Ima’s List of Cosplay Tips for Peoples of all Sizes, Shapes, and Gender Identities [Part I]
So recently I was thinking about a panel on cosplay which I attended at Arisia. It was horrible. I was telling my mother about it when I realized that I had a lot to say on the subject of cosplay. Makes sense, since I've been doing this for about six years and have fucked up more royally than any costumer has fucked up before.
So I started writing. And now I've got something to post about it. It will be in two parts, since it got a little long. Here it is:
Ima’s List of Cosplay Tips for Peoples of all Sizes, Shapes, and Gender Identities
Part I
1. Never Cosplay a Nazi
I joke about this rule with my friends all the time. And yes, it is a very funny first rule of cosplay, but it is also very serious. There are a lot of anime/tv shows/books/movies/comics/etc which portray actual Nazis (or other really offensive groups/people).
Even if it is your favorite show (*cough*Hellsing*cough*). Even if it is your favorite character who happens to also be an adorable catboy (*cough*Shrodinger*cough*). Even if you replace all of the swastikas with smiley faces (seen it done). It is still a Nazi uniform, still a symbol of genocide, still offensive and insensitive as hell. It will also get you shot as you walk through downtown Boston. Don’t do it.
2. Never Leave the Baby Alone
This is the first rule of life and thus (because the Nazi thing was so important) the second rule of Cosplay. Don’t leave the baby alone. Jareth is watching. That is all.
3. Be Comfortable
Okay, so this should probably be my *actual* first tip. I will be restating this in nearly every point from now on. Cosplay is, in general, a very uncomfortable hobby. Sometimes you’re not going to be able to make something that looks right and feels right at the same time. But the truth is that when you’re comfortable in what you’re wearing, you look better.
This also applies to the type of costume you're making. The character you want to do is wearing something a little to revealing or tight? Change the design of the costume enough that you won’t feel naked in front of the crowd. It will be worth it.
4. Be recognizable
The first step in picking a character to cosplay is to figure out to be recognizable. There’s nothing more upsetting that working your little self to death over the best costume ever and then having NO ONE NOTICE IT once you get to the con. So, there’s a few things to keep in mind when you’re picking out what to cosplay.
a.What is your venue?
If you’re going to an anime convention it’s probably a better idea to do an anime/manga/Japanese culture costume. Your awesome Rincewind outfit might not be as recognizable among the throngs of Otaku. On the other hand, there is a great deal of crossover between fandoms as well as some fandoms that are always recognizable. Star Trek, Doctor Who, and Star Wars can go anywhere.
The big names in comics fandom (Batman, Superman, and the like) will be recognizable at any convention. Booster Gold might not.
b.How Popular is your Character?
It’s important to ask yourself what you want from your con experience. Do you want to be one (hopefully the best) of hordes of Narutos? Do you want to be a recognizable and beloved character that isn’t well-represented at the con? Do you want to be that obscure character that only a few people recognize, but when they do they get so excited and you feel special?
Make sure that the popularity of your character matches the amount of attention you’d like to get while at the convention. The more popular the show, the more pictures and compliments you will get. On the other hand, pick a character that is too popular and you will be one of many, mostly store bought, cosplays and no one will notice that you carefully stitched those kunai by hand.
Remember: if you purposefully pick a character from a show that no one has ever seen, don’t be disappointed when you’re not recognizable. It’s your own damn fault.
c. How much work do you want to put into it?
Some of the most recognizable characters can be made with a pair of gym shorts and a top (see: Heero Yuy), and those are the character you should go for if you don’t want to do a lot of sewing or extra work.
You can always simplify a complicated outfit or do a variation on it so as to make it easier, but keep in mind that a certain amount of detail is necessary to know what you’re dressing like. Avoid plainclothes versions of characters unless you’re sure that the other aspects of the cosplay (hair, props, etc) will make up for the lack of distinguishing marks in the outfit.
d. When doing obscure characters and OCs, make it pop.
We all know that one character that we have to cosplay even though no one will know what it is. Sometimes it’s from something no one’s seen yet. Sometimes it’s from something so old it’s been forgotten. Sometimes it’s an original character. In these cases, make the costume as elaborate, fancy, and impressive as you can. People will be so impressed with your mad cosplay skillz that they won’t care that they don’t know who you are.
e. Don’t expect people to ask.
I’ve met quite a lot of people who have made up elaborate stories to tell people about their costume, why they’re missing an important piece, who they are, whatever. Don’t do this. No one will ask you. Either they won’t ask because they don’t want to admit to not knowing something or they won’t ask because they don’t care, but they won’t ask. Your cosplay should be able to stand on its own.
5. Pick a character that you like, not a character that you look like.
This is one of the greatest pet peeves of my entire existence. It is what encouraged me to make this list. I often hear people saying “I don’t look like any of the characters I like”. When people say this, they often mean: “I’m too fat/short/tall/female/male/not-white to cosplay the characters I like.”
And that, my friends, is bullshit. If you have a character that you love to death and you just happen to be their real-life twin, then good for you! But if you’re not, that doesn’t mean you have to give up on cosplay entirely and hide in a hole with all the other uncool people who don’t cosplay (not that I think people who don’t cosplay are uncool…. Quit looking at me like that).
Below I have laid out a list of the common cos-blocks that I have heard people mention and my suggested remedies:
a. “I’m too fat to cosplay my character”
There’s a couple things I could say here. “NO YOU’RE NOT” comes to mind, but I realize that that doesn’t actually solve any problems. That said, there are a few things that you can do to remedy this. You can pick a character that is a little bit on the husky side, make an awesome costume, and do tons to support the existence of “overweight” characters in media. Some of the most awesome cosplays I have seen include: ogre-Fiona from Shrek, Ursula from the little Mermaid, Jet from Cowboy bebop, Hagrid, etc.
Along the same lines, you can pick out a character that is bigger than you and then look fashionably fit in your costume. For instance; back in highschool I did a sexy-no-jutsu (that’s gender swapped) version of Akimichi Chouji from Naruto (the “fat” character on the show). My girlish padding which (I thought at the time) would have made me look like a puffy Naruto, made my Chouji costume look pretty freaking sexy and slim (never tell anyone that I said “slim”, I hate that word).
“But Ima!” You say, “I don’t want to cosplay just anybody, I want to cosplay [insert sexy character here]!”
Okay, cool! Here’s what you do: make it the best fucking costume in the whole world and you make it look good on you (as is thoroughly outlined below). I’m probably going to get shouted at by costumers the world over for saying this, but it’s more important that you look good in your outfit than that it look exactly like the character you’re portraying (see number 4).
If you’re really uncomfortable in the outfit from the original work (the way I am with most superheroes), then do a stylized version of that outfit: ballgowns, pajamas, formal wear, hip-hop style, whatever. Not only will it look better if you’re comfortable with yourself, you will also be hailed as the genius who invented “steam-punk-female-kirk” (patent pending). The important things in cosplay are that you look good, and you look recognizable. Once you’ve got that, looking skinny is no big thing.
b. “I’m too short/tall to cosplay my character”
Quit your bitching and wear the goddamned costume. Really. If your costume is good, either no one will notice or you’ll be “that awesome Sephiroth, the short one”. If you’re cosplaying a canonically short character like Edward Elric then your gigantic height can become a hilarious in-joke for which people will praise you the con-over.
Do not, I repeat, DO NOT think that wearing huge-ass platforms will make you look significantly taller. They don’t. They look like huge ass platforms. If you really want to wear something that will make you look taller (not important, IMHO) I would suggest getting shoe lifts, which are sold all sorts of places I don’t know about, as well as in shops that cater to the FtM crowd.
If you’re concerned about height when it comes to taking pictures of your awesome cosplay, try doing things in the image which take height out of the picture: kneel, have the other people kneel, jump, lean on other people, let people pick you up, lie on the ground, etc.)
c. “I’m too [insert race] to cosplay my character”
Again, this is the sort of thing where I would suggest sucking it up and doing the costume anyway. There are some characters who are closely associated with a racial or ethnic group that you might want to avoid simply because that is a major defining aspect of the character (much as that concept might bother us).
The truth is that your race is not something you can change and not something that should stop you from cosplaying whoever you want to. Like I said before: if the costume looks good and is recognizable, a little difference like race won’t stop it from being awesome.
d. “I’m too male/female to cosplay my character”
You pretty much have three options in this case. The first option is that you “crossplay” and try to look like the gender that you aren’t. Lots of people do it and look pretty freaking awesome (see number 6).
The second option is to do as close an approximation to the character’s outfit without hiding away those problematic secondary sex characteristics. This can occasionally look like you tried for a crossplay but were too lazy to bind/tuck/shave/whatever, and that’s usually the case, but it can definitely look good and it keeps you from getting hit on by folks who think you’re a twelve year old boy (unless you are, In which case I say “good for you!”).
The final option (a huge favorite) is that you gender bend the character instead of gender bending yourself. This allows you to show off your awesome clothing-designing technique as well as your ability to cosplay like a rock star and it is one of my most favorite things to do ever. Turn your favorite anime character into a goth-loli, make superboy into superboy!girl (I’ve thought about that one long and hard). If you like it, then you should put a skirt on it. This is a particularly good choice if you (like me) don’t actually look all that great in the clothing of the opposite gender.
6. It doesn’t have to be exact.
I’ve sort of mentioned this one before, but I’m going to say it again. You do not have to look exactly like [insert character here] for people to think that you look exactly like [insert character here]. What you need is something that looks good and is detailed enough to get the message across.
Nobody will be walking around with a picture of Cloud Strife to hold it up to your Cloud Strife cosplay. This isn’t to say that those little details aren’t important. They definitely are, and it can often be very impressive to have every little bit done. But when you’re pressed for time, it’s better to get something that looks complete as opposed to an awesome half-a-costume.
Another thing to keep in mind is variations on a costume. I’m a big fan of these because you can do it with uber-popular characters and be unique, as well as not-so-popular characters and still be recognizable. The important part of this is to Get that one thing right (see number 14) and make sure your concept is obvious. Keep in mind that the less popular characters will become immediately unrecognizable if you change them too much.
7. Wear clothes that fit you.
This goes in both directions. If your costume is too small, it will be constricting, uncomfortable, and will make you look bigger. Nothing says “I’m not at my target weight” like the bulging that occurs when you’ve squeezed your size fourteen self into a size ten costume. THIS ALSO COUNTS FOR GIRDLING AND CORSETRY, which I will get to later. Note that I am not saying that you shouldn’t wear fitted costumes. Wearing something tight or fitted is just fine if it suits the costume, but remember that having a little space between you and the fabric can be way more flattering and way more comfortable.
In the other direction, wearing clothing that is too large can also make you look a great deal bulkier than you actually are. You should be able to move in your cosplay, be comfortable sitting down, and still find yourself in the fabric when everything is done.
If what you’ve got is too tight or too loose not only will you look worse, you’ll be adjusting and fidgeting the whole con and won’t have any fun.
a. Wear undergarments that are smoothing and supportive
So there’s a habit among those of us who are concerned with our size to want to wear VERYTIGHTTHINGSTHATWILLMAKEUSLOOKSKINNIER! all the time. This is an understandable desire but one which should be tempered by common sense. Common sense: you should be able to breathe, you should be able to sit down, and you should not be poked by little bitty things.
Corsets are a great way of creating a good silhouette, but corsets with plastic boning will just bend in all the wrong places and make you look like an uncomfortable sausage. Instead, shell out for a corset with steel boning and busks, which is long enough in the torso to cover all the bits you need covered. If you’re bulging in weird places, take the corset off, because it probably isn’t helping much. Likewise with control-top-pantyhose, underwear, and girdles. IF IT’S BULGING, TAKE IT OFF.
When picking a bra to wear under your costume, make sure it won’t need adjusting during the day and that it’s supportive in all the ways you like. Do not bind over an underwire bra and do wear comfortable underwear that doesn’t make lines.
ON TO PART II
So I started writing. And now I've got something to post about it. It will be in two parts, since it got a little long. Here it is:
Ima’s List of Cosplay Tips for Peoples of all Sizes, Shapes, and Gender Identities
Part I
1. Never Cosplay a Nazi
I joke about this rule with my friends all the time. And yes, it is a very funny first rule of cosplay, but it is also very serious. There are a lot of anime/tv shows/books/movies/comics/etc which portray actual Nazis (or other really offensive groups/people).
Even if it is your favorite show (*cough*Hellsing*cough*). Even if it is your favorite character who happens to also be an adorable catboy (*cough*Shrodinger*cough*). Even if you replace all of the swastikas with smiley faces (seen it done). It is still a Nazi uniform, still a symbol of genocide, still offensive and insensitive as hell. It will also get you shot as you walk through downtown Boston. Don’t do it.
2. Never Leave the Baby Alone
This is the first rule of life and thus (because the Nazi thing was so important) the second rule of Cosplay. Don’t leave the baby alone. Jareth is watching. That is all.
3. Be Comfortable
Okay, so this should probably be my *actual* first tip. I will be restating this in nearly every point from now on. Cosplay is, in general, a very uncomfortable hobby. Sometimes you’re not going to be able to make something that looks right and feels right at the same time. But the truth is that when you’re comfortable in what you’re wearing, you look better.
This also applies to the type of costume you're making. The character you want to do is wearing something a little to revealing or tight? Change the design of the costume enough that you won’t feel naked in front of the crowd. It will be worth it.
4. Be recognizable
The first step in picking a character to cosplay is to figure out to be recognizable. There’s nothing more upsetting that working your little self to death over the best costume ever and then having NO ONE NOTICE IT once you get to the con. So, there’s a few things to keep in mind when you’re picking out what to cosplay.
a.What is your venue?
If you’re going to an anime convention it’s probably a better idea to do an anime/manga/Japanese culture costume. Your awesome Rincewind outfit might not be as recognizable among the throngs of Otaku. On the other hand, there is a great deal of crossover between fandoms as well as some fandoms that are always recognizable. Star Trek, Doctor Who, and Star Wars can go anywhere.
The big names in comics fandom (Batman, Superman, and the like) will be recognizable at any convention. Booster Gold might not.
b.How Popular is your Character?
It’s important to ask yourself what you want from your con experience. Do you want to be one (hopefully the best) of hordes of Narutos? Do you want to be a recognizable and beloved character that isn’t well-represented at the con? Do you want to be that obscure character that only a few people recognize, but when they do they get so excited and you feel special?
Make sure that the popularity of your character matches the amount of attention you’d like to get while at the convention. The more popular the show, the more pictures and compliments you will get. On the other hand, pick a character that is too popular and you will be one of many, mostly store bought, cosplays and no one will notice that you carefully stitched those kunai by hand.
Remember: if you purposefully pick a character from a show that no one has ever seen, don’t be disappointed when you’re not recognizable. It’s your own damn fault.
c. How much work do you want to put into it?
Some of the most recognizable characters can be made with a pair of gym shorts and a top (see: Heero Yuy), and those are the character you should go for if you don’t want to do a lot of sewing or extra work.
You can always simplify a complicated outfit or do a variation on it so as to make it easier, but keep in mind that a certain amount of detail is necessary to know what you’re dressing like. Avoid plainclothes versions of characters unless you’re sure that the other aspects of the cosplay (hair, props, etc) will make up for the lack of distinguishing marks in the outfit.
d. When doing obscure characters and OCs, make it pop.
We all know that one character that we have to cosplay even though no one will know what it is. Sometimes it’s from something no one’s seen yet. Sometimes it’s from something so old it’s been forgotten. Sometimes it’s an original character. In these cases, make the costume as elaborate, fancy, and impressive as you can. People will be so impressed with your mad cosplay skillz that they won’t care that they don’t know who you are.
e. Don’t expect people to ask.
I’ve met quite a lot of people who have made up elaborate stories to tell people about their costume, why they’re missing an important piece, who they are, whatever. Don’t do this. No one will ask you. Either they won’t ask because they don’t want to admit to not knowing something or they won’t ask because they don’t care, but they won’t ask. Your cosplay should be able to stand on its own.
5. Pick a character that you like, not a character that you look like.
This is one of the greatest pet peeves of my entire existence. It is what encouraged me to make this list. I often hear people saying “I don’t look like any of the characters I like”. When people say this, they often mean: “I’m too fat/short/tall/female/male/not-white to cosplay the characters I like.”
And that, my friends, is bullshit. If you have a character that you love to death and you just happen to be their real-life twin, then good for you! But if you’re not, that doesn’t mean you have to give up on cosplay entirely and hide in a hole with all the other uncool people who don’t cosplay (not that I think people who don’t cosplay are uncool…. Quit looking at me like that).
Below I have laid out a list of the common cos-blocks that I have heard people mention and my suggested remedies:
a. “I’m too fat to cosplay my character”
There’s a couple things I could say here. “NO YOU’RE NOT” comes to mind, but I realize that that doesn’t actually solve any problems. That said, there are a few things that you can do to remedy this. You can pick a character that is a little bit on the husky side, make an awesome costume, and do tons to support the existence of “overweight” characters in media. Some of the most awesome cosplays I have seen include: ogre-Fiona from Shrek, Ursula from the little Mermaid, Jet from Cowboy bebop, Hagrid, etc.
Along the same lines, you can pick out a character that is bigger than you and then look fashionably fit in your costume. For instance; back in highschool I did a sexy-no-jutsu (that’s gender swapped) version of Akimichi Chouji from Naruto (the “fat” character on the show). My girlish padding which (I thought at the time) would have made me look like a puffy Naruto, made my Chouji costume look pretty freaking sexy and slim (never tell anyone that I said “slim”, I hate that word).
“But Ima!” You say, “I don’t want to cosplay just anybody, I want to cosplay [insert sexy character here]!”
Okay, cool! Here’s what you do: make it the best fucking costume in the whole world and you make it look good on you (as is thoroughly outlined below). I’m probably going to get shouted at by costumers the world over for saying this, but it’s more important that you look good in your outfit than that it look exactly like the character you’re portraying (see number 4).
If you’re really uncomfortable in the outfit from the original work (the way I am with most superheroes), then do a stylized version of that outfit: ballgowns, pajamas, formal wear, hip-hop style, whatever. Not only will it look better if you’re comfortable with yourself, you will also be hailed as the genius who invented “steam-punk-female-kirk” (patent pending). The important things in cosplay are that you look good, and you look recognizable. Once you’ve got that, looking skinny is no big thing.
b. “I’m too short/tall to cosplay my character”
Quit your bitching and wear the goddamned costume. Really. If your costume is good, either no one will notice or you’ll be “that awesome Sephiroth, the short one”. If you’re cosplaying a canonically short character like Edward Elric then your gigantic height can become a hilarious in-joke for which people will praise you the con-over.
Do not, I repeat, DO NOT think that wearing huge-ass platforms will make you look significantly taller. They don’t. They look like huge ass platforms. If you really want to wear something that will make you look taller (not important, IMHO) I would suggest getting shoe lifts, which are sold all sorts of places I don’t know about, as well as in shops that cater to the FtM crowd.
If you’re concerned about height when it comes to taking pictures of your awesome cosplay, try doing things in the image which take height out of the picture: kneel, have the other people kneel, jump, lean on other people, let people pick you up, lie on the ground, etc.)
c. “I’m too [insert race] to cosplay my character”
Again, this is the sort of thing where I would suggest sucking it up and doing the costume anyway. There are some characters who are closely associated with a racial or ethnic group that you might want to avoid simply because that is a major defining aspect of the character (much as that concept might bother us).
The truth is that your race is not something you can change and not something that should stop you from cosplaying whoever you want to. Like I said before: if the costume looks good and is recognizable, a little difference like race won’t stop it from being awesome.
d. “I’m too male/female to cosplay my character”
You pretty much have three options in this case. The first option is that you “crossplay” and try to look like the gender that you aren’t. Lots of people do it and look pretty freaking awesome (see number 6).
The second option is to do as close an approximation to the character’s outfit without hiding away those problematic secondary sex characteristics. This can occasionally look like you tried for a crossplay but were too lazy to bind/tuck/shave/whatever, and that’s usually the case, but it can definitely look good and it keeps you from getting hit on by folks who think you’re a twelve year old boy (unless you are, In which case I say “good for you!”).
The final option (a huge favorite) is that you gender bend the character instead of gender bending yourself. This allows you to show off your awesome clothing-designing technique as well as your ability to cosplay like a rock star and it is one of my most favorite things to do ever. Turn your favorite anime character into a goth-loli, make superboy into superboy!girl (I’ve thought about that one long and hard). If you like it, then you should put a skirt on it. This is a particularly good choice if you (like me) don’t actually look all that great in the clothing of the opposite gender.
6. It doesn’t have to be exact.
I’ve sort of mentioned this one before, but I’m going to say it again. You do not have to look exactly like [insert character here] for people to think that you look exactly like [insert character here]. What you need is something that looks good and is detailed enough to get the message across.
Nobody will be walking around with a picture of Cloud Strife to hold it up to your Cloud Strife cosplay. This isn’t to say that those little details aren’t important. They definitely are, and it can often be very impressive to have every little bit done. But when you’re pressed for time, it’s better to get something that looks complete as opposed to an awesome half-a-costume.
Another thing to keep in mind is variations on a costume. I’m a big fan of these because you can do it with uber-popular characters and be unique, as well as not-so-popular characters and still be recognizable. The important part of this is to Get that one thing right (see number 14) and make sure your concept is obvious. Keep in mind that the less popular characters will become immediately unrecognizable if you change them too much.
7. Wear clothes that fit you.
This goes in both directions. If your costume is too small, it will be constricting, uncomfortable, and will make you look bigger. Nothing says “I’m not at my target weight” like the bulging that occurs when you’ve squeezed your size fourteen self into a size ten costume. THIS ALSO COUNTS FOR GIRDLING AND CORSETRY, which I will get to later. Note that I am not saying that you shouldn’t wear fitted costumes. Wearing something tight or fitted is just fine if it suits the costume, but remember that having a little space between you and the fabric can be way more flattering and way more comfortable.
In the other direction, wearing clothing that is too large can also make you look a great deal bulkier than you actually are. You should be able to move in your cosplay, be comfortable sitting down, and still find yourself in the fabric when everything is done.
If what you’ve got is too tight or too loose not only will you look worse, you’ll be adjusting and fidgeting the whole con and won’t have any fun.
a. Wear undergarments that are smoothing and supportive
So there’s a habit among those of us who are concerned with our size to want to wear VERYTIGHTTHINGSTHATWILLMAKEUSLOOKSKINNIER! all the time. This is an understandable desire but one which should be tempered by common sense. Common sense: you should be able to breathe, you should be able to sit down, and you should not be poked by little bitty things.
Corsets are a great way of creating a good silhouette, but corsets with plastic boning will just bend in all the wrong places and make you look like an uncomfortable sausage. Instead, shell out for a corset with steel boning and busks, which is long enough in the torso to cover all the bits you need covered. If you’re bulging in weird places, take the corset off, because it probably isn’t helping much. Likewise with control-top-pantyhose, underwear, and girdles. IF IT’S BULGING, TAKE IT OFF.
When picking a bra to wear under your costume, make sure it won’t need adjusting during the day and that it’s supportive in all the ways you like. Do not bind over an underwire bra and do wear comfortable underwear that doesn’t make lines.
ON TO PART II