Episode 5: The Hero Inside Yourself – Fantasy Costumes and Film

Like fancy dress, movies are adept at conveying the zeitgeist. And just like fancy dress, the Silver Screen can reassure us, motivate us, and inspire us. It is no wonder, then, that movie-themed dress up has become a staple of costumed parties the world over, from caped crusaders and femmes fatales, to the fantastic and the fierce. But is the imitation of movie characters and clothing always joyful?

Are movie-inspired costumes transforming, or do they reinforce social and gendered norms? What makes the Silver Screen ‘Super Hero’ costume so compelling, and how are these brightly coloured guardians used to convey diverse messages? What are some of the most memorable film scenes to inspire fancy dress? Listen, and be inspired to channel your inner hero through costume.

Links:

• The reality behind Barbie’s physique: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2308658/How-Barbies-body-size-look-real-life-Walking-fours-missing-half-liver-inches-intestine.html; https://www.huffingtonpost.com/galia-slayen/the-scary-reality-of-a-re_b_845239.html.
• Best costume of all time, Keira Knightley’s Atonement dress: https://clothesonfilm.com/keira-knightley-green-dress-in-atonement/854/.
• James Bond inspires Mexico City’s Day of the Dead parade: https://news.vice.com/article/james-bonds-fake-day-of-the-dead-parade-was-so-cool-mexico-wants-to-do-it-for-real ; https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/29/day-of-the-dead-parade-james-bond-mexico-city.
• Barbara Brownie and Danny Graydon, The Superhero Costume: Identity and Disguise in Fact and Fiction (Bloomsbury, 2016)
• Albert Bloch, March of Clowns (1941): https://thejewishmuseum.org/collection/27648-march-of-the-clowns 
• Medicinema provies cinemas in hospitals for patients and families to enjoy the ‘magic and joy’ of a night at the movies: http://www.medicinema.org.uk

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