Six-armed goddess Kali Costume

Who doesn't love a huge cumbersome Halloween Costume? I'm here to contribute my 2007 Halloween costume, Kali. Some of you may be familiar with my last year's costume; Headless Marie Antoinette from Make magazine's Halloween edition. I set the bar pretty high last year and I really wanted to challenge myself to the same standard this time around. I actually had this idea last year, but it lost out to the headless costume at the time.
I've always had great love and respect for the religious art and architecture from eastern cultures, but especially for the Hindu Shakti (divine mother) goddess'. There is one goddess; Kali (she has several manifestations and names) who I took special notice of. She is the representation of life through death. The frightening, deadly destroyer aspect of female nature. I decided to pay tribute to her this year by constructing an elaborate costume featuring realistic, movable arms.

Step 1 Tools!

This is my arsenal of tools and supplies:

Blue foam
3m 77 spray adhesive
Gas mask
Various hot wire carving tools
White Latex primer
Sandpaper
Butane torch
Acrylic Paint
Spray Paint
Spandex blue fabric
Gold Vinyl
1/4 wooden dowel
wire
drywall/ wood screws
Velcro
Elastic
Gloves
old school packaged fake nails
Glue-gun

Comments

[parrster]

Absolutely awesome creation. Unique, complex and well crafted. Very impressed.

[Dea della Luna]

OMGoddess! I LoVe it! Thank you (=

[JesferChamby]

Thought I'd drop a note to say thanks...you were a great help with my Kali costume, even though I modified it.  You Rock!  I was a hit.

[Sycan]

Very original. Fantastic attention to detail. However, nowhere in my research have I seen the Goddess Kali depicted holding a cup of Fort Garry. Nonetheless, a great costume! I applaud your artistic dementia. Please do carry on.

[valr]

Wasn't the original reason for wearing Halloween costumes to trick or scare away evil spirits? If so, I think that a costume depicting a goddess who fights and kills evil is the most appropriate one I have ever heard of. Great job!

[zomfibame]

good point.

[brainmist]

You did an incredible job at this...and I can tell by the huge grin that it suited you well. Mr. Cool Santa needs to take a pill, and possibly get over his own complete lack of goddess energy...not our fault that not everyone can encompass the cycle of creation and destruction that's the basis of the cosmos. Maybe he should meet my friend Zombie Jesus. You know, you rise from the dead, and people scream and shoot you, unless you're the *&%ing Son of God. Then it's all palm branches and two millennia of religious fanaticism, complete with inquisitions, crusades, and forceful conversion. Makes Kali seem downright placid.

[zomfibame]

haaaa haaaaaa Brainmist; the part about zombie Jesus made me laughpretty hard. I guess it is inevitable, but it is a shame when peoplehave no sense of humor, and no sense of the potential fun-factor to behad in the realm of religious iconography. I mean, if there truely is agod, and if it did present itself (or it's son) in human form then thehuman form it used to show itself to us humans was in affect acostume... so where is the harm (as long as it is not intentionally usedto disrespect people) in us humans returning the favor by putting on agod costume? .....but what do I know, I'm Agnostic.

[zomfibame]

oh, by the way, I dig the costume

[Karv]

three cheers for Cyanide and Happiness!

[mrfixitrick]

hahahaha...such insight!

[Sona_05]

I am Hindu, and I do find it is offensive, but I guess is just one time of the year were people want to dress up like something they like or find cool, and I have to admit that is pretty sick costume of Heidi Klum.....

[Mia bea]

I am Wiccan; how do you think I feel? lol I know your pain though :] At least I don't have dreads, cackle, have a big green nose or fly on broomsticks but some people still think thats what witches are :[

[Kai13]

Lol am I going to be the only one not to put some religious or political comment here?
I think this costume is awesome! ^_

[Keith-Kid]

Heidi Klum reads Instructables!

[Keith-Kid]

Oops! Heidi Klum reads Instructables!

[Skreetsha]

LOL! It's true!

[CreativeChick8]

Wow. That has got to be the most awesomest (I know that's not a word but...) costume ever. I've never seen anything like it! It's gorgeous and terrifying and original! GREAT JOB. As for the people who say it's insulting... I don't think so. You are not making fun of it or putting it to a parody, you are just dressing like it, in all of it's respect. It's fantastic.

[isisfrog]

Thanks for this! Hopefully, I'll get around to making this costume for dragoncon next year. I couldn't figure out how to make the arms w/o it looking cheesy, and you've fixed that!

[gitagoddess]

Yes, putting time and energy into a project like this is definitely a great way to show respect for a goddess or religion. Amazing job! -Peace

[sinner_93]

you look pretty nice as well as brainy. haven't seen much of this in co-existence!

[DrCoolSanta]

I still get replies from this thread, guys come on, nicemag already talked to me about this, and there is nothing to get hot about. I mean just think about it, where there is racial abuse, and discrimination, a normal person would link any such acts, even if with no such intentions with any form of discrimination. I mean, I had by chance shown this to some other people, who found it just as much offending, basically when they saw those beer part in the last step. I do apologise for this, but I still don't think I am saying anything wrong. It is not that I don't appreciate this effort or that I am saying this is illegal, I am just trying to say that I for one found this offending.

[nicemag]

I want to clarify that I agree that DR. Cool Santa & others should be able to express their feelings towards this costume. He is simply protecting it from what he perceives as ridicule. One Love.

[DrCoolSanta]

thank you.

[raj.dabholkar]

Can't you just feel the love! Awesome costume! The pink tounge and blue face make one helluva freaky combo.. One question.. The blonde hair was an accident or didja do it on purpose?

[pootiechang]

Kaaaaaaaaaali maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...

[thefonz101]

om nom shiva om nom shiva.........

[nilmahj]

Great instructable!!! I think this is a very appropriate costume seeing as no Gods or Goddesses exist. Six thumbs up!

[Kaelessin]

fishing for a flame war much? i think the 900 mil Hindu people might disagree . . .I'm not asking that you agree with them . . .just be respectful of their beliefs.

[nilmahj]

Shhh. I'm trying to pray.

[nilmahj]

P.S. I am Hindu, so for you to lump 900 mil of us together as being exactly the same, I think you are the one who is being disrespectful.

[hyrulianshinobi333]

he made a valid point

[Kaelessin]

gah boo the ease of misunderstanding over the interwebs . . .what i ment to say was "i think -some of- the 900 mil" sorry for not being clear

[Alphatrion]

Actually it is more like 500 mil, there are a great number of Muslims in India and every major religion is represented their too. We're not all Hindus is what I am trying to say...

[Kaelessin]

yeah i just listed the first figure i found . . .i don't put much faith in statistics since they are one of the few things in this world that are always wrong lol thanks for the extra info though!

[Dungeonbrownies]

but religion still has to be respected as a viable belief held by others. It doent matter if I'm part of the world's largest church or worship a table leg with the word "god" scratched onto it. be nice.

[nilmahj]

Thanks for the instructable on how to live my life, Dungeonbrownies. Where would we be without people like you to completely miss the sarcasm in a comment pertaining directly to other comments. I am nice by the way.

[Dungeonbrownies]

gosh, sorry. It's hard to pick up in text. and nice is relative, and even though thats a bit bitter, i guess thats nice enough

[icemachete]

Awesome.

[missmonster]

Just wanted to say how brilliant this costume is. Awesome!