Kristi Noem's Most Inappropriate Cosplay Outfits

Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security, seems to treat her job like an opportunity for dress up. The former Governor of South Dakota is the queen of cosplay, where she leans into fashion accessories and costumes for site visits. The problem is that dressing up as a prison warden, or cowgirl, or nurse isn't part of Noem's job. What makes Noem's love of costumes so awkward is that previous secretaries of homeland security didn't dress up while at work. Alejandro Mayorkas, who had the job from 2021-2025, wore a lot of suits and ties. Kirstjen Nielsen, who was Secretary of Homeland Security from 2017-2019, wore a lot of skirt suits and slacks. Conversely, for Noem, everyday is Halloween. 

The biggest problem with Noem's love of cosplay is that it makes her look incompetent at her job. The job itself requires the secretary of homeland security to oversee protection for the country. Since it's a cabinet-level position, it requires strategy and coordination and a lot of communication. It does not involve a costume routine of pantomiming the different groups who provide security. While we never want to diss anyone who enjoys looking good, Noem's personal styling choices have repeatedly proven distracting from her job. Several of Noem's outfits had people talking for the wrong reasons. Furthermore, Noem's use of heavy makeup came with several mistakes. Even Noem's face transformation, which is a sight to see, had people whispering about plastic surgery rumors. Her cosplay is just one more instance of inappropriate workplace attire. 

According to her outfits, Kristi Noem's job includes a multitude of titles, prison warden being one of them. She wears many hats, and on September 3, 2025, she visited the Louisiana State Penitentiary in a trucker hat. On her visit, where she and the Trump administration promoted a new detention facility called the Louisiana Lockup, Noem sported Immigration and Customs Enforcement merch. Complete with a trucker hat detailing the ICE logo, and a blue collared shirt with further detailing, Noem tried to embody the "hot cop" persona when a business suit would have been far less distracting. 

Kristi Noem paid a visit to the crew of the US Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba, in Panama City, Panama in June 2025 and got absolutely roasted for dressing up like a crew member. To be fair, she did dress in a blue collared work shirt with aviators when, considering her job, a professional suit may have been more appropriate. "Awesome cosplay," someone began on Instagram. "Just like pre-school for you. So play nice now. Can't wait for next week's dress up." Another person chimed in: "According to your outfits, you work 10 different jobs. Stop playing dress up, botox Barbie." A third person made a movie reference. "Remember Sandra Bullock in 'The Heat,' LOL?" they commented. The coast guard look didn't go down well. 

By far one of the most egregious photos of Kristi Noem dressed up in her cosplay ICE patrol look was when she visited the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador in March 2025. While Noem showed up in her full, curled hair, a face full of makeup, and her blue ICE ball cap, the prisoners who stood behind her were stripped of most of their clothing, which created a jarring juxtaposition between Noem and the men behind her. On top of that, Noem wore a $50,000 gold Rolex watch, which made the situation even more tone deaf. The whole situation, with Noem sporting full glam, curled hair and a Rolex, felt cruel and dehumanizing. 

Things got a little awkward when Kristi Noem shared a video on Instagram in February 2025 of herself using a blowtorch on a pile of cardboard. Her caption was in reference to Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. Noem captioned the video: "I have a flamethrower if Elon Musk and Javier Milei need help cutting AND burning the government waste!" But the fact that she was wearing a full camo outfit struck people as cringy. 

"Aww barbie cosplaying law enforcement," someone commented. On X, people weren't any happier about the video. "Cringe. You're DHS director. You don't need to produce stunts, you need to produce results," someone tweeted, touching on the exact problem behind all of Noem's cosplay. "We don't need a show. We need a job done," another tweeted. Not impressed. 

Kristi Noem visited the White House for the Governors' Dinner in February 2025 and showed up in pink from head to toe. The maxi skirt and tonal blouse were a big departure from her usual attire of trucker hats and camo. At least we saw Noem in something different. However, it didn't play out that well considering one of Noem's ongoing nicknames in the media is "ICE Barbie," based on her penchant for hair extensions, makeup, and lip filler while out on the job. The pink seemed to accidentally amplify that moniker. People had no patience for the outfit on X. "Americans are going hungry while you play Rambo barbie," one person tweeted in reply after Noem shared photos. Another sarcastically tweeted: "Well after a tough 2 weeks of photo ops and horseback rides, you deserve a break. Enjoy!" Pink might have been a little too playful for the night. 

During a visit to New York City in January 2025, Kristi Noem reportedly wore a bullet proof vest while participating in deportation raids in the area. The situation was a little unusual, because Noem styled her hair in long, flowing tresses with heavy makeup, but also wore jeans, a ball cap and a protective vest. For many social media users, the outfit came across as performative and inappropriate as it drew attention away from the situation and instead kept the focus on her. Unsurprisingly, people absolutely roasted Noem on X for this look. "Cosplaying like she's in some cheesy reality TV show," someone tweeted. "Did you get that at Spirit Halloween? Also you have four flashlights in your vest," another added with the laughing emoji. "How cute, Kristi is playing make believe," a third wrote. The situation felt like a photo-op rather than a thoughtful, humane approach to homeland security. 

In an effort to appear like she was putting boots on the ground, Kristi Noem spent time with South Dakota National Guard soldiers as they put up a fence with barbed wire at the top. In several photos shared to Instagram in October 2024, Noem talked about spending the day helping them put up a border wall. She wore a hard hat, flared jeans and, of course, her big, styled hair in a ponytail, which looked absurd next to the gentlemen wearing full camo. The photo-ops came off as political theatrics, since the actual act of building a wall isn't part of Noem's job. Instead, it felt like a chance for her to look like a construction worker. 

Kristi Noem attended the Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup in October 2024 and really dressed the part. Complete with fringed chaps, a big belt buckle, boots, and a cowboy hat, her outfit looked ready for the rodeo. Of course, she shared several photos from the event on social media, and the reactions weren't exactly positive. Some users felt like the photo-op was inauthentic and staged for personal publicity. On X, one person called Noem out for looking a little too dolled up for the occasion. "Who does a buffalo roundup with fresh botox and face fillers and full hair and makeup? You are as fake as those hair extensions," they tweeted. Another called out Noem for paying so much attention to her outfit while ignoring issues like hunger and poverty in South Dakota.

Kristi Noem frequently attends the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, particularly when she was the governor of the state. For some, however, it just felt like one more moment where Noem got to dress up as a new character and post photos. People on X piped up about their thoughts. "Another photo shoot paid for by the South Dakota taxpayers," one person began. "Clown." Others were equally annoyed. "Look everyone Kitty Noem thinks she's a big, bad biker," someone tweeted. "Oh boy..here we go...I was wondering when you were going to post stupid vids or pics of yourself pretending to be a biker," a third added. People were not impressed. 

Back when Kristi Noem was the Governor of South Dakota, she dressed up as a nurse in a pair of grey scrubs to let people know that her state was hiring health care workers. She shared the video to YouTube in January 2024, and people couldn't believe it. "She has to stop with these, first a cop then a nurse," someone commented. "This is so weird," another wrote. "This is such an offense to nurses. This video should be taken down," another added, clearly upset. The irritation around Noem dressing as a nurse arose because people felt like it distracted from the seriousness of the healthcare world, and instead just gave Noem a chance to try on a new costume.