Widowmaker from Overwatch : @gumiv4 / Photo: @jsb262
Cosplay to me means building your own fantasy world and being a more true version of you. I get to be whoever I want to be and take a small break from what can sometimes be a harsh reality. And I feel as though this applies to every cosplayer, because even though I make my own cosplays, you can still experience this feeling of escapism whether you make your cosplays or not! But for those who do make their cosplays or even parts of it like the wig, the props, etc., it brings an extreme feeling of pride! I love to problem solve and work with new materials, so when experiments and unique projects are a success, I feel so proud! To me, cosplay is just something that is so special and unique to everyone no matter how you choose to cosplay.
I discovered cosplay by complete accident! When I was in elementary school I began to dive into anime and Vocaloid but had no idea cosplay was even a thing. Then on a Saturday night, my dad and I went to a casino for a father-daughter dance and the casino was also hosting an anime convention (SNAFU Con). It was around Halloween time, so I had actually made myself a costume of the Vocaloid Kagamine Rin and returned to the convention and wore my Halloween costume the next day!
For a solid chunk of my life I’ve struggled heavily with my health, but cosplay has been a huge factor in improving my mental health while dealing with this time in my life! At the age of 13 was when I began struggling with pain throughout my joints and muscles as well as chronic fatigue which put a giant bump in my hobby as a cosplayer. As someone who had only been cosplaying for 2 years at the point of the beginning of my health decline, feeling my body making it physically hard to sew and craft was devastating.
After several years of traveling from doctor to doctor, I got a diagnosis of both Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Autoimmune Autonomic Ganglionopathy at the age of 18 which I am now. Neither of these illnesses have a cure or any medications certified to decrease symptoms, so although I’m grateful to have been diagnosed, the way I cosplay and attend conventions has been changed forever.
When it comes to cosplay, I’m a huge fan of making everything from scratch, sewing and crafting everything from the bottom up, but I’ve learned that in my current state patience is key. I can’t work for long hours as any sort of work involving my hands (which in cosplay is everything!) causes muscle and joint pain all through my upper body, as well as severe mental fatigue. I have the constant need to work and be creative, so being physically held back is hard but I’ve gotten so much support from the cosplay community and they’ve kept me motivated to just take it one task at a time!
Conventions have also changed for me as they’ve became something that I have to physically prepare myself for with extra medications and large amounts of sleep before, during, and after the convention. But despite these changes, cosplay is something I’ll always be grateful to have in my life as it makes me feel as though I’m still capable of making fun and amazing things!
One extremely positive experience that I can recall in cosplay was during a charity event in which my group (Cosplay for Kindness) was in character at a fundraiser for juvenile cancer.
During the event, some kids who had beat various forms of cancer got to go up and ring a victory bell, and then afterwards could come and take pictures and interact with the characters (us). I was dressed as Ariel, and one boy who had beat cancer ran up to me with his parents and excitedly asked if I saw him ring the bell. I in fact did see him, and told him how proud I was of him and how I would have to tell Flounder and Sebastian of how he beat cancer and got to ring the bell.
His parents were crying and I was on the verge of tears as well (ended up crying over it once the event was over) and it was just such a special moment and the fact that I can give back to the community through these events means the world to me!
____________________________-
Overwatch merchandise on Amazon https://amzn.to/2UHK9Jf
