Halloween costumes within the LGBTQ community have always been a playground for creativity, humor, and self-expression. But influencer Nick Smith, who co-hosts the “I Never Liked You” podcast with Matteo Lane, has a bone to pick with the predictable trends in gay Halloween costumes. In a recent episode, Smith humorously called out the common approach: elaborate, detailed costumes on top, and little more than a jockstrap and sneakers on the bottom.
“You know that meme where the horse drawing starts detailed and ends messy? That’s gay Halloween costumes,” Smith joked. His playful critique touched on the long-standing pattern, where the top half of the costume is carefully thought out, but the rest is minimal, often turning into a display of bare essentials. “Every gay — detail, detail, detail, jock,” he quipped, to which Lane humorously confessed, “That was basically me last year. I was sexy Squirtle.”
While Smith’s critique is full of wit, there’s a hint of social commentary behind it. The celebration of bodies and the tendency toward minimal clothing at LGBTQ Halloween events speaks to a larger discussion about self-expression and confidence in queer spaces. Halloween, for many, has become a time to embrace aspects of identity that might otherwise be concealed or restrained.
Smith, however, shared that he’s not the biggest fan of Halloween itself. The chaos of the city, people’s hidden faces, and even the candy just don’t resonate with him. “Now I know why I’m single,” he concluded with humor, turning a critique of the holiday into a personal reflection.
This critique, while lighthearted, invites a deeper look into the pressures and trends that shape queer culture and how holidays like Halloween serve as outlets for both self-expression and community bonding.