Female werewolf costumes are growing in popularity as shape shifter stories from Stephanie Meyer's Indian wolves to Patricia Briggs' coyote sweep the imagination. Werewolves once represented the inner savagery of man, but the natural beast and female power is having an effect on that image.
Discover Female Werewolf Costumes
While vampire costumes have been the go to choice for decades, women have discovered the beauty of the inner beast as werewolves begin to compete with vampires for the paranormal landscape. For decades, werewolf mythos has been intensely masculine in nature. The act of shifting from man to beast being a primal, raw act that was more closely associated with men than with women. Unlike vampires where males and females seem to hold equal power, even tales of female werewolves show them as subservient to the men in their pack.
However, as with all things, pop culture is influencing this. You will find that if you want a female werewolf costume, you will most likely have to create the costume yourself. You'll need to adapt it to your specific needs. Thankfully, you can find many female werewolves in novels, film and television to draw your material from.
Popular female werewolves include:
- Leah Clearwater - In Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series, Leah is a a Quileute Indian who becomes a shape shifter like many of the other young men in her tribe. Although unusual because she is female, Leah can hold her own against the boys. She has a history with the pack leader that causes contention.
- Elena Michaels - Described as a long-legged, blonde bombshell, Elena is unique in Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld as the only female werewolf. Women, it seems, do not survive the change. Elena is also in line to become the next pack leader with mate Clay by her side.
- Mercy Thompson - Although not a werewolf, Mercy can shape shift into a coyote thanks to her Native American heritage, but she is mated to the Alpha of the Columbia Basin Pack and knows her way around the wolves.
The Problem with Werewolf Costumes
The problem with werewolf costumes is that unlike vampires and most other costumed creatures, werewolves have two natures: human and beast. While Bela Lugosi made The Wolf Man in 1941, he created an iconic image of werewolves that has remained in mainstream culture. The half-man, half-wolf is more maddened beast than man and is not that attractive because it is neither a full human or full beast.
Creating Your Werewolf Style
If you want to go for the female half-transitioned look, you can create a very sexy female werewolf look with the careful application of fur, hairstyle and makeup. You can use images from the musical Cats as your model for how you'll look when you're done.
When creating your werewolf costume, keep the following tips in mind:
- Choose earthy colors like brown, grey and silver with black highlights
- Use costume hair minimally on the backs of hands, around the color and in conjunction with your hairstyle
- Choose clothing that is loose but form flattering
- Style your hair so that it has that bristly stand up appearance of a wolf's coat
- Your makeup should enhance a wolfish appearance, giving your eyes lift and focus
- Use makeup colors that match your hair and clothes
- Claws are an option you might choose with well decorated nails
- Footwear should be comfortable since you'll be in transition
With just a dash of daring and danger, you can dress your inner wolf up and let her out to howl at the moon!
