The McCandless Project: Cosplay in Society

Earlier this week, I went school wearing part of a cosplay (cos·play: the practice of dressing up as a character from a movie, book, or video game, especially one from the Japanese genres of manga and anime) from the anime Attack on Titan to test how my peers would react. This cosplay included makeup, a strange jacket, and most notably: an orange-brown wig. This odd and different look awarded me with many different stares and remarks. Just a few of these remarks included: “Gasp! Your hair is red and orange!”, “Ooo! I love your hair!”, “I like your hair, and with that jacket, nice combo!”, “I like your jacket; are you cosplaying?”.

Most verbal responses proved to be overwhelmingly positive. Despite this, some stares I received in the hallways irked me. For the most part, I am used to cosplaying in public spaces. This tolerance has been built by attending conventions, going on bike rides, and visiting public spaces such as Kroger and Coffman Park in full cosplay. However, having people that see me everyday observing such a societally strange side of my life proved to be more nerve wracking than expected. I anticipated confused, disapproving looks, however I had not prepared myself for the self conscious-ness that I experienced. While I was not exactly “out of my comfort zone”, I was surrounded by people who had certain societal standards, and the way I was dressed may have pushed those standards. This realization made me strangely nervous around nearly everyone I passed.

I consider myself as someone who tries to not listen to society’s rules, I rely on what my common sense deems as a good or bad thing to do. If I see someone in public doing something I’m not used to, I try to understand it, ignore it, or just not make a big deal out of it. I strongly believe that people should be able to do what they love without having to worry about being judged by society.