Seong Gi-hun from Squid Game, early 2000s Britney Spears, WandaVision’s Wanda Maximoff, A$AP Rocky at the Met Gala and Cruella de Vil are only a few of the Halloween costumes trending this year, and ones you’re guaranteed to spot when you're out trick-or-treating or at a spooky party come October 31.
For decades, costumes tended to stick to the classics – vampires, zombie nurses, lumberjacks with an axe through their heads. However, the advent of social media has lifted the lid on costume possibilities.
Memes, tweets, Marvel characters, major celebrity stories of the year all inform the decisions of true-blue Halloween fans, who like to put together the most current and niche outfits to impress friends. And, more importantly, with which to wow social media.
“One of the reasons why Halloween is so great is because you can dress up and show off in a way you may not ordinarily do,” says Carolyn Yaffe, clinical psychologist at Medcare's Camali Clinic for mental healthcare. “You can be an entirely different person and have a whole new personality. You can show off a cool costume while either trick-or-treating with your children or at a party. And, best of all, you get candy.”
The days of Halloween being seen as an evening for children are long gone, and adults are likely to spend more time putting together their own looks than those of their offspring. However, family-themed costumes are incredibly popular, with the way parents dress their families a subconscious declaration of how they want the world to view them.
“Families may gravitate towards choosing themed costumes that represent their values and qualities,” says Christine Kritzas, counselling psychologist and education director at The LightHouse Arabia. “The costumes parents choose for their kids may project how they wish for them to be in real life. They may choose characters for themselves and their kids that are brave, strong, intelligent, kind, etc as they too wish to be perceived as being that way in their respective communities.”
Whether you mask-up or meme-ify yourself, the reason for your costume this year may be spookily spot on.
Why dress up?
“Adults have a lot of responsibility on a day-to-day basis. Halloween is one day where work, home, children, and bills can be delayed,” says Yaffe. “It is a time for people to take on a character other than ourselves; we can transform our reality for at least a day.”
Donning costumes for All Hallows’ Eve, the night when our ancestors believed the spirits of the dead roamed the Earth, dates back more than 2,000 years. Going door-to-door trick-or-treating is thought to have appeared around the 15th century in a practice known as mumming or guising. The tradition allowed people to impersonate spirits to receive offerings, while at the same time hiding from the spirits to protect themselves.
“Dress-up allows adults space to play too,” says Kritzas. “Through dress-up, adults are given an opportunity to access different parts of themselves and access their creative sides. It also gives adults an opportunity to tap into their inner child and connect with that part that still wants to play, have fun, let their hair down and be carefree. Halloween, in general, stretches an individual’s imaginations through role-playing, creative outfits and myriad identities.”
What your choice of costume says about you
Whether pulling an old favourite out of the dress-up box, or spending a month meticulously planning a costume, what you wear on the spookiest night of the year can say a lot about who you are.
“Scary and shocking costumes are usually [chosen by] individuals who wish to challenge social norms and who seek to be different in a sea of conformity,” says Dr John Huber, a clinical forensic psychologist and chief executive of Tripsitter Clinic. “Sexy costumes can be for people who wish to exude their inner prowess and show they can be seductive. People who dress as superheroes may be doing so in order to be a superhero to themselves.”
Indeed, part of the fun is transforming into someone or something completely different for the evening. Psychologists point to a phenomenon called enclothed cognition, which finds that our choice of clothing can affect and influence our psychological state. It explains the bright, elaborate costumes many performers wear on stage, as well as concepts such as power dressing when you want to be perceived as powerful or authoritative in the workplace.
“Our choice of Halloween costumes says more about our personalities than we might be aware of,” says Kritzas. “The type of costume you choose may be attributed to many things, such as feeling the need to explore traits that aren’t that prominent within yourself, or trying to reflect a part of yourself that you generally tend to suppress.
“Those who choose to wear ‘powerful’ costumes may be more confident, aggressive, bold and controlling in their lives. However, others may do the same because they’re generally fearful beings who struggle to take risks and lack in assertiveness skills.”
“Dressing up like a celebrity or a pop star is an opportunity to live a fantasy life for one day,” says Yaffe.
Of masks and memes
There’s no denying that niche outfits, such as dressing up as a side character in a TV show or film, a meme or something that went viral online, have become a popular subset of Halloween costumes.
“Dressing up as memes or pop culture events are a way to self-express while also being relevant to the world going on around us,” explains Yaffe. “Although we are dressing up, it is still a great way to express who we are as people and how we feel about the world.”
As esoteric as they are, by dressing up as a pop culture moment, you’re not being as individualistic as you might think. “Those types of costumes are the ‘social norm’ and they are a safe play for people who don't want to rock the boat,” says Huber.
Kritzas agrees: “When someone dresses the part of someone or something that is trending at present, they are often playing it safe. Everyone approves of this person, so they are likely to approve of their choice of costume then, too.”
An alternative option is to wear a mask. “Sporting a mask or wearing a lot of make-up allows for one to step outside of themselves and into the persona of another,” says Kritzas. “The masks allow for people to appeal to others differently and protect them from having to show how they really feel at that specific time. Wearing masks can also give us permission to indulge in a part of ourselves that we long to express or have neglected from our pasts. “
“It allows us to take a break from being ourselves and to live vicariously through someone else,” says Huber. “In a costume, you may do things much differently and people may react in ways to you that they wouldn't if you were just you. It’s also a form of escapism.”
That Halloween costume feeling all year round
Experts agree that Halloween offers the chance for people to step outside of themselves for the night, often in ways that give them additional confidence. It’s also the case that the feelings we experience that evening don’t have to be relegated to a once-yearly occurrence.
“The principals of neuroplasticity inform us that if we dress the part of a confident character, then we start thinking and feeling as if we are that character,” explains Kritzas. “This then allows our brains the opportunity to form a new neural pathway of thinking confident thoughts and feeling positive emotions to match those thoughts. In order to then deepen that neural pathway, it is important to seek out more opportunities to experience those feelings of confidence.”
Feel-good endorphins, released when we feel the kind of confidence experienced from dressing up in costume, can be replicated without the need for a zombie outfit on other nights of the year.
“If wearing a Barack Obama costume on Halloween allows you to be more social and confident, and brings about feelings of stability and assertiveness, then a way of replicating that persona in real life would be to enrol in public speaking classes and build that muscle of confidence to express your views clearly,” says Kritzas. “The more you build that ‘muscle’ (ie neural pathway), the more confident you will feel daily without needing to wait for next year’s Halloween to roll around.”
Sweet%20Tooth
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
FA Cup fifth round draw
Sheffield Wednesday v Manchester City
Reading/Cardiff City v Sheffield United
Chelsea v Shrewsbury Town/Liverpool
West Bromwich Albion v Newcastle United/Oxford United
Leicester City v Coventry City/Birmingham City
Northampton Town/Derby County v Manchester United
Southampton/Tottenham Hotspur v Norwich City
Portsmouth v Arsenal
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Civil%20War
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
%E2%80%98FSO%20Safer%E2%80%99%20-%20a%20ticking%20bomb
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The biog
Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile
Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran
Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
Student Of The Year 2
Director: Punit Malhotra
Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal
1.5 stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
more from Janine di Giovanni
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre
Power: 325hp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh189,700
On sale: now
Results
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,200m; Winner: Major Cinnamon, Fernando Jara, Mujeeb Rahman
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,900m; Winner: Al Mureib, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Remorse, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
8.15pm: Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Meshakel, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Desert Peace, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m; Winner: Sharamm, Ryan Curatlo, Satish Seemar
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
LAST 16
SEEDS
Liverpool, Manchester City, Barcelona, Paris St-Germain, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Valencia, Juventus
PLUS
Real Madrid, Tottenham, Atalanta, Atletico Madrid, Napoli, Borussia Dortmund, Lyon, Chelsea
F1 drivers' standings
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 281
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 247
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes 222
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull 177
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 138
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull 93
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 86
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 56
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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ASIAN%20RUGBY%20CHAMPIONSHIP%202024
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
RESULTS
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group 1 (PA) Dh119,373 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: Brraq, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Taamol, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Turf) 1,800m
Winner: Eqtiraan, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm: UAE 1000 Guineas Trial (TB) Dh183,650 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Soft Whisper, Pat Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
9.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Hypothetical, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,000m
Winner: Etisalat, Sando Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
MATCH INFO
AC Milan v Inter, Sunday, 6pm (UAE), match live on BeIN Sports
