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Urban Outfitters is selling leggings and a bra as an ‘influencer Halloween costume’

Urban Outfitters is selling leggings and a bra as an ‘influencer Halloween costume’

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Nothing says Insta-famous like paying $59 for a package of crap

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Urban Outfitters, Inc.

Dressing as a meme for Halloween can be fun. If you’re lucky, you might even find a meme-themed Halloween party to attend, where you can make your own costume to revel with friends in the stuff that’s still good about the internet. Meme costumes are like an inside joke that everyone can enjoy (or not, if you’re niche like that), The downside of that is that, eventually, if you build it, the brands will come.

The inevitable trickle-down from creative trendsetters making their own costumes (cough, cough) to shoddily made, one-click purchases from a retailer (whither, sexy pizza rat?) has been happening for a few years now. But at least most of these companies are trying. This year, the Halloween collection at Urban Outfitters includes a costume set that truly screams “fuck it, they’ll buy anything”: an “influencer costume” that literally consists of a pair of leggings and an unpadded super-crop top they’re calling a “sports bra,” which costs 59 — fifty-nine! — American dollars.

But wait, the fun doesn’t stop there: if you want to complete the look they advertise in the photos, you’ll have to buy the astoundingly plastic $16 platinum-blonde wig, the $70 Fila sneakers, and the $10 (on sale! no longer available in black!) canvas baseball hat, too. In total, that makes your “influencer costume” come out to about $155. (The sunglasses are up to you, though — preferably, they’ll be designer.)

Ah, the irony inherent in pretending to be an influencer by purchasing a set of poorly made, ordinary street clothing packaged as a “costume” by the trend-killing retailer of record. Quick tip for the kids: if this is the path you’re gonna take this Halloween, save some money and borrow some decent leggings from a friend if you don’t have any. (Being an influencer, after all, is all about authenticity.) Or better yet — wear your normal clothes, put on some false eyelashes and lip gloss, paint some tears on your face, and carry a YouTube player frame around, telling everyone you meet you’re sorry if they were offended by your hideous behavior.