Need some help with fancy dress - have to go as a political activist!!!!!

[Wilbur]

I'm going to a birthday party in a few weeks and the theme is Come As A Political Activist. The hostess is a mad keen fancy dresser, and I usually don't mind a bit of silliness, but at the moment I just have no time to get anything organised and I can't afford to rent a costume (what would I rent anyway?). Has anyone got any suggestions for people and then how to put the costume together?

Think DH is going as Emiliano Zapata, with crossed belts and big tash.

What was that guy who used to live in trees called? You could go all scruffy and be him.
Or as Bob Geldof or Bono.

frida kahlo? evita peron? mrs thatcher? a suffragette? joan of arc?

That suffergette....Emily Pankhurst?

Go in your dc's spiderman outfit as Fathers for Justice. Everyone else will beat you up.

Swampy - the guy who lived in trees - would be fun. You could roll in your compost heap to get the olfactory effect.

I know someone else already snagged Frida Kahlo - that would have been good. Mexican shawl and a monobrow.

Mrs Thatcher - now that would set the cat among the pigeons, quite tempted to see if charity shop has a blue suit and frilly blouse.

JV - Did think about the pankhursts but how to do the costume? Don't really want to rent a full on Edwardian thing as it's July and I will sweat and smell musty all night.

Joan of Arc possible, ds1 has a knigths outfit I might be able to alter.

I can sew by the way, so could make something simple.

Or go in black leggings and a big t-shirt with slogan across it like Katherine Hamnett did when she met Thatcher.

Hang on, in what way was Mrs Thatcher a political activist. Political nightmare more like.

Oooh, I love the Fathers for Justice Idea, maybe for dh. Ds1 Spidey costume is a bit small though.

True - now way round the edwardian get-up.

Jodie Marsh is very anti meat.........now she barely wers a thing.

Just a thought.

Well, as terrible as she was, you can't deny she had an enormous political effect on the country. Anyway, this thread is not about politics, it's about my party crisis, which is much more important.

And I am much more attractive than Jodie Marsh

I did have an idea of going as Gloria Steinhem during her Bunny Girl expose phase, but then I remembered what my rear would look like in fishnets. Plus it's a bit of an obscure reference.

go in nothing but a fake beard, plus flesh-coloured pants with a sausage attached and say you're Vincent Bethell (the naked activist bloke who wouldn't evne put clothes on to be sentenced in court)

Or black balaclava and army-jacket, as an Animal Libber

Or, if really desperate, wear your scruffiest clothes and make yourself a banner with the anti-globalisation slogan of your choice

Disclaimer: I am not endorsing any political position here just thinking of easy costumes

I once went to a Heroes fancy dress party dressed as "Votes for Women": an elegant and sexy black dress, purple and green sash, and a metal chain of fat gold and silver links twisting from wrist to wrist round my arms and neck. The chain also twisted through little fence panels made of black and silver cardboard. 'Chained to the railings' - geddit ?

That's very good pretty candles, gets around the Edwardian costume thing - will have to see if I have any longish dresses. Madamez, I think the May Day protester will def be my fall back position if I can't get other costume ideas sorted in time. I could make a McDonalds sign out of card and then grafitti it.

Was going to say Swampy too MarieCeleste! Or a Greenham Common protestor?

Greenham Common would be good - I did want to go as a woman (there will be enough Che Gs and Bolivars there, I'm sure). So I need a CND sign and maybe a cardboard Cruise Missile.

Found this activist

Arf, skribble. Have forwarded that to dh. And I was Born in the USA so it would be appropriate...

If you have nice legs wear leggings and a big t-shirt with 98% oppose Pershing on it.
Or
I hate fancy dress. this one seems particularly barking.

Yes, she is barking, my friend - she likes nothing better than making a new outfit out of cardboard. I certainly could do without having to assemble a costume (n top of dd's Angelina Ballerina outfit and ds1's Willy Wonka costume for book week), but it is her 40th birthday party, so I feel I should enter into the spirit of things.

peter tatchell? easy depends on what your dh has lying around..

or..go as the flan / pie throwing guy..cant remember his name but that would be fun!

Rosa Luxemburg
Golda Meir
Jane Fonda
Arundhati Roy
Aung San Suu Kyi
Evita Peron

Boudicca? Esp if prepared to flaunt your norkage, erm, naked.