Spy Disguises - Dress Up
and Be Someone Else

Learning spy disguises is more important than you might think. Real spies depend on it to get away from enemy spies!

A big part of becoming a spy is learning all the secrets that are used to keep things under wraps. A spy has to be able to pass information and do their job without being noticed or caught in the act. While there are a few things that they do to accomplish this, nothing is quite as important as a spy's disguise.

Disguising Yourself

A disguise is much like a costume, but has a more important purpose. Unlike Halloween, where fooling your friends is just good fun, a spy's life may depend on the quality of their disguise. There are a lot of different ways to disguise yourself; in fact, there are ideal get ups for different situations, depending on how much you need to hide.

The #1 Rule of Spy Disguises

The most important part of a good spy disguise is that your outfit and accessories don't stand out from your surroundings. Spies need to blend in, so wearing a mustache if you're only twelve will probably draw attention to yourself.

Take into account what your surroundings and environment are like, and plan your disguise to fit in.

Dressing Up

Your clothes are going to be the first choice you make when it comes to your spy disguise. In fact, if you are not well known in the area where you will be spying, clothing may be enough of a disguise to do the trick.

During wartime, changing into the uniform of the enemy is a classic spy disguise. This happened a lot during both the Revolutionary and Civil wars. Because both sides of the conflict had similar cultural, family and language backgrounds, they could get away with crossing enemy lines with just a few changes of clothes.

If you can, choose clothes that can be turned inside out (and still look good). A change of color can really throw a spy who's following you off-track!

Change your looks

Sometimes, just changing clothes is not enough. Then you'll have to do some serious covering up to get the secrets from one place to another without being caught.

This calls for looking into the more serious art of disguise!

• Change your hair. The way that you hair is cut, as well as the color, can give away who you are. Spies usually change their hair in one of two ways. They either wear a good quality wig, or they actually dye or cut their own hair. If you have long hair, you can let it hang, or have a pony tail.
• Age a bit. If you squint your eyes you can see lines form in the corners. Using a soft eyebrow pencil, draw those lines so they look more permanent (don't overdo it!). Do the same with the lines that run from your nostrills to your mouths, and add some wrinkles on your forehead..
• Add some weight. By adding a cushion you can get a bigger belly, add a towel on your shoulders to look broader. You can make your arms and legs look bigger by rolling a scarve around them.
• Add something specific. Using blue make-up, you can give yourself a black eye. Then it's a simple wipe to remove it.

Props and Accessories

When you get dressed for school, church or a special occasion, you probably don't just look at what you're wearing. You also need some accessories to complete your look for the day.

• If you are heading to school, you need your backpack, and possibly a bike.
• For going to church, you might bring a tote bag with snacks and a Bible.
• At a wedding, you need a pair of shiny black shoes and a bow tie.

Other accessories may include things like glasses, or a cap on your head.

How You Walk Can Give You Away!

Have you ever been somewhere and seen someone walking towards you?

Even though you couldn't really make out who it was, that person looked vaguely familiar for some reason. You knew who it was before they even came into view, because of their unique style.

Everybody has a certain way that they walk and carry themselves. The best spies adjust the quirks that make themselves original. There are some spies that are so good at this that they can come into a room as one person, spend five minutes in a restroom putting on a fairly simple disguise, and leave as a completely different personality!

They change their posture by stooping (make your back curve and move your shoulders inward, which will make you look insecure), put a bounce in your walk (big, cofnident steps) or add a limp by keeping one of your legs straight.

If you are serious about spying, study yourself in the mirror and practice changing your walk and facial reactions. You may even want to take a video of yourself and study closer. Being good at hiding their personality has saved many a spy who ended up in tight spot.

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