One of the things that I enjoyed the most about 2021 was doing something that I never thought I’d enjoy - attending conventions! I didn’t used to be much of a crowd person, and I’m still not totally sold on things like music festivals, but 2021 was the year when I found out just how fun they can be. Hanging out with friends (both people you know and people you don’t know yet that you have a lot in common with), going to panels, playing games, shopping… it can be a little overwhelming! Once it’s over, though, you’ll find yourself counting the days until the next one. As Part 1 in an ongoing series, here are some costume-related questions you might be asking yourself before attending your first con.

Do I have to wear a costume?

Nope, costumes are not required! You can wear your everyday attire, or a fun shirt with your favorite anime reference, a costume that you bought off Amazon, or one that you hand crafted yourself. There are no limits, and you won’t be judged, shamed, or criticized for what you choose to wear or how professional your costume looks.

How many costumes should I bring?

My personal rule of thumb boils down to 2 per day, but it’s totally up to you! If you want to wear a costume, you can wear the same one the entire time, do the same character in different costumes, wear a costume a day, or change every hour on the hour if that’s what you want to do. You might want to keep in mind that:

Space is an obvious consideration - how many costumes/wigs/shoes/accessories can I fit in my suitcase? - but time might be a more important one! If I’m wearing a wig or character specific makeup, I don’t like to change more than twice a day, just because it takes too damn long; I might swap out an outfit while keeping the hair and makeup the same, though
Speaking of space, shoes take up a lot of it. You might want to think about what costumes you can wear the same shoes with early in your cos-planning
Don’t let FOMO lead to over-packing. I have a bad habit of throwing one (or two, or three) last costume in the bag, but in the end it just muddles things. I often feel like there’s not enough time in the day when I’m at a con, so keeping my options streamlined means that I spend less time digging through my bag or deciding what to wear, and more time actually enjoying the con

I feel nervous about wearing a costume out in public.

So you want to wear a costume, but you’re feeling a little shy or embarrassed. That’s OK! I feel like my life improved in a lot of ways when I realized that, as a grown woman, I am fully allowed to wear whatever I want in public, up to and including superhero costumes. My previous experiences wearing non-normative clothing styles and taking photos of myself in public might have already prepared me for the cosplay scene, so if that’s something you’re nervous about, I have plenty of advice for you!

You can start small. If you don’t want to wear that full Wonder Woman costume + sword and shield, a little “closet cosplay” (pulling together an outfit that is reminiscent of a specific character from items that you have in your closet) might be a nice way to ease into it
A lot of people think that you have a to have a superhero’s physique in order to cosplay one, but that’s not true at all! Body type, skin color, and gender couldn’t matter less when it comes to cosplay. In fact, the most interesting and memorable cosplays are often the ones that differ most from the source material, IMO
If you’re looking for a supportive, safe environment to wear a costume, you can’t beat a con. Small children will run up to you practically crying with excitement. People cosplaying characters from the same series will ask for pictures. Random people will tell you how much they love your outfit/makeup/sword/taste in entertainment. Any insecurities that you might have had in the beginning will evaporate pretty quickly once you’re out on the con floor

Final Thoughts

One of the things that I’ve loved the most about starting to go to conventions is how social the experience is. It’s just so much fun to be surrounded by people with whom I have so much in common, and wearing a costume is a bit like advertising for my tribe. It makes you feel like a celebrity to have people come up and ask for a picture, or shout after you that they love your cosplay. In those situations, I find myself reacting more like the character - stronger, more confident, and maybe a bit more heroic.