bagism

Why this word is great

BAGISM — [Noun] The practice of wearing a bag over one's body to conceal physical attributes, emphasizing the message over appearance, introduced by John Lennon and Yoko Ono as part of their peace campaign. From bag ("a flexible container") + -ism ("a distinctive practice or philosophy"), coined by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the late 1960s as a satirical critique of prejudice. Unlike performance art (which sprawls across endless forms) or protest (which shouts through megaphones and signs), bagism is a silent, absurdist rebellion—a burlap chrysalis meant to hatch empathy. It is Lennon and Ono crouched in a hotel room, faceless sacks murmuring about peace; a row of anonymous figures on a stage, their humanity reduced to crumpled paper; or the unsettling hush of a world where everyone wears grocery bags over their heads, and you must listen to their words because you cannot see their skin. Sometimes, the purest way to be seen is to disappear.