3 Costume Wishes

1 - I wish this was a bloated corpse mask... and not my face:


2 - I wish this was a clown wig... and not my hair:

3 - I wish that Christy still wore this shirt... and we're not talking costuming here:

become one with nature

Dear Christy - thank you for the beautiful picture of Copious Bountica. Copious Bountica is indeed a powerful figure (although I would suggest that it is a somewhat idealized portrait of her, perhaps biased by the artist's sensual love of the Amazonian Queen). I shall save all the intricacies of Bountica's existence for a future post...

For now, I present this gem. Although this photo is several years old, it never ceases to disturb me. And inspire me. I am a tree. That is a bird on my head. That is my real hair. Enough said.

copious bountica

I must admit: Heather pulls off a beard with panache.

I adore Heather's incarnation as Heyzeus, but it also inspired me to reveal a counter-identity: Copious Bountica, Amazonian queen! If Heyzeus is Heather's animus, then Copious Bountica is a hero archetype, or possibly a persona, depending on whether we are considering self-integration or the collective unconscious. Or I could be completely mistaken. I'm not exactly an expert on Jungian psychology.

Anyway, I leave it to Copious herself to reveal herself in her full glory, or not, as the case may be. I will merely suggest that she is one saucy warrior woman!

For now, I humbly present a portrait of the Amazonian Heather. I think there's a bit of lioness in there too.

What would Heyzeus do?

This is Heyzeus. Heyzeus not only has incredible mystical powers of wine production and healing; she also has one badass mother fucking beard.

Guest Dress-Up: Moustache

I have often regretted my inability to grow impressive facial hair. Although a beard is not a prerequisite for my approval, I'm impressed by men who choose to wear beards and do it with style. I have mixed feelings towards certain manifestations of facial hair (moustaches in general, very large sideburns, and anything braided or pony-tailed); however, in the end, I respect freedom of facial hair expression. The shaping possibilities are nearly endless. Just last week, my older brother crafted himself a bold curtainous moustache. Then he accessorized it with this hat. I approve.

Let us cavort like the Greeks of old!

Hello. My name is Hedonism-Bot. I am built for pleasure. I enjoy being carried around on long walks by my minions, watching sunsets while being fanned by my minions, and fine dining on grapes provided to me by my minions. Though I am welded to my chaise, I manage to have a variety of hobbies. I am involved in the arts, having commissioned a terrible opera for my own gratification. My favourite phrase is, "I apologize for nothing!"

I would like to meet others whose interests include hedonism and debauchery. We will have smashing good times forcing my minions to attend to our every desire. Let the games begin!

(This is where my thoughts wander when I should be doing schoolwork. I would rather be a Hedonism-Bot.)

she does not pull all-nighters

November can be a month of intense brain melt. When exploring alteregos in November, it can be helpful to choose and create personas that are intelligent and collected. This character is both of those things. She reads large books successfully. She demands a quiet environment in which to unleash the totality of her incredible brain power. She whips school's ass in the most sadistic of ways.

manifesta: deuxième partie

September 2005: Impromptu celebrations of International Talk Like A Pirate Day led to this photo being taken. Needless to say, preparations for this current dress-up project have been in the works for years. I hope that (alter)égoïste will be a constructive forum for exploring my many alter egos, as well as those of my partner in crime!

The modern/postmodern/post-postmodern self is built around reflexive explorations of identity. Through taking on a variety of personae, we are able to delve into facets of our personalities that might otherwise go unexamined. We understand ourselves best through our encounters with others; in fact, the self can only be understood as reflected in other selves. Costuming allows us to internalize these encounters by adopting the perspective of another self, and by acknowledging the power of the masks we wear.

Also, all philosophising aside, I simply enjoy dressing up! Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!

darkwing to the max

It's frustrating that there are so few sanctioned opportunities for costume-wearing in our society (unless you work at the circus, in theatre, or as one of those unfortunate people who stands on street corners in soiled flower and animal suits trying to draw drivers' attention to crappy kiosks, fundraising events, and newly opened grocery stores... and let's be honest, those occupations hardly count as 'sanctioned' activities). One beautiful exception to general costume-disapproval is, of course, Halloween. I love Halloween immensely. This Halloween, I proudly paid tribute to the greatest cartoon superhero of the early 90s.

"I am the terror that flaps in the night. I am Darkwing Duck"

PS - Very weird: I just used Google, and even though it's November 12th, the 'Google' graphic is all dolled-up Halloween styles. What an eerie coincidence to mark this posting... maybe there IS a higher power afterall

(alter)égoïstes

(alter)egotism: an alternative self-obsession and an obsession with the alternative self

This space is dedicated to the frequently underappreciated diversion, art, and social experiment of ‘dressing-up’. We support embracing childhood joys, viewing the body as canvas, and exploring the fluidity and ambiguity of identity. ‘Dressing-up’ has immense potential as a psychological, intellectual, and political tool. Vivent les (alter)égoïstes!

Damn. That is one powerful sweet-ass manifesto. In addition, I would like to emphasize how much we enjoy creating, strutting around in, and laughing at our invented outfits as an alternative to school, work, and other activities which often feel lame. Due to its fundamentally cool nature, ‘dressing-up’ never feels lame.