Lightsabers. Wigs. High heels. Oh my!
Ever since I could stand in heels, fortified by years of ballet training, I have looked up to amateur and professional cosplayers. The sheer amount of confidence they can bring into a room, after hours upon hours of making costumes, getting makeup right, sitting in a waiting room for an eye doctor to see what contacts fit, and making sure their bright colored wig blends into their natural hairline blows me away.
Image source is Arison
Not only do they have that confidence, but they have a fantastic ability to entertain, pull people in as they bring a character to life, as my younger self slaps together some Harry Potter robes from Spirit Halloween.
Now, with the freedom to drive myself and have my own bank account, I feel like I’m ready, ready to jump into the adventure of cosplay and into the characters I have loved for as long as I can remember. Even though I have the passion, I’m filled with doubt and questions: Would I buy a premade costume or would I make one? Can I even sew? Would I use corsets? Would I be able to BREATHE in a corset?
I’m young, too, not even a legal adult! I don’t want to be sexualized so should I ban myself from characters that I love like Harley Quinn and Wonder Woman? Would I even have the confidence to pull off characters like Isabelle Lightwood from the Mortal Instruments? What happens if the heel I’m wearing snaps like a twig? Do I trust my makeup skills enough to pull off characters like Ahsoka, Raven, Mystique or Vision?
Image source is wall haven
I really hope my acne doesn’t worsen through this process, but a gender-bent Vision would be so cool. Don’t lie. You know it’d be cool.
Over the course of the next few weeks, I will be diving into the wonderful world of cosplay and inviting you to go through his journey with me. I’m nervous, of course, and don’t know how this will go or what I’m doing, but I hope that through this process, I can have as much confidence as the cosplayers that walk in with six inch heels, a tight corset and a face full of makeup as they grin and show off who they are.
