to let my ten-year-old DD dress as an anarchist for the royal wedding?

[cinnamontoast]

At DD's school they've been asked to dress like royalty for a day to celebrate the royal wedding. Felt slightly sick at the thought of all those little princesses and, knowing my DD is distinctly anti-girly and not especially pro-royal, I suggested she go as a republican. Oliver Cromwell is tricky to do (suit of armour, anyone?), so we settled on an anarchist - all in black, anarchy symbol splashed on T-shirt, bomb etc. Now I'm wondering if it's a bit inappropriate and in bad taste. Maybe I should lighten up a bit about royalty? Otoh, she REALLY doesn't want to be a queen or a princess, it's just not her style.

Or a Blackadder styled fop?

King Kong?

I like he executioner idea. And it would be easy to do - black clothes, a balaclava and a cardboard axe.

I would be careful sending her dressed as an anarchist. According to news reports there may well be disorder from them around the royal wedding and you might not want to associate your DD with that, even by accident. Punk is probably OK but I wouldnt do black, balaclavas or fake bombs.

elastamum I suppose what it comes down to is whether you as a family hold anarchist or anti-royalist views. I wouldn't mind my daughter being 'associated with anarchists' because realistically it wouldn't take other parents an awful lot of putting two and two together to 'associate her with anarchists' every time we walk her to school, and I don't think that's anything for her or us to be ashamed of.
Other people sent their kids to school in political rosettes over the elections, I think that's a lot more stupid than my child being judged on our political beliefs at face value, and I'd be immensely proud if at age 10 she wanted to go to a 'Royal Day' at school dressed in a costume that was a little bit satirical or tongue in cheek.

But that's just me, I think if you're really worried about your family or your daughter being in any way associated with anarchists then perhaps best not to send her to school dressed as one to make a bit of a statement, but then I also think that's probably common sense!

LeQueen, believe me, my DD has strong opinions on everything. When she heard DH had put her down as a Christian on the census she was very cross - wants to change it to agnostic.

Thanks for all the great ideas, everyone. DD's friend has bagged Boudicca, and her other close friend is a dead ringer for Cleopatra. Royal Doulton, KingKong, it just gets better and better. CatAmongstPigeons, your DD sounds great. Not all little girls swallow the princess line, do they, and a good thing too.

Elastamum, what paper do you read??

Dressing her as a bomber is far from being hilarious. The little executioner gets my vote - it makes your point, but much more subtly than the anarchist/bomb thing.

Have not read the whole thread but I think it is very wrong for the school to arrange this kind of activity in the first place.

You should call them up on it as it is gender stereotyping to begin with and it is not fair to ram this wedding down the childrens throat.

You could send her as Noam Chomsky. He is an anarcho-syndicalist and is unlikely to turn up at the actual royal wedding with a bomb.

Elvis

I just keep thinking Che Guevara for some reason...

I say ditch the bomb but the anarchist idea is great.

Chomsky is a twat though.

It seems like an odd thing for the school to do.

More to the point, how on earth do you dress as Chomsky? Reminds me if the 'Architect' dressing up costume I saw online ;)

You could always send her as Kropotkin and just strap a MASSIVE beard to her face...

I would totally do Elvis BTW.

Bleargh, Not cliChe Guevara.. Not unless you're going to send her to school with a gun so she can shoot any of her little friends who dare to disagree with her using the excuse that they were being 'counter-revolutionary'.

As long as your DD is willing, I'd go for it!

A friend of mine was told that for St George's Day, the children in her DD's nursery were to dress up as Knights (ok so far) and Princesses (like that has anything to do with St George!!!), so on the day the little one (aged 2.5) went dressed as a Dragon :)

Che Guevara wasn't an anarchist anyway.

How about Proudhon? It would involve a beard again.

I don't think that the school is right for setting the day up in that way, but...

It sounds like her friends have sensible ideas. Surely it's possible to steer towards more useful forms of subversions, one that won't leave her cringing at a later date?

I can't count the number of views and opinions I vehemently held and argued at 10 (or indeed 14, 16 and 21), that I haven't reconsidered as I grew up, including views on monarchy, religion feminism etc etc etc.

I went to an 80s fancy dress as Princess Diana post-car crash - inspired by uber-tweeter Diana in Heaven. Bits of metal stuck over a posh frock, etc. But there are some great ideas here too. Agree that the bomb is an unnecessary addition to an otherwise great idea though.
Feeling slightly sick at the realisation that we have all this ahead of us (DD is 2).

DH has just said that if they had anarchists' day at school she might want to go as a princess. But actually she just really doesn't like princesses and doesn't think there's much point to the royal family. I don't think she'll necessarily cringe at that later, LunarRose.