Hi! I'm Jessie, from Montgomery County, Maryland. I suppose I have been "cosplaying" every year on Halloween with my mother's help since I was born (I mean, it IS the best holiday). But I didn't start cosplaying and making cosplays myself until last year. As a female, being a cosplayer can be difficult at times because we face a time where many people assume someone does a cosplay because they are attention hungry. Generally, these cosplayers are one's who tend to oversexualize characters. But in reality, they are cosplaying what makes them feel comfortable! But the peer pressure canmake it hard sometimes when I want to be a character, but I cant because their chest or stomach are on display.
Currently, I'm doing this interview from my hotel room at Dragon Con. But, as soon as I return home, I will finish designing my next cosplay for MAGfest in Washington DC (Humanoid Gnar from League of Ledgends) and tryin to get an internship with a fabrication and electronics company.
So far I have cosplayed as Danerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones, a "punk rock" Danerys Targeryen, and Katniss Everdeen from Catching Fire.
To me, cosplay means doing something you enjoy. Whether it be buying something off the rack, altering a pre-made piece, or making something totally your own.
Honestly, as cheesy as it sounds, my friends and family have been my bigest mentors and influences. I was lucky to come from a family where my mother and brother both know how to sew and are into/understand cosplaying (they even do it themselves sometimes!). But I've gotten influence from every cosplay or character I see. When watching a movie, I will get distracted for half of it because I see a character and go, "I could totally cosplay that," and then I spend my time deciding fabrics, patterns, and budget. But before I create my character, I will usually search for other cosplays people ahve done to see what techniques they used, materials, and troubles they ran into.
Don't let anyone scare you out of cosplaying your favorite character! Even if you get negative comments or if nobody recognizes you, you put a lot of hard work into your cosplay and you should be proud to wear it. Also, stick to a budget, but don't make it a solid number. Why? Because everytime you do that, you will totally blow it. There are so many last minute purchases you will make. Whether it be more fabric because you ran out or an extra accessory you just thought of to make it pop. Keeping it in a range will make you feel better about your cosplay and will keep stress levels low versus, "Oh god, this fabric is $8/yard and I'm already $45 over budget!!!"
I luckily haven't received any negative comments while cosplaying, but more when I'm discussing with my friends who I want to cosplay. I try to stay away from characters who are overly sexualized because I know the servin of hate that will come with it. But sometimes, those can be the fun, relaxing cosplays!
Just remember, cosplaying isn't about everyone else. It's nice to get attention for a job well done or best representin the character. But in the end, you're the only one who matters. Become whoever makes you happy and as always, have fun doing it!