Cosplaying 101- Step 9: Wearing Your Cosplay

Welcome back to the Cosplaying 101, a beginner's guide to cosplay (go to the bottom of the page to see the complete list of steps in the Cosplaying 101 series). Today we will be going over Wearing Your Cosplay. If you would prefer, you can watch the accompanying YouTube video below:

This is pretty straight forward. If you followed all the steps up to this point, you should be good. You put on you cosplay, and go have fun. But I know, sometimes plans go awry, poop hits the fans, and all things fall apart. So today I will go over how to solve some of the problems that might occur on the day of your event and some things to be prepared for while cosplaying. Now in this blog I will focus a lot on cons. This is because most of the other places you can cosplay, you already know what to expect (you've done Halloween before or you have been to a movie theatre before), but cons are different. My first con, I had no idea what would happen and I was completely unprepared so I thought that would be the best way to focus this topic to help you. Most of the information can also be applied to wearing a cosplay to other events.

Let's start with problem solving:

First of all, anytime you are cosplaying always carry an emergency bag (especially if you are going to a con). Here are some of the items that I carry in my emergency bag:

Personal hygene items- deoderant, hand sanitizer
Health items- Water, bandaids, aspirin, contact holder, contact solution
Adhesives- super glue, duct tape or gaff tape, hot glue gun (if you have extra room)
Sewing Stuff- small scissors, some black yarn, safety pins
Make up- extra body paint, sponge, lipstick of the day, eyelash adhesive or spirit gum, small mirror
If you're going to a con- cellphone charger, wet wipes, tissues or napkins

Common issues we've had:

Problem: My closure is no longer closing
Tape it- If it will be hidden, you can use duct tape or gaff tape to tape it close
Safety pins- If you need to reattach a closure such as velcro or elastic, try safety pinning the closer back on. Lovebug reattached the elastic on my Poison Ivy leg armor this way
Create a closure- If you have a special item that fell apart, try creating something to hold it close. Paperclips are basically everywhere that has a desk and can be reshaped to suit your needs
Problem: I didn't have time to finish it
Duct tape or glue yourself into it- Lovebug did this with his saiyan armor
Battle damage- if it doesn't look it's best, or you had to rush painting it and didn't have time to let it dry, you can say it is battle damaged.
Throw some accessories on it- can you add a cape, jacket, or scarf to cover the unfinished piece?
Problem: My shoes hurt like a fudge sandwich
Bandages- put a bandage on the part of your ankle that the shoe is hurting
Take breaks- you can rub your feet. If you're at a con you can go to a panel and just sit with your shoes off for a while. I did it.

Now let's go over some things to be prepared for while your cosplaying:

The looks and stares from people who don't get it, especially if you are taking public transportation to your destination. Try to be around at least one other person who is dressed up if possible. Also, just throw on some headphone and tune those suckers out. Lastly, if someone asks you what you're doing, (sometimes I have a tendency to talk down about it and almost apologize for doing it, don't do that. Cosplay is one of the coolest things ever, and it takes the most creative and bold people to do it. It is an art, you don't need to apologize or feel guilty about it) show that you are proud of it. If you are uncomfortable, go ahead and be aware of that and either plan to wear something to cover your outfit, clothes to change into, or a way that you can avoid being around "others"(LOST reference there).
Pictures galore- if you are dressed up, people are going to want to take pictures of you. Especially if you are a Disney character, or a well known character. Also people are going to want you take a picture with their child, who of course will not want to take a picture with you. It is okay to say no, I usually do take a picture because it means that someone really likes my costume which I take as a compliment.
Watch out for children- while you are taking a picture with that kid, make sure that they do not touch your costume. Children are curious and impulsive, they may pop something off your costume. I speak from experience also, I used to be a special ed teacher, so I know how kids can be.
It's okay to take breaks- wearing a costume, being in character, posing for pictures, walking around can all be a lot more tiring than you originally anticipated, it's okay to take a break. At cons, I use panels and waiting lines as times to just sit and relax for a bit. Also sit and eat your meal in peace. It gives you another opportunity to take a break and also you can make sure you don't spill anything on your costume.

Now let's go over some things to be prepared for after you've cosplayed:

Addiction to cosplaying- this is more true for going to cons, because you are surrounded by people who appreciate your work and who show you cool things to try. After my first DragonCon, I became addicted to cosplay. I wanted to cosplay for everything. Thankfully I had Talk Like a Pirate Day and Halloween to look forward to. If you need some ideas of events to cosplay for, head to my Facebook page and I can offer some suggestions.
Post Con Depression- so the flip side of the rush you get from cosplaying is post con depression. I was completely unprepared for it my first year and it hit me hard. Leading up to the con or event you are wrapped up in the excitement of preparing for the event, making sure your costume is together. During the event you're taking pictures, being in character, being admired. Then after the event, you want the fun to continue. Knowing that it will happen, made it easier for me to deal with so here's your heads up. Beware of post con depression.
Con Crud- because of the lack of sleep, being around a lot of new people, poor nutrition, and poor hygiene habits (on the part of yourself or your fellow event attendees) some people tend to get sick after a con. My first DragonCon, I definitely had the con crud. So second DragonCon I was diligent about washing my hands frequently, not touching escalator handrails, and using hand sanitizer.

So that is all that I can think of for tips for Wearing Your Cosplay.

Did I miss anything? Was there something you were unprepared for when you first cosplayed? What was your first cosplay experience like?

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please leave it in the comments box below or head over to my facebook page and leave it on my wall. And thanks for reading!