With a wig, a smidge of makeup and a themed costume, Kristian Lewis can blur the boundaries between reality and fiction.
“I think my favorite part is seeing how the whole costume comes together,” Lewis, a sophomore in anthropology, said. “Once you finally put on the final details and you see yourself in the mirror, it’s just like, I am that character.”
Lewis is a cosplayer: a person who uses ‘costume play’ to show their admiration for their favorite fictional character from a variety of media, whether TV shows, movies or even video games no matter their age. They often display their creations at conventions such as Comic Con. Children can be seen perfectly portraying a mini-Spiderman, or a middle-aged adult will have an amazingly accurate Iron Man costume. Lewis herself started when she was young.
“The first time I cosplayed I think I was 10,” Lewis recalled. “I saw an ad about the Middle Tennessee Anime convention, which is about five-mile drive from my house. I dressed up as Sophie from ‘Howl’s Moving Castle.'”
Over the years, Lewis has portrayed a number of characters, but she finds she’s always drawn to the same traits.
“I don’t mean to, but I tend to pick sidekicks or younger, happier characters. I don’t know why, I just always do the hero girl or the sidekick girl who’s always peppy,” Lewis said. “Which. . . I’m kind of quiet actually.”
This is one of the great appeals of cosplaying. Cosplayers don’t just put on a costume; the strengths they admire about the character become their own. Also, simply choosing to become that character forms a connection between the cosplayer and the character’s other fans.
“I think it’s kind of empowering,” Lewis said. “If you’re (dressed as) their favorite character, they freak out. One time I did Fiona from Adventure Time, and this little girl — I don’t think she could’ve been more than seven — came up to me and was like, ‘You’re my hero!’ She gave me a big hug.”
That is why she cosplays. Lewis smiled as she remembered how excited this little girl had been to meet one of her favorite fictional people, even if it was indirectly.
“I like making other people happy, and I think a lot of times you do,” Lewis revealed. “I just love that other people can be happy about something I made. It’s a warm feeling.”
This eclectic form of expression isn’t as unattainable as people may think. In fact, UT even has a club dedicated to the art of cosplay.
Matthew Serago, the cosplay club’s president, caught the cosplay bug when he attended an event with a friend where everyone else was dressed up. Inspired, he decided to try his hand at it himself.
“When I came to UT, I wanted to find other friends who like to cosplay,” Serago, an undecided sophomore, said. “So, I set up an appointment to start up the cosplay club here on campus.”
The club approaches cosplay in a variety of ways. They hold workshops to teach attendees how to make costumes and accent pieces, play video games to draw inspiration for their next costume and attend cosplay events together.
“We try to help beginners, because we have people that have never cosplayed before,” Serago explained.
Making a costume may seem like a daunting task, especially for the first-time cosplayer, but both Serago and Lewis pointed out the costumes don’t necessarily have to come from scratch.
“We teach people to make alterations on clothes they already have instead of just fabricating something from the beginning,” Serago said.
Lewis finds altering not only easier than making a costume from scratch but also much cheaper. Often, she’ll buy clothes from Goodwill, Target or Walmart then modify the pieces.
“It makes it a lot easier for me because I’m not the best sewer in the world, but it really depends on the character,” Lewis said. “Put off more complex costumes until you have the funds or skills, but it really is doable.”
UT’s cosplay club used this DIY approach when creating a group costume to attend a convention at ETSU. Costume of choice?
The Fairly OddParents.
So how does one choose one character to portray out of thousands?
“I really go by characters I like and identify with first,” Lewis explained. “I am currently working on Wonder Girl from DC Universe. A friend and I are planning to do the Eleventh Doctor, and I would be Clara Oswald.”
Though Serago doesn’t have a favorite character, he has a few projects in the works as well.
“The one I’m currently working on I have to say is my favorite one I’ve done so far,” Serago excitedly revealed. “It’s Robin, from ‘Batman and Robin.'”
Both Sergo and Lewis pointed out that cosplay, like the club itself, is open to anyone. As long as you love a character, you can cosplay. It doesn’t matter if your fandom’s medium is TV, movies, comics or video games. If you love it, do it.
“Just because it seems nerdy, you don’t have to be afraid of it,” Lewis said. “Even if it’s for Halloween, or a costume party, don’t go into Party City to get something. If you figure out what you’re favorite character is and you make it yourself, you’ll be surprised how much fun you end up having.”
The Cosplay Club meets every other Friday, including Sept. 19, at 6 p.m. in UC 225.
