Beyonce and JAY-Z always slay on Halloween, and this year was no different. For their 2018 costumes, Beyonce dressed as Olympic athlete Florence Griffith Joyner, better known as Flo Jo, while Jay was legendary sports star, Tommie Smith. In case your unfamiliar, Flo Jo was a track and field sprinter, who set world records in the 100m and 200m races at the 1988 Olympics. These records still stand today. Bey wore a Death By Dolls purple leotard, just like the iconic one that Flo Jo did at the ’88 games, which featured one pants leg, as well as her hair in Flo’s usual half-up, half-down style.
Meanwhile, Tommie was an Olympic medalist at the 1968 games, and will forever be remembered for his Black Power Salute atop the podium. The salute was a protest against racism and injustice against African Americans. Fellow medalist, John Carlos, joined him in making the salute, which is forever remembered as a symbol of the Black Power Movement. For his costume, JAY-Z wore a USA tracksuit and gold medal, and even raised his fist in the air to make the salute himself as he posed for a couples’ photo with Bey.
Sadly, Flo Jo mysteriously died in her sleep at the young age of 38 in 1998. It was revealed that she had died from suffocation as the result of epileptic seizures, and the coroner also found that she suffered from a brain abnormality that made her prone to such seizures. Tommie is still alive today at 74 years old.
This was Bey’s second spot-on Halloween costume of 2018 — she also dressed as Toni Braxton over the weekend, and referred to herself as “Phoni Braxton.” In 2016, Bey and Jay dressed as Barbie and Ken, along with their daughter, Blue Ivy.