Who says you need long, luscious locks to pull off an awesome costume? Browse through this long list of top costume guides that doesn’t require long hair or a wig. Short hair tends to make characters quirky or bad to the bone–that’s totally up to you and your style! These costumes are among the best for showing off your short hair and amping up your next cosplay idea. Whether you like Dora the Explorer or Negasonic Teenage Warhead from Deadpool, you have a ton of options to choose from! Now the hardest part will be to pick which female costume to choose first? Take a look through these superheroes, villains, and comedians for the best costume for women to show their short hair in 2023!
Don’t let the name Angel Dust fool you. This chick is hardcore and doesn’t have a sympathetic bone in her body! She’s the babe rocking a short hairdo while torturing Wade Wilson, the cocky star of Deadpool. While her name sounds heavenly, Angel Dust was born for ruining others’ lives, which makes her a pretty awesome character to show off at your next cosplay event.
To recreate Angel Dust’s look, grab some combat boots, a brown leather corset, a basic long sleeve shirt, some tactical pants, utility belt, tactical gloves, and a bad attitude! Go all-in with the hairstyle, clothes, and her urge for business (the torturing business, that is) and you’ve got this costume down!
Who didn’t miss Barb Holland whenever she disappeared on Stranger Things? You can bring her back with either your own short hair or a wig that is short and wavy just like the lovable Barb’s hair. Her classic 80’s look matches well with a short haircut, so this is a great option if you’re already rocking this look yourself. Add on a plaid shirt, high-waisted jeans, glasses, and a pair of moccasins to pull the entire look together.
Barb may not have been as cool as Nancy and her new boyfriend, but she stole everyone’s hearts as they watched the Netflix original show set 35 years ago. Sweet and dependable Barb is a great option for a cosplay idea especially if you already have the same quirky look with short hair, so here’s your chance to take the dive- was that too soon? Sorry, Barb.
There are some characters whose style and appearance are more than meets the eye. Blue Pearl is exactly that! She is from the show Steven Universe, and she is known as the timid Homeworld Gem. Blue Pearl not only avoids communicating with others, but she hides her eyes behind her light blue hair so that she doesn’t have to even make eye contact. Her hair is just as important of a characteristic as any other part about her!
Slap on your best timid attitude, a short blue wig, a blue one-piece swimsuit, a blue chiffon skirt, some blue face paint to match her skin tone, and of course a blue gemstone to add to your chest! Once you’re completely decked out in the color blue, you will have recreated Blue Pearl’s costume for an awesome cosplay look!
Get your gal pals together to create the trio of Buttercup, Blossom, and Bubbles- The Powerpuff girls from Cartoon Network! You’ve already got the short, dark hair, so now all you need is a green dress, a black belt for your waist, knee-high stockings, black buckle shoes, and a pair of Buttercup Glasses!
The Powerpuff girls are cute on their own, but they can only stand up to the nastiest villains when they are all together. You get to be the tough one out of the group if you dress as Buttercup, so bring your other girls along to that upcoming cosplay event to dress up as Blossom and Bubbles. They may look like little cuties, but the Powerpuff girls are three tough cookies! Don’t forget to bring your sassy attitude because Buttercup isn’t as nice as her name portrays her to be.
When you’re on the run from Walkers like Carol Peletier from The Walking Dead, you don’t have time to worry about being glam. Carol’s look is that of a survivor who has lost everything in her life. Stick with a short hairdo or wig, a long sleeve t-shirt under a long sleeve tactical shirt, cargo pants, riding boots, and a rubber knife and sheath to protect yourself from the infected walkers!
Carol started out as being timid and a bit of a pushover, but after experiencing some of her worst nightmares, she learned that she wouldn’t survive long if she wasn’t willing to fight for her own life- no matter what came her way. Check out this costume guide to recreate the popular The Walking Dead female fighter!
Do you remember watching Arthur as a kid and loving how much D.W. tried to annoy Arthur all the time? Now is your chance to annoy your sibling or a friend of yours- just get them to tag along to the next Halloween party or cosplay event as Arthur and you two will be quite the pair! D.W. is usually seen sporting her short, brown bob hairdo throughout the show which makes her perfect for this list of cosplay characters!
You can quickly throw her look together by wearing a pink flare dress over white stockings and a white long-sleeve shirt. Then add your D.W. accessories: a pair of animal ears and some light blue, flat shoes! Don’t forget to have your friend tag along as Arthur to turn this solo look into the darling duo for an unforgettable cosplay event!
Get ready for an adventure! Dora the Explorer is jumping out of the Nickelodeon world and into your cosplay life! Dora is always sporting a short, brown hairstyle, her Rescue backpack, and teaching Spanish with her friend Boots wherever they go. Add a pink t-shirt, orange shorts, yellow socks, and Velcro sneakers to complete Dora’s on-the-go style!
Dora the Explorer is not only one of the longest running children shows around, but she is a popular cosplay character too! You can add some flair to the look by bringing your friends along to dress as other characters from the show like Boots or Swiper. Oh, and don’t forget to freshen up on Spanish just in case someone needs proof that you’re the real deal. Adios!
Stranger Things is one of the top hit shows right now, and there wouldn’t be a show without the girl we all know as Eleven. Eleven started out unsure of who she was because she was forced to undergo experiments with her powers and her body until she escaped from Hawkins National Laboratory. Once she got away from the torture and found others like herself, Eleven turned her personality and appearance upside down- good one, I know.
She switched from her girly look to a punk version of herself. All you need is a pair of your own blue jeans, a black t-shirt, white Converse, something like a black tweed jacket, black bracelets, and a black bandana. Do you see where she’s going with the color scheme? What is the one thing Eleven kept? Her killer short hairdo!
Go Go Tomago may seem innocent and quiet, but give her a little time and she will show you her adrenaline junkie side! She lives her life on the edge, and that matches extremely well with her edgy style. Go Go’s short hairstyle is cool with a streak or two of purple coloring. You can put this look together for a cosplay event quickly by wearing a white t-shirt, black and purple leggings, black running shorts, and black sneakers. Put Go Go’s spin on the look with a black leather jacket, purple athletic wristbands, black fingerless gloves, and of course some bubble gum to pop every chance you get!
While Go Go appears to be intimidating from the outside, she quickly shows her desire to help others and keep everyone safe! The movie Big Hero 6 would have been incomplete without this spitfire in the group!
Now is your chance to finally be a part of the Planeteers from Captain Planet! Gi was the second to be summoned to the Planeteers, and her powers revolve around water since she is the owner of the Water Ring. Her powers and personality go well with her career as she is the Marine Biologist in the group and loves all creatures of the ocean!
Her look is simple to put together. All you need is a Captain Planet t-shirt, a jean jacket, tan shorts, green socks, and a pair of sneakers. She has a few accessories like her gold necklace, black belt, and her short black hairstyle! Bring your friends along to complete the other powers in the group because we all know, “with your powers combined I am Captain Planet!” and a really awesome group cosplay!
Dressing as a presidential candidate has always been a fun and popular choice when it comes to Halloween costume and cosplay ideas. Hillary Clinton has quickly climbed to the top of cosplay favorites whether you love her or think she’s a hilarious costume! She is known for her short (and almost too perfect) short hairstyle, double-breasted suits, black heels, and her pearl earrings and necklace.
Recreating her costume only takes those few pieces, and makes for quite the easy look to put together. If you really want to step up your cosplay game, grab a friend to dress as Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump- then you will have everyone’s vote as best dressed!
Inside Out is the popular Disney/Pixar movie that tells the story of the emotions inside a human’s body! Joy is the leader of the emotions and is obviously the happiest of them all. She is always in a great mood and adds some laughter into Riley’s mind and life. She has all of the other emotions inside Riley’s mind to work with (or against), but she never lets them bring her down!
Bring some Joy into your life by choosing her as your next cosplay idea! You only need a few simple pieces, like a short blue wig to mimic her hairstyle, a yellow skater dress, bright pink lipstick, and a yellow crystal ball just like Joy is seen within the movie. Don’t forget to keep a smile on your face because Joy is not one who has a frown on her cheerful face!
Judith Funnie is the older sister of Doug Funnie from the oh-so-popular cartoon, Doug. Judith attends the Moody School for artistically talented teenagers, and she fits right in with her dramatic personality. She dreams of being an actress, and she does well with pretending not to like her younger siblings and their crazy antics- although she secretly loves them dearly.
Judith’s dramatic personality shines through her appearance with her dark sunglasses, a black long sleeve shirt underneath, black leggings, purple dress and matching purple beret and shoes. The only bright color you see Judith wearing is from her shockingly orange hair sticking out from underneath her beret that she never leaves behind. Grab Judith’s staple pieces and a friend to dress as Doug to complete this popular cartoon costume!
Katana is one of the outcasts from Suicide Squad alongside Harley Quinn, Joker, Deadshot, and El Diablo. Katana is the quiet one in the group, but she is easily one of the deadliest. Her weapon of choice is her sword named Soultaker named so because her own deceased husband’s soul is trapped within the sword. If that weren’t enough to scare anyone away, she is a trained samurai warrior out to punish those who deserve it.
To recreate Katana’s style for your next cosplay, stick to a classic samurai look. You will need her short, black hairstyle, a Katana Suicide Squad that you could create yourself or easily buy one, faux leather leggings, knee-high leather boots, a red sash, black fingerless gloves, a costume ninja sword, and a Katana mask.
Lois is the loving mother on the animated series Family Guy. She is married to Peter and is the mother to her three stressful children, Meg, Chris, and Stewie. Although her children don’t appreciate her and sometimes attempt to kill her, the household would be completely lost without her!
Take a look inside your own closet (or maybe your mother’s) to mimic Lois’ style! She wears a green button-up shirt, khaki pants, purple flats, and green earrings. If you already have short reddish hair, then you’re set. If not, grab a wig from a costume shop that matches Lois’ hairstyle! Don’t forget some red lipstick and a Stewie doll even though he would complain about tagging along.
Liv Moore started out with long brown hair, but that’s not nearly as fun as her new short and choppy, white, zombie-infected hair that she has now. Wait, what?! Oh yeah, Doctor Liv Moore was scratched by a zombie, and now she’s walking around in the morgue she works at casually eating dead people’s brains and solving mysteries. No big deal, right?
Dress up as this iZombie character with the above mentioned (seriously cool) hairstyle, grey t-shirt, burgundy zip-up hoodie, white lab coat, grey leggings, brown boots, and most importantly- white zombie makeup. This girl is super pale! Liv is a crazy popular character right now, and could easily be your next Halloween or cosplay go-to by putting these pieces together we have already found for you. Happy zombie hunting!
Lucy Van Pelt is the little girl you see constantly wearing the blue dress in the comic strip, Peanuts. She’s a bossy little thing and isn’t too proud to say so. Lucy thinks her opinions are so great that the other characters from the comic strip should pay her five cents just to receive her advice in her psychiatrist booth!
All while pining after Schroeder (although he pays her no attention), Lucy is seen with a few essentials that you can easily find to recreate her look! Grab a short black wig, a vintage blue dress, matching blue socks, white and black saddle shoes, and a football or a psychiatric sign of some sort that shows you charge five cents per session! The only other thing that would make this look better would be bringing your friends along dressed as Charlie Brown, Linus, Schroeder, or even Snoopy!
Meg, or Megatron as her father so kindly named her, is the sister and sibling of Chris and Stewie on the animated series Family Guy. Meg is always the one in the family who gets the brunt of every situation, poor girl. No matter what she does in life, her family criticizes her every move- good or bad!
You can dress as the Family Guy outcast with a pink t-shirt layered over a white t-shirt, a pair of blue jeans, white slip-on sneakers, round glasses, and a pink beanie over a short brunette wig. Add a touch of bright pink lipstick and you have Meg’s everyday look totally covered! Now all you need are some tagalongs to dress as Stewie, Lois, Chris, and Peter to bring the entire family together!
Marcie is another member of the Peanuts gang! She is a bookworm and gets the best grades out of any of the Peanuts. While she is very intelligent, Marcie doesn’t pick up on social cues as easily and tends to miss how people are feeling when they are communicating. Marcie and her best friend Peppermint Patty both have a crush on Charlie Brown, but Marcie tends to express her feelings to Charlie quite plainly since she’s not the best at hiding her true feelings.
Switch your appearance to look just like Marcie with an orange t-shirt, navy shorts, white sneakers, orange socks, round glasses, and a math book to carry around because Marcie loves anything to do with education. Grab your pals to dress up as Charlie Brown, Lucy, and Peppermint Patty to bring the Peanuts together!
Negasonic Teenage Warhead can only be the name of an emotional and witty teenage X-men member! Negasonic first appears in the movie Deadpool as she and her mentor Colossus attempt to bring Deadpool to the X-men side, failing time and time again. Negasonic doesn’t have the patience for Deadpool, but she has no other choice since she is following Colossus’ orders.
You can create her costume by using the base pieces such as her yellow shirt, faux leather pants, black riding boots, a yellow canvas belt, and black fingerless gloves. Take the look a step further by adding a black long sleeve turtleneck shirt over the yellow shirt, a zip hoodie over that, and a faux leather trench coat decorated with stud pieces to really show off her “I don’t care” attitude!
Olivia is a trainer from Pokemon and is known for specializing in rock type Pokemon. That’s not the only thing she is known for! She is proudly single and makes it a point that everything in her life revolves around the fact that she is an independent woman. Sometimes she isn’t the most confident, but you would never notice that from her appearance.
Olivia is one of the most beautiful characters in the Pokemon world, so she would be a fun cosplay idea when you want to strut your stuff! Olivia wears a pink halter tank top, purple shorts, blush heeled sandals, and a short black hairstyle. Take those pieces and add on her well-loved accessories like her chokers, bracelets, leather strips, teal nail polish, a Stufful doll, and an Ultra Ball.
Patti Mayonnaise is the crush of the popular television show character Doug Funnie from Doug. Pattie is the perfect girl- smart, funny, and athletic which is exactly why Doug can’t stop thinking about her. Your next cosplay event could easily include the perfect Patti Mayonnaise!
Get Patti’s look for your next cosplay event by wearing a blue long sleeve shirt with pink polka dots, a blue skirt, white tube socks, and a pair of pink Converse shoes. Either style up your own blonde hair or grab a short wig to match Patti’s blonde locks. This cosplay idea wouldn’t be complete with someone coming along dressed as a few of the other Doug characters like Doug Funnie, Connie, Porkchop, Judy, and Skeeter.
Peppermint Patty is yet another character from the Peanuts comic strip, but unlike the other characters, she is annoying and is the least friendly out of the bunch. Peppermint has a crush on Charlie Brown, but she isn’t good at showing it because she is constantly annoying him along with everyone else. She is good at sports though and tends to help her team win the game!
Get Peppermint Patty’s tomboy style with a brown bob wig, a white baseball cap, a green t-shirt, blue soccer shorts, brown slip-on sandals, safety baseballs, and a yellow foam baseball bat. Make sure to shout something annoying at people passing by to get the full cosplay effect of Peppermint Patty! Don’t cosplay alone and bring along Charlie Brown and Lucy too!
Pearl is one of the original and lasting Homeworld Gems on the animated show Steven Universe. Pearl ends up being the trainer to Steven himself, where she has to teach him all the ways of the Crystal Gems and the powers they possess. In return, Steven teaches Pearl about humans and their sarcastic ways since she hasn’t quite caught on to what a joke is.
You can recreate Pearl’s most up-to-date look with a turquoise, sleeveless tank top, matching flat shoes, and a turquoise bow to wrap around your waist. You will also need tall, light pink socks, yellow spandex shorts, peach colored hair dye, a yellow star iron-on patch, a large oval pearl for your forehead, and of course a turquoise sword.
Power Girl sounds familiar for a reason because she’s the cousin of Superman! She has all of the same powers, is from the same planet, but she has a little bit more of a spicy style than Superman does! Power Girl was on Krypton at the same time as Kal-L, but the form of machine she traveled in protect her from infant age until she could protect herself.
Get your superheroine look on with a white long sleeve bodysuit, a red superhero cape, blue knee-high boots, matching long blue gloves, and a short blonde wig. Don’t forget your cousin Kal-L, also known as Superman, to bring along with you to complete the dynamic duo cosplay!
Ruby is a Crystal Gem who is over 5,000 years old! Her name matches her skin tone and her personality. Her temper can be short, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t care about others. She may need some space from time to time, but she is genuinely sweet and caring to those around her.
Ruby’s costume is easy to recreate because you only need items that are colored…ruby, of course. Start out with a red bodysuit, a brown one-piece suit, a burgundy tank top, burgundy ankle boots, brown and burgundy wristbands, red face paint, ruby gemstones, and a burgundy ribbon to wrap around the dark red wig you will wear too!
Sally Brown is the younger sister of Charlie Brown from the popular Peanuts comic strip. She is much like Charlie Brown in the way that they are both sweet and innocent, but Sally has a side of her that would rather sit around and be lazy rather than get anything in life accomplished. She can be ignorant and a little sassy, but she means well in everything she does.
Turn yourself into Sally Brown with a pink dress covered in polka dots, a matching pink bow for your hair, white socks, and a pair of white sneakers. Sally’s hair is probably the most memorable part about her style, so make sure to grab a blonde wig and a blonde bun extension to add front and center on your hair! Don’t cosplay alone and bring along some friends to dress as Charlie Brown, Sally, and any of your other favorite Peanut characters!
Sam Sparks is the funny, smart, and quirky girl from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs who traveled alongside Flint Lockwood. She was constantly made fun of because she is smart, but that didn’t stop Sam from completely being herself and confident in her traits. Even Sam has faced some struggles with accomplishing her dreams, but she teaches everyone around her to keep on pushing until you reach your goals!
Sam learned a lot about herself and her feelings when she went on an adventure with Flint, and she was prepared for anything in her adventurous attire. Get the same look with a purple t-shirt underneath a lavender button-up shirt, khaki shorts with a brown belt, purple socks, and hiking boots. Top off the look with a canvas backpack and square frame glasses!
Sue Sylvester is a primary character from the popular show Glee since the very first season! She is dedicated, unstoppable, and downright snarky! This lady doesn’t quit for anything if it means that her cheerleading squad will succeed. She is the cheerleading coach of the Cheerios at McKinley High School, and her main goal is to take down anyone who gets in the way of the Cheerios being the star of the show!
Sue’s signature look is easy to pull together on your own. All you need is a short blonde wig like Sue’s hair, a blue tracksuit, white sneakers, a digital stopwatch, a coaches whistle on a lanyard, and a megaphone so that all of your sarcastic comments will be heard!
Susie Derkins is a character from the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. She is the complete opposite of Calvin, and they tend to fight quite often but that is probably because they actually have feelings for each other. They will never admit to it though, and Susie prefers to embarrass Calvin as much as possible! She’s a smart girl and likes to do well in everything she does especially if she is doing better than Calvin.
This is a costume for two, so have someone dress up as Calvin and you can go as Susie for your next cosplay couple! You will need a green t-shirt, blue overall shorts, white ankle socks, and white canvas shoes. Susie has short brown hair, which means you can show off your natural locks or grab a shorter wig. Don’t forget a brown plush bunny because Susie wouldn’t go too far without her Buns!
Tambry is a recurring character on Disney’s animated show, Gravity Falls. While she is not the main character, you can always depend on her to be stuck to her cellphone and updating her social media status every time she makes an appearance. She dates Robbie Valentino and will go out with her friends, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to give up her attention to anyone or anything other than her phone.
Tambry’s costume is easy to recreate because the most important part is a phone, which we all have! Throw on a short, purple, flipped out wig with a pink hair clip-in. Then add a purple long sleeve shirt over a white long sleeve, lavender tights, a purple skirt, black mid-calf boots, purple eyeshadow, and black ball earrings. Bring along some of your friends dressed as other characters from the show and you guys will be ready for Gravity Falls!
Velma Dinkley is one of the members of the Scooby Gang in the Hanna-Barbera series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! Velma is the brains of the operation and is the one the rest of the gang turns to when they are at a loss for who is committing crimes this time around. While Daphne is the damsel in distress, the Velma pulls out her book smarts and everything she has learned to solve mysteries.
To create the best Scooby Gang cosplay, have your friends dress as Shaggy, Fred, Daphne, and Scooby as you show off your cosplay skills of recreating Velma’s look. Mimic her style with a reddish/brown bob wig, an orange turtleneck sweater, a red skirt, orange knee-high socks, red Mary Jane shoes, and a pair of square-framed glasses- don’t forget these because Velma can’t see a thing without them!
Whether you already have short, stylish hair or are wanting to sport a short wig to change up your style, then this list of cosplay ideas are right up your alley! We have characters from the Peanuts crew, the Scooby Doo Gang, Presidential candidates, and Stranger Things! The choices are endless! After looking at the options above, there’s no way to feel limited on costume choices for Halloween. Short hair can be sexy, sassy, adorable, and nerdy—it all depends on what you are aiming for. Now take your pick and enjoy the short hair choices to cosplay!
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