The Handmaid's Tale polysemic affects: Symbolism, cosplay and performance of the Handmaid in UK protest.

This article examines the symbolism, costuming, and performative aspects of protesters dressing as handmaids—figures from Margaret Atwood's novel *The Handmaid's Tale* and its television adaptation—in UK feminist and human rights protests between 2018 and 2019. It highlights the handmaid costume as a "costume of conflict" that embodies contradictory meanings, oscillating between submission and resistance, invisibility and hyper-visibility, and individual and collective identities. Drawing on interviews with UK activists, the study explores how participants use the costume to channel emotions such as anger and hope, negotiate gender roles, and engage in silent, theatrical protest performances that evoke vulnerability and solidarity. The article also discusses the handmaid's evolution from a symbol of oppression in the novel to a global protest icon associated with feminist resistance, while acknowledging tensions around potentially reinscribing traditional femininity within these performances.