This is a question I get asked all the time, so I felt it was time to have a little sit down and discuss how to choose a cosplay.

For me, choosing a character to cosplay is never a challenge because of how I look at cosplaying.  When I decide to make a costume it’s because I have a certain love for the character or can relate to the character in some way.  I ask myself the question, “What character do I love?” and that makes everything much easier!

Buuutttt Kiiiiiiit! I can’t be my favorite character because, I’m the wrong race/too fat/too skinny/wrong gender/my costume won’t be good enough. The list goes on and on. I say screw all those “I can’t because” reasons.  Cosplay isn’t a competition. There is no prize to be won for looking the most like a character (okay, maybe there is, but I don’t do masquerades, so I have no idea).  If we’re talking in general, there should be nothing stopping you from representing the characters you love.

If I abided by those rules, I would have never put together my Lana Kane costume.  She’s ¼ black; I have, as the internet put it, “a moon tan.”  But I found that character to be sassy and funny - two characteristics I’d love to take on for a day. I didn’t let the difference of race stop me from having fun and showing my love for both Lana and the show, Archer.

Same rule goes for gender.  I mean, heck, if we all played by the rule that you switch genders then The Gender Bent Justice League would never exist!

Do not even get me started on the “I’m too fat/too skinny thing”.  I’m sorry, but there’s a very tiny percent of the population that could feasibly ever look like the characters that are drawn on paper. That rule shouldn’t even apply.  I’m all for working towards your look for a costume.  I understand the internet can be mean, but it’s at those moments you have to ask yourself, “Why do I want to make/wear this costume?” Is it because you want attention/admiration from people you don’t know, or do you want to show your love for a certain character/series?  I have met some of my best friends through cosplay, and a lot of times we met because we had costumes from the same series.  If I had let my fear of wearing a certain costume due to my body stop me from making that costume, I really wonder if I would have the wonderful friends I have now.

If you’re afraid your costume won’t be good enough to wear to a con, throw that out the door right now!  If you’re not actually in a competition for best costume, then just have fun! Be a nerd. Meet other nerds. Show the world what you’re into!  If you think Harley Quinn is fun, well then heck paint your face white, draw on an eyeliner mask, and crack out the red/black.Other Harley’s will recognize their own, and they’ll love your creativity and want to show your love for Harley.  Not all my costumes are stellar, I mean heck look at my Tron Siren costume! That sucker is a glorified body suit with reflective tape tacked down, but I still had fun running around with my friends in costume, and that’s really what it’s all about.

Yeah, this is a bit of a soap box, but I feel it’s important to remind everyone that there are people out there who will support you for loving a character enough to put on their tights.  Never let race/gender/weight/fear stop you.  With a little more open mindedness and support, we can throw out these silly imaginary limitations to cosplay and run around/have fun with our friends dressed as the characters we admire most.  Now get out there, have fun, and be who you want to be!

Kit Quinn
Kit@ComicImpact.com