Costumefilter, difficulty level: Conceptual and Beanplated.
November 4, 2014 5:20 PM Subscribe
How do I design a costume that represents the Fear of Heights?
For an upcoming party, I blithely committed myself to dressing up as the Fear of Heights.
A person who's scared stiff of ladders and tall trees ought to have this sewn up, but it's proving much more difficult that I expected.
I've come up with a couple of concepts, but my peanut gallery is giving me the puzzled "Uh huh, yup, you're getting the heights part down, right enough, but where's the fear?"
The best idea I've got is pretty over-egged:
"I'll wear blue trousers, see - to be an ocean- then a sort of belt thing around my waist, with wires sticking out with puffy clouds and silhouettes of birds stuck to the ends of them, then I'll dip a white shirt in black dye so there's this sort of ombre effect going up to my shoulders, and I'll stick silver crystals on the black part of the shirt for stars - "
"and…"
"and my face is up above it! Get it?"
"…"
"I'm really really high up! I'll use a greenish foundation and paint in some frightened eyebrows up near my hairline? And stick a little model of a rocket ship in my hair!"
"I got the 'heights' part, but where's the part where you're scared?" Where's the fear?"
In other words, I'm way over-and-under-thinking this, and the ideas that I've got self-evidently stink. Please help me come up with something that will save me from walking around all evening hugging a backpack labeled "PARACHUTE." I like a little beanplating.
For an upcoming party, I blithely committed myself to dressing up as the Fear of Heights.
A person who's scared stiff of ladders and tall trees ought to have this sewn up, but it's proving much more difficult that I expected.
I've come up with a couple of concepts, but my peanut gallery is giving me the puzzled "Uh huh, yup, you're getting the heights part down, right enough, but where's the fear?"
The best idea I've got is pretty over-egged:
"I'll wear blue trousers, see - to be an ocean- then a sort of belt thing around my waist, with wires sticking out with puffy clouds and silhouettes of birds stuck to the ends of them, then I'll dip a white shirt in black dye so there's this sort of ombre effect going up to my shoulders, and I'll stick silver crystals on the black part of the shirt for stars - "
"and…"
"and my face is up above it! Get it?"
"…"
"I'm really really high up! I'll use a greenish foundation and paint in some frightened eyebrows up near my hairline? And stick a little model of a rocket ship in my hair!"
"I got the 'heights' part, but where's the part where you're scared?" Where's the fear?"
In other words, I'm way over-and-under-thinking this, and the ideas that I've got self-evidently stink. Please help me come up with something that will save me from walking around all evening hugging a backpack labeled "PARACHUTE." I like a little beanplating.
Carve a section of a building ledge out of structural foam, paint it grey, then hold it over your head by the tips of your fingers.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 5:36 PM on November 4, 2014 [6 favorites]
posted by ZenMasterThis at 5:36 PM on November 4, 2014 [6 favorites]
The first thing that popped into my head was a simple sandwich-board-type costume with poster-sized images of Edvard Munch's "The Scream" on both sides. Because that dude DEFINITELY looks afraid. Then, pasted all around him onto the red sky are lots of little labels that say "14,302 ft." "8,146 meters," etc.. (You could also include some labels that say things like "Kilimanjaro," "Empire State Building Observation Deck," "Wherever Nik Wallenda Is Right Now," too, just to make things more vivid/interesting. But I kinda like just a bunch of simple height numbers, too.)
P.S. One of the BEST things about costumes like this is that you can just be wearing all black (or whatever) underneath, and when you're sick of the costume, WOO! It's off in two seconds and you can party the rest of the night in comfort.
Have a great time -- just watch your step on any balconies 'n stuff. :)
posted by argonauta at 5:59 PM on November 4, 2014 [3 favorites]
P.S. One of the BEST things about costumes like this is that you can just be wearing all black (or whatever) underneath, and when you're sick of the costume, WOO! It's off in two seconds and you can party the rest of the night in comfort.
Have a great time -- just watch your step on any balconies 'n stuff. :)
posted by argonauta at 5:59 PM on November 4, 2014 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks for the answers so far! I'm not the biggest fan of sandwich-board costumes - i tend to prefer something i can wear all night, even if it needs to disintegrate around me. (best memories ever of dressing up as a bunch of grapes for a trick-or-treat in an area with a LOT of thorn bush. Three houses down and i was calling myself a pack of raisins...)
posted by tabubilgirl at 6:10 PM on November 4, 2014
posted by tabubilgirl at 6:10 PM on November 4, 2014
Best answer: How about a headband which sports a large speech bubble with a *SCCREAAAMMMM* or something similar printed on it? (arrghhh maybe), in addition to your costume.
posted by Youremyworld at 6:21 PM on November 4, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Youremyworld at 6:21 PM on November 4, 2014 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I was envisioning something along the lines of what muddgirl suggested. I don't know how much construction you are able to do or how bulky the costume can be but I was thinking making a building costume in that exaggerated perspective shape like this. Puffy clouds and maybe a pigeon or two can help demonstrate height.
Then make up to indicate fear and sweating. And it'd be cool if you could somehow rig up a small CPU fan or something to blow your hair around a little.
Then just for fun at the party, cling to the walls the whole time, lurch around the room, clutching hold of the door frames, furniture, other people, etc., like you are constantly almost falling.
I love these kinds of costumes! So much better than "slutty fill-in-the-blank". I hope you post back with a photo.
posted by Beti at 6:47 PM on November 4, 2014 [1 favorite]
Then make up to indicate fear and sweating. And it'd be cool if you could somehow rig up a small CPU fan or something to blow your hair around a little.
Then just for fun at the party, cling to the walls the whole time, lurch around the room, clutching hold of the door frames, furniture, other people, etc., like you are constantly almost falling.
I love these kinds of costumes! So much better than "slutty fill-in-the-blank". I hope you post back with a photo.
posted by Beti at 6:47 PM on November 4, 2014 [1 favorite]
Dress as either Kim Novak or James Stuart from Vertigo.
posted by girlgenius at 6:50 PM on November 4, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by girlgenius at 6:50 PM on November 4, 2014 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Ooh I like the building ledge and parachute backpack. (How about "Broken parachute"? Fear of flying is like, everything that could go wrong, all life vests will be broken kind of anxiety). If you're not opposed to face makeup, maybe some Charlie Brown scared eyes would help, or a large "?!!" sign.
posted by ana scoot at 6:52 PM on November 4, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by ana scoot at 6:52 PM on November 4, 2014 [1 favorite]
When I think "fear of heights" I think of the classic Hitchcock thriller Vertigo which has a bunch of memorable iconography.Or go a couple of notches campier / less subtle with imagery from Mel Brooks' Hitchcock parody film High Anxiety.
posted by Nerd of the North at 10:36 PM on November 4, 2014 [1 favorite]
White knuckles!
posted by Sunburnt at 9:37 AM on November 5, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Sunburnt at 9:37 AM on November 5, 2014 [2 favorites]
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posted by muddgirl at 5:30 PM on November 4, 2014 [7 favorites]