Costumed play acting. It’s like what they do at Re-enactments, but with any favorite character from Film, TV. Cartoons, Comics, Video games, you name it.
In 1974 I was 11. Someone took me to a Star Trek Convention to hear Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner speak. There were maybe a handful of fans wearing the red or gold Enterprise uniform shirt. But I saw no Klingons, or Uhuras in the audience, just a lot of “Trekkies” in ordinary 70’s clothing. Maybe that was the day crowd…
My daughter is the one who loves Cosplay. She eased us into it slowly. Or maybe we eased her into it. After all we were the only adults she knew who dressed up as Pirates for Halloween and shot candy at the neighborhood from an air cannon. And it probably doesn’t help that we live in the SF bay area and Dad attends comic conventions whenever he can to rub elbows with his favorite comic book writers.
My daughter attended her first “Con” with my husband. It was is the second largest comic convention on the west coast, and my daughter insisted on making a new costume for it. Designing started during winter break, and because of school and work commitments, I was finishing details on a costume, days before they were to leave. Walking around the convention floor in her pink with gold trim Zelda dress, carrying a home made harp, my daughter was continually stopped by Zelda fans. “Did you make it yourself?” “Can I take your picture?” “Cool Zelda costume!”
She was hooked.
Many Cons later, my daughter regularly scans Cosplay sites and shops for wigs and prosthetic ears on line. She has painted her face and arms gray, made Paper Mache horns, and is an ace at makeup application. Her costumes steadily get more ambitious and elaborate, calling on all my technical skills as well as her growing artistic sensibility to get them finished by a deadline. We are junkies for “Heroes of Cosplay” and “Face Off”, two Reality TV show about costume competitions and movie make-up. Her skill set grows, but I am still technical assistant, materials advisor, and sometimes loan officer.
We make 2-3 costumes a year together. When we are working on a project, the parent/child relationship is relaxed. We have conversations about problem solving and consider different options together. I find myself wondering what she will end up doing “when she grows up.” What would I have done if I had been exposed to these alternate artistic options? And does my child realize how lucky she is ?...
In 1974 I was 11. Someone took me to a Star Trek Convention to hear Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner speak. There were maybe a handful of fans wearing the red or gold Enterprise uniform shirt. But I saw no Klingons, or Uhuras in the audience, just a lot of “Trekkies” in ordinary 70’s clothing. Maybe that was the day crowd…
My daughter is the one who loves Cosplay. She eased us into it slowly. Or maybe we eased her into it. After all we were the only adults she knew who dressed up as Pirates for Halloween and shot candy at the neighborhood from an air cannon. And it probably doesn’t help that we live in the SF bay area and Dad attends comic conventions whenever he can to rub elbows with his favorite comic book writers.
My daughter attended her first “Con” with my husband. It was is the second largest comic convention on the west coast, and my daughter insisted on making a new costume for it. Designing started during winter break, and because of school and work commitments, I was finishing details on a costume, days before they were to leave. Walking around the convention floor in her pink with gold trim Zelda dress, carrying a home made harp, my daughter was continually stopped by Zelda fans. “Did you make it yourself?” “Can I take your picture?” “Cool Zelda costume!”
She was hooked.
Many Cons later, my daughter regularly scans Cosplay sites and shops for wigs and prosthetic ears on line. She has painted her face and arms gray, made Paper Mache horns, and is an ace at makeup application. Her costumes steadily get more ambitious and elaborate, calling on all my technical skills as well as her growing artistic sensibility to get them finished by a deadline. We are junkies for “Heroes of Cosplay” and “Face Off”, two Reality TV show about costume competitions and movie make-up. Her skill set grows, but I am still technical assistant, materials advisor, and sometimes loan officer.
We make 2-3 costumes a year together. When we are working on a project, the parent/child relationship is relaxed. We have conversations about problem solving and consider different options together. I find myself wondering what she will end up doing “when she grows up.” What would I have done if I had been exposed to these alternate artistic options? And does my child realize how lucky she is ?...
