Following up on yesterday’s post – I didn’t intend to be Sarah Palin this Halloween. And actually, I wasn’t Sarah Palin. I was Caribou Barbie, which I first read as a disparaging reference to the gun-wielding governor of Alaska, and later heard is something she calls herself. In either case, I didn’t actually decide on the costume until Friday morning, but once I’d put it all together, I decided to enter it in Susie Bright’s Screamin’ Sarah Palin Costume Contest.
This afternoon, I got an email from Susie. I’m a finalist. I’m floored. But what did I do? Well, I didn’t even blink. I just pulled up my PitBull Panties and emailed her right back, with a quick rundown on how I became Caribou Barbie, and what it took to get me there.
“Yay!” I said. “I’m so excited!
“I’m a last-minute kind of person, so it was Friday morning that I said to my husband, ‘If I’d thought of it earlier, I could have been Caribou Barbie.’ Then, riding my bike to Albertson’s to pick up some Halloween candy (like I said, I’m a last-minute person), I realized that all I needed for the costume was a shiny blonde wig, and a way to attach some antlers to the silver plastic tiara I already owned. So, I left Albertson’s and headed north on Lincoln Blvd., to the Spirit store, where I found a ‘Trixie’ wig that looked perfect. At home, I found my suede-and-faux fur boots, my faux-fur collared jacket and a dress (I’d intended on a short green dress, but wound up in a long black dress with one side of the skirt pinned up to show the boots).
“The antlers were a bit of a challenge. My first idea was to use a pair that my husband worked into a headdress a couple of years ago. He put screws through a heavy leather belt and into the base of the antlers, then padded it with an old bandanna. Those antlers are big and heavy, though, and I remember the weight gave him a headache. We do have a smaller set of antlers, which I also considered, but then he told me I could try making some with rolled-up newspaper and masking tape. I didn’t have much luck with that (he’s much craftier than I am, and he wasn’t home), but in trying to find some online instructions that might help, I found this adorable necklace holder. Two wire coat hangers, some blue masking tape, silver spray paint and glitter and I had a set of shiny antlers, which I attached to the tiara with pink zip ties. I also used pink zip ties to attach the tiara to the wig.
“I loved putting the whole thing together, and I was ridiculously proud of myself that I’d managed to do it all at the very last minute. (I don’t think I could have done it if I didn’t work from home!) My husband quite liked the blonde wig, which surprised me. (Though he hasn’t yet asked me to wear it to bed.) No one at the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval seemed to “get” the costume (someone did say “Hi, Reindeer!” to me, and someone did ask me what I was “trying to be.” She looked confused when I told her.) It’s not the first time I’ve developed a costume I had to explain, though, so I didn’t mind.
“I won’t be wearing it Tuesday* – I’m volunteering on the Election Protection hotline (www.866ourvote.org or 1-866-Our-Vote), and it’s very important that we appear non-partisan, but I think I will wear a version of it for the next Labyrinth of Jareth Masquerade – though I might skip the furry coat, and add fairy wings.”
*Susie does intend to wear her Sarah Palin costume to the polls on Tuesday.
