Diary of my first cosplay – Part 1
Diary of my first cosplay – Part 1 of a weekly series documenting this process!
I’ve been going to conventions for years, and I super love checking out people in cosplay! From the people who make full scale armor mech suits, to the ball gowns inspired by super heroes, to the babies dressed up like Yoda – I think it’s fun. I think it’s always been something not for me though, because i’ve never been so inspired, so…. passionate about a character that I wanted to go to a public convention and dress like that character to show my love for that person or franchise. After talking with some friends who cosplay and friends who make cosplay costumes and props for a living, they convinced me that I might be looking at it wrong.
Cosplay isn’t just showing how much you like and embody that one character, it’s also showing your love of the movie / game / show / etc. I had also assumed that you had to just be a ham for attention to cosplay – but i’m not so sure of that now. It’s not the attention that I see a lot of the people getting, but the opportunity to interact with more people! To talk about why they like the game (or series or whatever – i’m using game for reference moving forward since that’s where i’m focusing on!) how they made the costume, and connecting on a shared experience. Which I think is totally rad. So… with a month between now and PAX, i’ve decided that one day i’m going to try and pull off a cosplay for one day.
*gulp*
My initial internet searches were almost enough to talk me out of trying this.
Between the crazy high standards of the professionals who make and display their costumes for a living, the incredible awful things that have happened to cosplayers that have necessitated the creation of cosplay ≠ consent, and some hurtful things people say about cosplayers – it’s intimidating to say the least. I am pulling on my big girl panties though, because I know this is something I want to try. I will consult people who know more than I do so i’m not setting myself up for failure, and i’ll try to stop and breathe and talk through any negative comments – and hopefully get to talk to some awesome people about their craft along the way! So with a bunch of fear, i’m setting off on this project.
I started my search off wrong already, and had to start over. I’m a plus size girl, and my first search was for ‘plus size cosplay’ – because I didn’t want to find something that was inappropriate for my body type. After reading the stories of some incredible women and men, they nailed the idea to my head that I can be whomever / whatever I want to be. I make the cosplay to fit me, not to them and then I try to squeeze into it. So, I started over – and thought about what games I really liked, and what characters i’d like to maybe try and cosplay as.
I ended up picking a game I was currently playing, and decided on Snow White, from The Wolf Among Us. This comes with the added bonus of her wearing mostly normal clothes, so i’d be able to buy chunks of the cosplay instead of making it all (I repeat, something i’ve never done before!). I have similar hair length, so I can just touch up my black hair dye, buy a khaki ladies fitted coat, blue pencil skirt, earrings and necklace, and that’s the majority of it, right?
It’s that shirt i’m worried about. So it is August, and i’m looking for a plus size, blue button up blouse with snow flakes on it. My google-fu is failing me, so I think i’m on my quest to find fabric that looks like this, as well as how to sew a button up shirt.
I’ll be back next week with some updates and see how this project goes. Please leave any comments with suggestions, words of encouragement, or anything that will shake this feeling of impending doom! 🙂
