3:Blue BIC Cristal Xtra Smooth Medium Point Pen filled with baking powder to represent the “powdery ecstasy-like drug” Scat that is made from “caffeine pills and some other household shit” that Zeke claims is a diuretic, but the IMDB Goofs section claims it is a “desiccant” not a diuretic. #PedantsUnite
*PRO TIP: If you’re filling a pen like this with powder, make sure you put some tape over the hole in the lid so it won’t come out all over your all-black outfit. 😂
At Herrington High, there’s the usual clique breakdown of nerds, jocks, and popular kids. I prefer to be by myself reading sci-fi novels. This new girl, Laura, tries to talk to me, but Delilah (the head cheerleader and editor of the school newspaper) interrupts and falsely tells her that I am a violent lesbian.
The Faculty start acting strange. They seem to be obsessed with staying hydrated.
After the student body gets an ear exam from the school nurse, they all start acting strange too.
A random group of students across all sub-sections have to band together to try to get to the bottom of things. Once we establish that we are dealing with extraterrestrial beings invading people, my peers turn to me for advice since I am the resident sci-fi bookworm.
We figure out that the local supply of Scat (a powdery ecstasy-like drug sold in Blue Bic Pens) has a negative impact on the beings, so to prove that none of us have been infected, we must each snort some. I proclaim loudly that “I’m not putting that hack drug up my nose – it’s so eighties!”
I am told that this is a life-or-death situation. Like I needed the reminder! I know that humans don’t always win out in a battle against aliens.
All my black knee-high boots have chains or buckles or other colors or are slouchy. These dark brown boots are closer than any of the other ones I own.
One day I woke up in this huge house (some would call it a mansion), but I had no idea where I was. I started looking around for context clues to not only figure out where I am but also who I am.
A SWAT team busts in as I realize I’m wearing a wedding ring. Is this guy that was in the house with me my husband? He claims he’s a cop.
Underneath the house is a train. The SWAT team takes me and this guy, Matt, on the train to an underground facility called The Hive. On the way, they tell me I work there as security, and I need to help them kill the Red Queen because of the virus that just broke out and killed everyone.
Even though almost everybody has guns, a bunch of people still die. #FreakingLasers
I meet this little red holographic girl, and she’s like: “You’re all going to die down here.”
While I’m a big fan of music and a big fan of movies, I don’t usually get down on Musicals. I’m unsure exactly why that is, but if more of them were like Repo! The Genetic Opera, I might be more into them. It is a Horror Rock Opera set in a dystopian future that (like any good sci-fi story) doesn’t feel too farfetched from reality.
I could have dressed up as Shilo Wallace, Amber Sweet, or Blind Mags, but when you already have a sweet long brown coat, the choice is made for you. For a hot minute, I got caught up in the details because I couldn’t create my own Zydrate gun from things I already owned, but I compromised by making a vial of Zydrate and calling it a day.
Repo! The Genetic Opera: Graverobber
Outfit:White Scoop Neck Long Sleeve Shirt While Graverobber’s shirt is more yellow or antiqued white, this is as close as my wardrobe gets. A dingy basic white long-sleeve that I usually wear under things.
Outfit:Brown Suede and Faux Fur Lined Long Express Coat This was a present from two of my friends in college who chipped in to buy this for my Christmas/Birthday present when it went on sale because they had seen me try it on and pine for it at the mall when we were previously shopping together. One of the best gifts I’ve received to this day!
I put a little red boa on the collar with safety pins and bobby pins.
Hair: While the GraveRobber’s hair is actually brown with white, blue, and red streaks in it, I felt that this wig I have was the closest I could get with some extensions put in to give the same vibe. I contemplated using my own hair, but currently, the bottom half is faded out and bleached very light blue.
Accessories:Black Fingerless Glove Arm Warmer Sleeves I think these are meant to have ribbons or chains between the buckles, but this is how I inherited them when someone left them at my house many years ago. I’ve had them tucked away with my gloves and used them for this character to stand in for the black buckled gloves GraveRobber wears.
Prop 1: This is a tabletop candle holder that previously had a bunch of fake mistletoe wrapped around it that I removed for this photoshoot. This is standing in for the handheld candelabra. It is a little too large, but I’m working with what I’ve got!
Prop 2: An old copy of the now-defunct City Pages I had in my scrapbooking stuff because my ex’s band is probably written about inside. 🤷 This is standing in for the black-and-white print publication Metro Gazette that GraveRobber reads. (If I were better at editing photos, I would have altered the image to have the headline and title changed to something relevant to the movie.)
Prop 3: I took an empty vial that used to have my cat’s medicine in it (thoroughly washed a couple times) and put some Blue Curacao inside to be a vial of Zydrate.
“In the year 2056 – the not-so-distant future – an epidemic of organ failures devastates the planet. Out of the tragedy, a savior emerges: GeneCo, a biotech company that offers organ transplants, for a price. Those who miss their payments are scheduled for repossession and hunted by villainous Repo Men. In a world where surgery addicts are hooked on painkilling drugs [called Zydrate] and murder is sanctioned by law,” I steal Zydrate from dead bodies and sell it to my clients.
Some of my clientele are in the back alleys…
and some are in the board rooms, including Amber Sweet one of the future heirs to GeneCo.
But the main story revolves around a 17-year-old girl named Shilo that I meet in the graveyard one night…
Truth be told, my English teacher who recommended Anne Rice books to me probably helped ensure my survival through high school. They were wonderful outlets between my rural isolation, Catholic school suppression, and my abusive household. Due to this, I hold a very special place in my heart for the movie Queen of the Damned even though it pales in comparison to the book on which it was based. The soundtrack is fucking great though!
I’ve worn a variation of this outfit 100+ times in real life and picked out a bunch of my favorite stuff from the 1990s to wear for this character. Oh shit, does that mean I peaked in high school? 🤯 Nah. I’m waaaaayyyyy better now. 💅
Black Fishnets with Red Back Seam that I got at a clothing swap. I have yet to find anywhere that I can get another pair. There’s no tag or brand on them. I try very hard not to rip these like I have all my other fishnet stockings. #RIP
I’m an academic studying the supernatural (including vampires) with a secret organization called the Talamasca at their London chapter.
One day while watching TV, I realize the lyrics of a hit song from a band supposedly fronted by an openly out vampire are eerily similar to something I just read in a diary from the 18th century.
I decided to do some fieldwork by going down to a pub called Admiral’s Arms hoping that I would just casually run into the lead singer Lestat. We meet, but he is so turned off because I’m Talamascan.
I do not take the hint and instead fly to another country to surprise him at his one and only live show.
After that, I do everything I can to try to convince him to turn me. I mean, have you seen him?!
Last year when I did this project, I stuck to just one character from each movie. This year when I was in the brainstorming phase of the project, for some movies I couldn’t decide on just one character. As such, there are a few films where you will see multiple characters.
If I had to choose a favorite Heather from this film, it would definitely be Heather Duke. While her character’s trajectory is fairly predictable in hindsight, Shannon Doherty’s portrayal of her is wonderful.
Prop 2: A green book. I think I grabbed this copy of Pride and Prejudice off my bookshelf to stand in for Moby Dick (which appears to be a literary classic I do not own even though I have previously read it.)
I love to play croquet with my friends, but they always make me green when I want to be red.
When the leader of our friend group (Heather Chandler) dies, I talk to God as I kneel at her casket. “I prayed for the death of Heather Chandler many times and I felt bad every time I did it but I kept doing it anyway. Now I know you understood everything. Praise Jesus, Hallelujah.”
At school, things start going great for me. I get my bulimia in check and start wearing red like I always wanted.
JD lends me a copy of Moby Dick. I underline some things including the word Eskimo. Veronica & JD are acting weird, but I assume it is just because I’m more popular than they are.
I use my newfound popularity to get everyone to sign a petition. Veronica thinks I’m being a mega-bitch, but she’s just pulling my dick.
Catch me back here tomorrow for another post.
In the meantime, check out the Heathers Vibes board on Pinterest.
I love this movie, and I don’t know how to really talk about it without spoilers. I will do my best to keep them to a minimum in this post. That said, if you haven’t watched this yet and have the desire to see it, stop reading now to go watch it. 😘
Accessories: Handmade blue necklace I was going to deconstruct for the beads that I wrapped around my wrist like a bracelet.
Accessories: I used a Zubaz piece of fabric that I got at a sports game on Zubaz night many years ago. I don’t know if it is a headband, tie, or skinny scarf, but I used it as a belt with an old football belt buckle that I wore when I was a teen.
This is the bag I regularly use when I need to bring more stuff than my mini backpack purse.
Prop: Human Anatomy Textbook (didn’t end up in any final photo edits, but was inside the messenger bag)
Other props considered: pink disposable razor, plastic zip bag filled with ice, surgical gloves, saran wrap, small silver scissors, a mislabeled videotape…
I’ve been chatting with this babe Lensman319 on the internet all day under my screen name Thonggirrrrl14. I convince my sister to drop me off at a coffee shop so we can meet IRL.
I am so impressed with Jeff’s car that I agree to go to his house to listen to his bootleg recording of a band I really like.
Once inside Jeff’s place, he shows me his studio while we talk about the girls he has photographed previously. I ask if I need to be concerned about any of them.
There are screwdrivers, loud music, and dancing before the blackout.
I’m not really a Rom-Com person. My favorite genres are Horror, Sci-Fi, Documentaries, and Dystopian Apocalyptic films. That said, there’s something about Practical Magic that does it for me. Maybe I saw this at the exact point in my life where it made a major impact, but now I have seen this movie more times than I can count. I watch it fairly often still and always at least once in the month of October.
Sally Owens:And I don’t want them dancing naked under the full moon!
Aunt Jet Owens:No, of course. The nudity is entirely optional. As you well remember!
Practical Magic: Sally Owens Outfit
Outfit: Reversible dress made by my grandmother. One side is black with white calla lilies and the other is white with an abstract black square print. It feels like a combination of three of Sally’s different outfits rolled into one.
My bloodline has been cursed for generations. Any man who loves an Owens woman will be doomed to meet an untimely death.
Falling in love sounded awful, so when I was young, I created a spell called Amas Veritas to try to ensure my True Love™️ would never exist.
My sister Gillian (who is a real “I LOVE love” person) paired up with a dude first chance she could to escape our small town life. I write letters to her, but I miss her tremendously.
I try to distance myself from The Craft and blend in with the community. I run a botanical shop in town called Verbena, and I’m a PTA member.
When my sister and I are reunited, I start doing magic again. We’re “work with what you’ve got” people, so we use what we have onhand including some unconventional materials.
Men come outta the woodwork to try to get a piece of an Owens sister, but as the older one, I do what I can to beat them away.
When The Others came out in 2001, it was around the same time as The Sixth Sense when plot twist endings were having a moment in Horror. I’ll do my best to not spoil it for you, but it has been twenty-plus years already! If you haven’t seen The Others yet, do yourself a favor and go check it out. If you’re into the technical aspects of films, the lighting alone is worth your time for this one.
“The only thing that moves here is the light, but it changes everything.” ~Grace Stewart
Accessories: My mother’s wedding ring from my father
Prop 1: A silver bangle with dangly charms removed and keys added to be the master key ring of the house
Prop 2: Oil lamp
Prop 3: Vintage photo album that my Grandmother gave me filled with photos of my family
During WWII, my husband is off fighting France. One day all the servants disappeared leaving me all alone with my two children who have a “photosensitive” condition where they can’t be exposed to anything stronger than candlelight otherwise they break out in rashes and sores.
Three random strangers come to the door inquiring to see if any help was needed. I explain to them that they can work here as long as they lock the doors behind them before they open the next door to keep the light contained and protect my children.
Spooky stuff starts happening around the house, but I try to keep the children calm by forcing them to read the bible and disregarding their commentary that they’ve seen intruders.
But I start to wonder when I come across some old photos…
Thrifty Subversion 