Gabrielle Union and Missy Elliott master time reversal with pitch-perfect Halloween costumes
Aux Features Good Job Internet
While today’s hyperactive fame machine seemingly lobs dozens of new celebrities (a very loose definition of the title, anyway) into the public atmosphere week by week, only a few can hope for careers successful enough to contain actual eras. Both Gabrielle Union and Missy Elliott have maintained robust portfolios since the early ‘90s, becoming immovable figures within pop culture while opening countless doors for up-and-coming Black women in entertainment. Along with stash of notable characters each, they’re both intrinsically linked to certain iconography for the rest of their days. Seriously, if you get creative enough with a few black garbage bags and a glitter-bombed bike helmet, you’re either going to be subjected to people singing “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” to you all night, or you’re at the wrong party.
With Halloween mere days away, celebrities are starting to reveal their costumes to their waiting public, garnering reactions ranging from “Aww, that’s cute” to “Wow, you really are rich, aren’t you?” But we imagine that no costume be as impressive as those belonging to Union and Elliott, who decided to dress as the one thing that nobody else can really master: themselves. This weekend Union stepped out with her family while donning the legendary East Compton Clovers cheerleader uniform from one of her biggest films, 2000's Bring It On. Resurrecting her role as the Clovers’ mighty captain, Isis, Union looked as if she was ready to take on the rival Toros and their second-rate plagiarism all over again. With her daughter Kaavia dressed up in a preciously similar green uniform, Isis was even equipped with her much-needed posse Somehow 19 years has passed between Bring It On’s release and the below tweet.
Missy Elliott wasn’t far behind with her own ridiculously on-point Halloween getup, choosing to recreate the Supa Dupa Fly album cover from 1997. If not for the slight difference in the furniture’s design, we’d honestly just assume this was a remastered version of the same photo. Wearing the same shoes, Missy baseball jersey, even the same wig, the new photo is nearly indistinguishable from its source material. Call it an unfair advantage if you want, but who else can even come close?
Halloween may not technically be a competition… hell, who are we kidding? Of course, Halloween is competition, and these women kind of won.
13 Comments
Gotta love a tweet that begins with “WOW” then proceeds to effusively self-congratulate.
But I guess… she’s Missy.
Halloween is supposed to be about being something else for one night, not humblebragging about some shit you did 20 years ago.
First of all, there’s no humble in that brag, and second, Bring It On isn’t just “some shit”. Have some respect for the finest movie ever made about cheerleaders.
I must have missed that rule in the Halloween Manifesto. I didn’t even know there was a Halloween Manifesto. Is it like the lululemon Manifesto?
She nailed it. All the better that she can fit into that costume 20 years later. Any woman in your life will tell you this is a win. Oh wait, you don’t have a woman in your life?
I don’t think you win Halloween by wearing the same ol shit you wore 20 years ago.
You do when you are in the same shape and can fit into shit you wore 20 years ago and still look fly as fuck.
I love how everyone in the comment section is being so negative about these stars keeping themselves fit and putting on some great nostalgic outfits that their fans would love to see them in again.
I mean, it’s not like you all lost your minds when Brandon Routh was announced to be Superman again…right?
Ah classic AV Club, an article about black women and the comments are full of douchebags trying to tear them down.
Basically every “Great Job, Internet” comment section is full of people asserting that the internet based “job” being highlighted isn’t actually great. Granted, I’m a white guy so my radar may not be the most attuned, but I’ve never noticed any specific animosity towards black women here. Just general snark and derision towards everything.
It is true that most of those articles have a few snarky comments up top, but pretty much every article that’s solely about black women is dominated by comments about how whatever has happened isn’t that great or interesting or whatever. The insidiousness of the kind of racism you’ll see here isn’t that it’s specific, it’s all dog whistles and general trends. I figured it might be a fluke and just a culture of snark at first, but when you pay attention you can see clearly that there are different reactions to articles about black women than other topics.
You tried.
Seriously. Nothing like a strong, beautiful African American woman to make all these white virgins feel like lashing out.
For the record: Grabrielle–call me.