Lets say I wanted to disguise myself so that people who knew what I looked like would not recognize me at a passing glance. What would be the best and easiest way to go about this?
Here are my conditions:
(1) The disguise would not have to withstand long and close scrutiny by relatives or close friends but would have to be good enough so that more casual friends/ acquaintances would not notice me.
(2) The disguise would have to be such that its appearance alone (even if people didn’t recognize me) wouldn’t attract attention. For example, wearing an ape suit or clown outfit wouldn’t work. Wearing a burqa would also be out since these are rarely seen in most cities in the US.
(3) The disguise would have to be able to be worn without lengthy preparation. I should be able to slip it on relatively quickly and without assistance.
(4) The disguise should be as cheap as possible. I would like to keep it under or at least in the neighborhood of $150.
All ideas are welcome!
P.S. The disguise would not be used to rob banks, assassinate political figures, or cause any sort of mayhem in society. Much more of a hypothetical question in all likelihood.
Grow a beard and shave your head completely seem like two very easy ways to modify yourself drastically at low cost.
Or if you have a beard/bald, purchase a decent quality wig, as well as shave off the beard/stache.
And also, wear dark shades to cover up the eyes, and voila, if they can’t see your eyes, and you have a drastic style change then you might be able to dodge by most people.
Going from full head of hair, full beard and stache, and glasses, to shaved head shaved face and no glasses makes the vast majority of men unrecognizable.
Of course it can only be utilized once every year or so.
Good ideas, but the problem is the disguise must be able to be used repeatedly and often. And it takes me a damn long time to grow a beard. Do you think fake beards are doable at all?
Look man, if you’re going to rob a bank, just go with large dark sunglasses and a hat. Some clothes several sizes too large should be good for masking your body. Don’t make a big scene like in movies, just walk in, hand the teller your note and walk out. I see it all the time on the news and people apparently get away with it all the time.
People removing large quantities of hair is much faster, obviously, than adding large quantities, so we’re more likely to recognize someone who’s just lost a beard than gained one overnight.
Using that to your advantage, I’d suggest you want a wig of hair that’s longer, styled differently from, and a different color than your own. Add a fake mustache if you don’t have one (it’s far easier than pull off believably than a beard), and change the state of your glasses-wearing. If you’re adding glasses rather than taking them away, I’d make the glasses pretty thick-framed, which will also change the shadows and lighting on your face.
Given this and a non-customary wardrobe, I suspect I could fool most of my casual co-workers for at least a few minutes. Longer than that would probably require a change to my vocal patterns and/or plastic surgery. A mild accent, if you can pull it off, would help, but an unbelievable one or exaggerated one would actually attract attention.
Do you have time to add/remove makeup? Simple blush or cover can change your complexion markedly.
I would recommend a zip up hoody (hooded sweatshirt), Oakley-like sunglasses, carrying skateboard, raiders cap, and baggy jeans. You immediately fit a stereotype and disappear as long as you don’t attract attention to yourself. If you need to disguise your face, dark black eyebrows and preferably a monobrow and add sideburns (don’t do a fake beard or mustache, hard to do well. sideburns are much easier).
Posture, stance, and walk. I used to work security at Target, and many of the hidden cameras were awful. Hardly any detail at all. However, I could spot blurry pictures of people’s back by their walk easily enough. Change that, and you’re a new person. No props required.
Oh, another quick way to change the appearance of your face is to stuff cotton or wax between your cheek and teeth, or lip and gum. Changes the whole contour of your face.
Wear clothes that are common but drastically different from your typical look. If you are a student, wear a business suit. If you are an accountant, dress as a pizza delivery guy.
Altered stance and walk are difficult to maintain without some kind of aid, which is one reason why they’re so useful in recognizing people. A few pebbles (or similar irritants) strategically placed in your shoes can help. Put them toward the front, and they’ll encourage a more heavy-footed, stomping kind of walk. Under the heels, they’ll encourage you to walk more on the balls of your feet. It’ll be uncomfortable, but it will help you avoid slipping into your normal patterns.
I don’t know if this is still available, but I suspect it is–I read an article a long time ago about theatrical makeup and htere was a product that you could either spray or brush on your face, let it semi-dry for a minut and then pinch your skin together and it’d hold it there. Viola, instant scar!
Depending on your overall size and body type, I’d go with the “weird old lady” look. A smaller man could put on a goodwill-granny dress, a scraggly wig, grab a cane, and walk hunched over a bit. Of course, if you’re 6’6" and 300 pounds this would likely be unworkable.
