For years kids have donned the poofy dresses, tiny tiaras, and glittery eyeshadows of princesses they adore on Halloween. Just because these kids get older and enter college, which is a kingdom to be conquered all on its own, it does not mean they cannot still be royalty for a night.

Story by Rheagan Kearney

Pop queens such as Madonna, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez, have inspired the masses to be fierce and unapologetically themselves no matter who has something negative to say about it. They have each taught valuable lessons about resisting a society that demonizes the sexuality of a woman, loving whoever you want to love, and after battling struggles, pain, and breakdowns it is more than possible to make a comeback.

These queens used their careers to establish to the world, it does not matter what color, religion, sexual orientation, gender, socioeconomic status or age a person is. Every person deserves respect, visibility, and the freedom to be exactly who they are. Their strength, courage, and superhuman ability to shake the social norms that try to confine them set them apart as key influences on the world that adores them. This Halloween, use these tips to pay homage to the true matriarchs of our time.

Madonna

The key to any Madonna look is clutter. Queen Madge rocked as many bracelets as her wrist could hold at any given time, and every accessory is a bold overstatement. She made each of her intentions clear with her style choices. Another classic Madonna tip is mixing traditionally masculine clothing with the frills and thrill of traditional femininity. She not only wore the pants, she rocked lace and lingerie to fully celebrate women’s expression of their sexuality.

Experiment with button downs and ties paired with fluffy tulle skirts or wear a lacy bustier exposed under blazer and trousers. Be sure to blend out any eye makeup to a barely there, smoky shadow and use plenty of hairspray to achieve the wildest teased hair possible. Remember there is no such thing as over accessorizing a Madonna look!

Beyoncé

Queen Bey is hailed for her iconic bodysuits, but on account of fall temperatures and rain rearing its ugly head, it may be safer to channel the iconic Beychella looks. Paying homage to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Beyoncé gift-wrapped these looks to be replicated by college students. Though these cropped hoodies are available for purchase for a cool $895, any cropped hoodie will suffice with a distressed pair of denim bottoms. Finish the look with a statement bootie and a simple glossy eye and lip combo.

Lady Gaga

During the “Born this Way” era, Lady Gaga encouraged her little monsters to express their bold sides with this statement red lip and dramatic eyeliner that connects from below the eye all the way across the eyelid. A variation of this look spans the visual representations of this album and completes her grunge-biker inspired looks throughout this period. The outfits from this period are comprised of black jeans, leather, and black bandanas tied around her glamorously blown out hair. Get creative with the Egyptian-inspired eyeliner looks which are the focus of the eyes and ombre the red lip with a black liner to increase the drama of the look. Finish this look with a Marilyn Monroe beauty mark and your paws up!

Britney Spears

Though the school girl uniform is commonly linked with Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time” video, Brit channeled her inner Sporty Spice for over 70 percent of her inaugural video which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. While keeping the pig tails and fuzzy hair accessories, she ditched the skirt for a sports bra and loose sweat pants to better accommodate her choreography and acrobatics. For Queen Brit, less has always been more and if the plan is to dance Halloween night away, the sporty ensemble is perfect for a flirty and fun costume.

Jennifer Lopez

Even while accepting awards, J.Lo makes it a point to stay close to her roots in the Bronx. This all-white ensemble with plenty of bling and silver hoops to match set off a major style shift when she accepted the award in 2000. While all-white may be a little hazardous for a spooky night out, try to make the jeans, crop top, and bandana monochromatic. Accessorize with glitzy bracelets and necklaces and don’t forget the belly jewelry. The four rhinestones framing J.Lo’s navel are a small detail, but a have a huge impact in showing she is still Jenny From The Block, just with a little more sparkle.

What all these queens have in common is fierce and unmoving confidence. Their reign is not all bottled up in the clothes they wear or how fierce their makeup is, it comes from the power of their strut and the grit in their work ethic. When putting on these costumes, be sure to channel that influential queen energy and never take it off.