Recently I read a comment on FB
that got me thinking about people who put on costumes (outwith fancy dress
parties), and why they do it.
For the
uninitiated, there are two different categories that these people fall into –
costumers and cosplayers. A cosplayer is someone who not only wears the
outfit, they essentially become that character - mimicking their speech, their
movements, ensuring that their outfit is what some like to call ‘screen
accurate.’ It’s roleplaying; acting without the stage or camera.
The Galactic Knights, an essential part of geekcamp
Within
the geek community, perhaps the most well-known are the Galactic Knights (you
can find their website here and follow them on twitter - @GalacticKnights), who have a variety of
cosplayers covering films such as Star Wars and Dredd. They give a lot of
their time to raise money for charity as well as entertaining the masses at
conventions around the country. They’re fantastic, and I am honoured that
a few are my friends. I even participated in a flash mob with them a
couple of months ago.
Then
there are the costumers like me; people who enjoy dressing up but do not act
the part, as such. I have attended all three SFX weekenders and this
year’s SciFi Weekender (known to most of us as geekcamp), and with the
exception of the first year I’ve always donned at least one costume. I’ve
been Leela from Futurama, a Gryffindor (Harry Potter), the First Doctor (as
part of a Femme Doctors group), Cinderella (kickass Disney Princesses), Sweet
Pea from Sucker Punch and Thor.
Victoria Matthew, fulfilling a dream as Femme
Hellboy
So why do
I enjoy this? Well, a few reasons really. The first is that it’s a
fun project that I can work on, trying to put together an outfit that is
recognisable as that character. Sometimes it’s frustrating, not helped by
the fact that I can barely sew, but I’m learning and expanding my skills.
Secondly,
I enjoy brainstorming with my boyfriend and friends, throwing around ideas and
getting tips that perhaps hadn’t occurred to me. If it’s a group costume
having the support and encouragement from my ladies (aka the GeekCampGirls –
check us out on FB and Twitter) is paramount.
Thirdly,
but perhaps most importantly, is how I feel when I wear them. By February
last year I was the heaviest I have ever been, and to say I had pretty much no
confidence in myself would be an understatement. Unless you’ve carried a
significant amount of extra weight, it’s hard to imagine how that impacts on
you in every respect. It’s not just the effort of dragging your lardy
arse up flights of stairs and finding yourself breathless at the top, it
affects your personality too.
Countless
times I have thought that people don’t really like me, or made an excuse not to
go out at the weekend because I was feeling fat, ugly and had nothing to
wear. I’ve thought that people in restaurants were watching me, waiting
for me to stick my head in the plate, or that they were judging me on how I
looked. Maybe they were and maybe they weren’t; it doesn’t really matter
though because I was judging me.
One of my
friends once told me that I was very much ‘talk to the hand.’ What she
meant was that whenever a guy came near me I gave off a very negative
vibe. I understand her point – I’m very aware that when guys would
approach us, I withdrew into the background.
So what
has changed? I guess my ‘lightning bolt’ moment came when at SFX3 last
year, I had my photo taken with Toby Whithouse, the creator of Being Human and
Who contributor. He was as gorgeous as ever (I may have a huge crush
there), whereas I looked like a blob in clothes. That photo, plus looking
around at all the amazing ladies in their fantastic outfits, was when I decided
enough was enough. I used my costumes for this year as my motivation and by
Christmas I had lost 4 stone (56lbs).
At
geekcamp this year I not only wore corsets for the first time, I felt better
about myself than I had done in years. Yes, I got attention in my outfits
but I didn’t go looking for it. Anyone who’s lost weight knows that it’s
good to catch up with someone you haven’t seen in ages and receive nice
comments on your weight loss. It encourages you to keep it off/lose more
and motivation is absolutely key.
Stepping
into Thor was a revelation. I actually felt different – I stood
straighter (helped by the corset), my confidence soared and I knew I looked as
good as I possibly could. I positively strutted my way through the camp.
The GeekCamp Girls
Our Femme
Avengers group drew a lot of attention, certainly. People took and posed
for photos, commented on the different outfits and examined them in detail,
marvelling at the work that went into them, particularly in our Loki’s case
(huge props to Samantha and Jane, I’m utterly in awe!) A young man approached me and asked for a
pic. I assumed he wanted me to take a photo of him with his friend, so
held out my hand for the camera. It wasn’t until he stood beside me that
I realised he actually wanted a photo WITH me. Me!
Gavin and I getting our Marvel on
Even
though we didn’t manage to get all our Sucker Punch girls together for photos I
loved wearing that too, and walking back to my caravan in the dark my shadow
looked like Blade, which made me feel pretty badass, I have to admit. I forsee Thor and Sweetpea making a return
next year.
So, that's why I costume - for love and fun. Love of the characters, and a
whole heap of fun with my friends. And if one of our outfits can motivate
someone else the way my man, my girls and my fellow geeks motivate me, then
it’s all good.
Hugs and
fairy dust
V x
