Thursday, January 9, 2014

Epbot Exemplars: Little Red, the Ranger, & More Real Heroes of Cosplay

Time for our first Exemplars of 2014!  

Exemplars are geeks who know what they love, and show it with pride. I keep it mostly girl-centric here at Epbot, but I always reserve the right to feature anyone who helps inspire me to be a better me.

*****

First up, Jen C. tells me my steampunk prom dress post inspired her daughter Atlee to be Little Red for Halloween - with a steamy twist. 

"She quickly informed me that she would need a bow and arrow too because she didn't require a huntsman; she could take care of herself."

Haha! YES!

And look how awesome:

More from Jen C.:

"Since you were the one who inspired us, I wanted to share the results. Everything was found at thrift stores and the entire costume cost under 40 dollars. The hoodie was a bridesmaid's skirt and the dress was a  modified prom dresses. The bow and arrows were hand made from yard twigs and oven baked clay." 

 I am in awe.
But really, the best part is how Atlee got involved and helped her mom put everything together:

 Rock on, ladies!


And speaking of kids taking the initiative, check out the Ranger's Apprentice-inspired cosplay teenaged Ann made completely on her own:
Her mom Sue tells me she found Ann a sewing machine on FreeCycle, and then Ann took it from there. She made almost everything from thrift store finds, and is most proud of her bow, which she sawed, drilled, sanded, and hand-finished all by herself. She even used a soldering iron to brand the handle with an oak leaf:

So to sum up: bows & arrows are cool.

Love it, and I can't get over how perfect Ann's Ranger's cloak is; best camouflage I've ever seen!



Yet another Jenn wrote me the perfect e-mail, so here it is as-sent:

 Dear Jen,

I love Halloween.  Years ago, I used to make costumes for theatre companies, and I love to dust off my machine once a year and have fun.

This year, when I asked my 11 year old son what he wanted to be, he said, "The first person who wrote a computer program."

You probably already know this one, but if you don't, google it.

Here's what went through my mind:

"Does he know who that is?"  Of course he does, he's your son.  And he is completely obsessed with all things computer.

"And he knows he'll be in a dress, right?"  Well, duh.

"What would you do if your daughter asked to dress up as a guy?"  Make the costume, of course.
"How's this going to go over at school?"  Just fine, that's why we send him to that school.

So, here's my son as Ada Lovelace, in a big, white, puffy dress. He loved it, and he was a big hit at school.   

 [Had to add a comparison shot!]

Just thought I'd share this story, since I'm doing my part for geek girls by raising my son to appreciate them.

- Yet Another Jenn

Dangit, Jenn, I was doing fine until that last bit, and then it got all dusty in here. [sniff] High fives & gold stars, my friend.


And finally, Briana Lawrence's story first broke last Fall, but it's one I think we all need to see:


You should head over and read her whole article - it'll make you want to cheer by the end - but this part in particular really struck a chord with me and John:

When your plus sized friend makes the decision to cosplay, the first thing out of your mouth should not be, “People are going to make fun of you if you wear that, maybe you should wear something else.” We’re already on edge about being in this community. 
 
Don't tell us to "be conscious of our body." We already are. We can't help but be conscious of our bodies, not because you tell us to be, but because society tells us to be. Don't assume that you're doing us a favor by saying, "I am supportive of all cosplay, I just want you to understand that there are some people who won't support you," or, "Be careful if you weigh this much and want to cosplay this character not everyone will like it." 
Hearing that from a friend is almost worse than being picked on.


OUCH. Ok, even though neither of us have ever made those kinds of remarks to anyone, John and I both admitted to feeling that kind of over-protective concern that could lead to comments like that - so Briana's advice really hit home. 

I'm especially chagrined because I am already extremely self-conscious when I don a costume myself, taking great pains to cover my face and as much of my body as possible, so you'd think I'd already "get" this. Would I want a friend reminding me I'm not as tall or thin or well-endowed or what-have-you when I step out as Lady Vadore or the White Rabbit? Of course not. So Briana, thank you. You've opened my eyes a little more, and I promise to try to do better by my fellow cosplayers and friends.

*****


Ok, peeps, have an Exemplar to nominate, or maybe want to nominate yourself? BRING IT. E-mail me a pic, a short story/explanation, and don't forget to include names! 

And now for a challenge: show me your collection. Comic books, Pokemon cards, Monster High dolls, vintage Orange Bird stuff, sparkly rocks - hey, if you've got a stash, I wanna see you with it! Share your pics on the Epbot FB page, or e-mail me!

And because I couldn't resist:



44 comments:

  1. Wonderful post, Jen.
    I was recently at Disney California Adventure and saw four young ladies who were dressed in every day clothes but after they passed me I realized they were Bounding. (Can I use that term as a verb?) I didn't grab a pic but I realize now that they likely would have been flattered that I noticed. I'll be braver next time!

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    1. From what I can tell there is so much more bounding (I like it it verb-ified!) over there in CA - you lucky Dizgeek, you - and yes, I have no doubt folks would be flattered if you asked for a pic! (It *does* feel a little weird asking at a park vs a con, but everyone I've ever encountered was that much more delighted, since they weren't expecting it.)

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    2. I was just in Disneyland over the holidays with my sister. We bounded (I'm so glad we've agreed this is a verb) as Flynn and Rapunzel and had a blast. I know I was tickled when anyone noticed we were bounding and commented. We would of happily stopped for a picture had someone asked too. :)

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    3. Wow, I'm stoked to learn this is a thing. It's much more my speed than full-on cosplay.

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  2. These are fantastic! I love seeing kids who not only love to put on a costume, but who take pride in making it themselves (or with help from an adult). And three cheers for the Ada Lovelace fan! One of the great joys of costuming is that you can be anyone or anything, and have fun doing it.

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  3. Costumes = aMAZing!
    Kids = SUPER!
    Jen and John = teRRIFFic!
    Thanks so much for sharing those, Jen. This was a post full of Jens, wasn't it?

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  4. Jen, Your posts about cosplaying and bounding (Can I use that term as a verb? Eh, Emily?) have encouraged me to let out my inner geek. I'm 50 years old and love so many of the sci-fi franchises. If bounding can be done for non-Disney costumes, then that's what I did for the 50th anniversary of Dr. Who. I went as the Tardis - dressed in Tardis blue and black with a pocket watch as a necklace. People at the theatre recognized me. One young man, dressed as the Doctor, even said that I looked like Sexy! Thanks for the encouragement.

    Heather M.

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    1. I love it!! And remember, bounding is the gateway drug to cosplay. JUST SAYING. :D

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    2. Jen, I'd love to cosplay. I just don't know who to go as or where! I'm working on a steampunk outfit. I've tried to incorporate a little more of it in my daily clothes. Thanks again.

      Heather M.

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  5. Lovely. I love your exemplars, they always put a smile on my face :)

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  6. You posted this on my birthday; what a cool present!!! My son was very excited to see his picture here.

    Yet Another Jenn

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  7. (Anne's mom) - Thank you so much for sharing her pictures! She was very surprised to see it as she didn't remember giving me permission to send them to you a while back. But it put a smile on her face. The other costumes are great and I just love the Ada Lovelace story/costume, as a software engineer myself.

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  8. I can't tell you how much I look forward to the Epbot Exemplars posts. ALL THE FEELS!!

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  9. I've always been of two minds about cosplaying.

    On the one hand, I agree with Briana. Cosplaying is about showing how much you love a character. You're dressing up as tribute to him/her. That's why people get so excited and happy about their costumes. They put so much love into the costume because they love the character.

    On the other hand, cosplaying is also about being true to the character. If a person of any shape/size cosplayed as a neon green TARDIS people would make fun of him/her because the TARDIS is blue. (Jen, your Lady Vadore costume is exempt because you went into crossplay and steampunk. You're not Darth Vader, so there's nothing to tease you about.) Mocking Briana because she's overweight seems to be a natural (though nasty) extension of that. You see this in the extreme cosplaying shows on SyFy. The most successful cosplayers are the ones who are a complete copy of the character.

    Please don't misunderstand. I think the people who made fun of Briana are horrible. *Nobody* should be mocked for celebrating the things they love. *Everybody* should feel free to express their geeky joy in their own way. But in dealing specifically with cosplay...I can also see where it comes from.

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    1. Nope nope nope Allison. I'm not attacking you personally, but I find that attitude ridiculous and hurtful to fandom. You know what makes cosplay great? Love. Love for the character makes all the detail and work great.

      I mean, sure, if you want to cosplay professionally, like be a face character at Disney, you need to naturally look like the character. But in every other case, totally not necessary. If you love a character and are going to a con, you go as who you love. Restricting minorities to only the characters that "match" them? Nuh-uh. Not cool.

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    2. But WHY must the mean people decide what "being true to the character" means? Why is that only for them to judge and arbiterize? What if we all had different ideas of what being true to a character means and we celebrated that, even if it does mean a neon green tardis for some? Who is it possibly hurting? Sure maybe a few purists may cringe, but is that any reason to make something joyful like cosplay into a rule-bound joyless exercise at appeasing the bullies? I don't agree with letting bullies call the shots in any circumstance and I don't think it's natural at all to make a fuss if someone isn't the same size or color as the character they're portraying. How many of those professional cosplayers have naturally pink or blue hair? How many have eyes that are proportionally as large as their character's? But that stuff passes, because what this really is about is excluding certain people. If we all had to cosplay purely on natural merits, very few of us would be able to at all.

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    3. The most successful cosplayers are the ones who have FUN.

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    4. What makes a successful cosplay? I went to NYCC as the Tardis with only a modded royal blue peplum dress and top hat (and galaxy print leggings/shoes, because galaxy print). I was completely blown away by the collective reaction to my outfit. I'm not a box. I do not have straight edges, but people still loved it.

      And after seeing that comment about a neon green Tardis, I'm thinking that I should totally get a group together, with everyone as a different color Tardis and make a Tardis rainbow. That would be SO AWESOME. Anyone wanna do it with me? :D

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  10. Cosplay noob here: verbified or not, what is bounding?

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    1. Ditto! I was about to ask this too :)

      Thanks,
      Barb

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    2. It's from a tumblr called DisneyBound. Leslie (who writes it) puts together outfits of regular, non-costume clothes to make character-inspired get-ups.

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  11. Bounding is dressing in regular street clothes that evoke the costume of a character. I think. Something like that.

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  12. Okay, the last paragraph of Briana's post made me tear up. As a relatively noob, plus-sized (gods, I hate that term!) cosplayer, I have to keep reminding myself that it's ok that I am not skinny and perfect or look exactly like the characters I'm dressing as, or that my crafting skills are not as great as everyone else's out there. Thank you Briana for the shot of self-confidence; and thank you again Jen, for fostering this wonderfully empowering community. I'm already working on my DragonCon costumes for this year!

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  13. That Princess Tiana is aDORable!

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  14. that XOJane Article is one of my faves! i devoured it and shared ia ll over Facebook! As a Plus sized person I am far to self conscious to dress in normal everyday clothes, there is NO WAY, I could cos play, too much shame. Thanx Media and Social Pressure!

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  15. Jen, I want to give a big shout out to that young guy who not only had the courage to dress as Ada Lovelace but more importantly who without influence or encouragement just gave a huge shout out to female IT techs (like me).

    I've posted my shout out to him on facebook and twitter.

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    1. Ha, I wouldn't say he is without influence - I'm in IT, too! (from costumer to IT...long story)

      Yet Another Jenn

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  16. As a plus-sized costumer, I have never, ever told someone that they should not do a character that was a different size or race, because that's crap. However, as a large woman and a designer, I will speak up if my friend is planning on a design that is unflattering to a full figure (for example: Empire-line dresses, the ones where the skirt comes out from right under your boobs? Over a certain size, it WILL look like a maternity dress and people WILL ask when you're due), and suggest ways to tweek it a little to fit/look better. Because there is both joy and pride in hearing that your costume is spot-on and knowing that you are representing both the character AND full-figured fans. It's a damn shame, but just like in The Real World, if you're a big person and you dress up for anything, some hater is gonna pick the low-hanging fruit and comment on your size to prove how awesome and witty they are. You either gotta roll with it and ignore them because you KNOW you look GOOD ("Water off a duck's back", as one of my favorite drag queens chants), or be ready with a snappy comeback/burn. "I'm sorry, you must have me confused with your mama. She must be SO proud of you." always works for me in a pinch/hurry.

    LOVING that so many folks new to costuming and/or sewing are going the thrift store reconstruction route! Because let me tell you as someone who CAN sew from scratch and chooses not to whenever possible, sewing from scratch is for chumps! Between the cost of fabric and the time it takes just to cut everything out (WHAT a major time-suck! I get down on the floor to cut out a pattern and the next thing I know, like 2 or 3 hours has gone by and The Vulcan and The Pug want their dinner!), it really is easier and cheaper to find some awesome pieces at the thrift store, repurpose (like Red's former-skirt-cape!) them with some extra fabric and trims, and call it a day. Especially if you're trying to do a jacket or coat; those are a particular PITA to do from scratch. No shame in the reconstruction game, you're still designing, still creating, and still sewing. You're just making it easier and cheaper.

    Also just wanted you, Yet Another Jenn, and her wonderful son to know: I'm showing this post to my kids/students in my Drag101 class at the Gay Youth Center on Saturday. Most of the kids are gay or bi, but there are a few that just want to dress as the opposite gender on occasion, even though they're straight (they tend to be in the class to learn how to cosplay at cons! And here I was afraid they'd think I was some sad old nerdbroad that dressed up as a Klingon-- they LOVE it! Sending one of them to a big anime con this weekend dressed as an anime character that is a guy that dresses as a girl; PERFECT first cosplay/time out in drag!). I want to show them this wonderful boy and say "See? This brave, clever boy dressed as a woman *because he admires her*, and his wonderful Mom helped him. No stigma, no freaking out, just cross dressing and love." Because some of my kids aren't blessed with supportive parents; I have kids whose family don't even know they're gay, much less doing drag or experimenting with gender presentation. I want them to know that there are people in the world for whom it's not even an issue, so that they can aspire to be as brave as he is, and as cool a parent as she is (should they decide to procreate).

    WORK!

    Storm

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    1. OMG, Storm, can I come teach class with you? My son will probably want to come, too, and he'll wear the costume again. That sounds like fun!!! (Note to self: check out our local Center).

      And, I totally agree on the re-purposing, and was going to go that route, but I happened to have all the fabric I needed in my stash, and, you know, it HAD been a while since I'd done cartridge pleating....

      Yet Another Jenn

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    2. Girl, you and your son are now heroes to my kids; they greeted his image with a hearty "HELLS YEAH! WERRRRRK!" If you're ever in the San Diego area, you and he are more than welcome, if for no other reason than to provide a living example of unconditional love (and impressive improvisational costuming skillz!). Please, give him a big hug from me and all my kids, and then make him hug you back for us? Cheers!

      Re: you local LGBT Center and Gay Youth Projects; our Youth Center is an adjunct of our main LGBT Center, a separate, nearby space where the kids can feel a little more comfortable without all the crustydusty oldymoldies burning their collective buzz. Not all cities have a Youth Center that's separate from the main center; some have their youth activities/programs at the main center, and some, sad to say, have no gay youth programs at all. Who can say... maybe YOU can start a costuming/sewing class for them in your community? They are SO exuberantly young and creative, it makes me forget how old I am for a few hours a month.

      Pleating... by Bowie's sacred crotch, pleating is a mighty PITA. Good on you for tackling it! ;)

      Your New Pal,

      Storm

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    3. Storm

      We live in Clairemont. We used to live within walking distance of the Center. My son's school is the one that marches in the Parade every year.

      When is the next class?

      Yet Another Jenn

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    4. NO WAY CUT IT OUT! This is CRAZY, I bet I either know you or know people who do!

      Our next class is on the 25th, but it's already pretty intensely info-filled for the two hour timeslot; we're finally getting into eye make-up, and an actual pro is coming in to work with the kids, and they're really excited about it. Hell, so am I; what faux queen/drag mother couldn't use a few new tricks and tips? That's already gonna be like herding a bunch of festive kittens and putting eyeglitter on them, so maybe not then.

      It's every two weeks, so the one after that is Feb. 8th; let me check with the other teacher and see what we've got going that day? We try to alternate each week, one week it's a make-up/hair or costuming theme, the next week, it'll be more discussion based; those tend to be less rigidly scheduled for time (the make-up and wig folks are on tight schedules on Saturdays!). Now, as how to get a hold of us... if you go to the Center's site, there's an option to click on for info on/links to (IIRC?) the Youth Center (which is on Park Blvd. and Robinson Ave.) The more the merrier, we'd be glad to have you!

      (BTW, if I'm honest? I'm more than a little dismayed at how little costuming is going on in this class, as are several of the students. I'm thinking of starting a spin-off/adjunct sorta class that's just costuming and clothes. My best friend has degrees in fashion and costume design, and is about to get another in special education, and has offered lots of help, but he will also be very busy at his new teaching job. Soooo... don't be surprised if I try to recruit you into my Big Gay Agenda ;)

      Your New Pal,

      Storm

      (Hey, Jen, look at you! Bringing nerd costumer mom-types together to help the nerdkids with your funny little blog! Try and talk yourself and/or this blog down in front of me ever again, and I'll give ya a cyber-rap 'round yer ear-hole! ;)

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    5. Sent an email to the volunteer coordinator asking for my contact info to be passed on to you.

      Yet Another Jenn

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    6. Yes, yesssss! EXcellent! Soon our evil plan shall come to fruition!

      Uh...

      I mean awesome! :)

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  17. Thanks for a lovely post, Jen! You continue to be an inspiration to me, dear.

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  18. Jen, if you have way I can contact Brianna, can you share it? I don't do Facebook but am more than willing to help her sew her next Cosplay costume. I am an Costume Designer in CT who works with H.S. kids. I currently have 1/3 of the Anime club on my costume crew! I'll check back on this entry for your reply.

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  19. I always hated how much rarer it is for a guy to dress as a girl character (in a serious non silly/funny/comic way) the it is for a girl to dress as a guy character. I have a bunch of young nephews (no nieces) who are all very creative wonderful little boys (ages 1-6) who love to dress up. The difference being when the 5yo little guy on one side of my family wanted to be Dora the Explorer (his favorite for a while) his folks freak out, but when the 6yo on the other side of my family constantly dresses up as both (or a non-descript) gender characters his parents don't even bat an eyelash. Both sides of the family however have absolutely no problem when the females want to dress as guys. It is a kind of weird double standard that I see a lot. Encourage girls to be who they want, especially fearless strong characters, but God forbid a little boy wants to show his support or love for a feminine character! All of this to say to the boy who not only knew who Ada Lovelace was, but respected and admired her enough to want to be her for Halloween (in a non ironic, totally tribute like manner) and his family for supporting him I say you guys are all awesome and I can't wait until everybody can dress like, admire, and like whoever and whatever they want.

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    1. It's sad but true. The kids in my class who were born girls but prefer to present/live as boys were always told they could dress as they wanted, that it was just a "tomboy phase" they were going through. It wasn't until they reached adolescence and wanted to present as a male 24/7 that the adults started crying about what happened to their sweet little girl? And most of the boys who dress as girls will tell you that they were constantly told not to wear/do ANYTHING "feminine" because it was unmanly and would somehow turn them queer. Yes, I have kids and drag queen friends who played girly dress-up as a kid and still do it as a grown-up, but I also know plenty of straight men that "played female" as kids and are now straight "manly men". (shrug) People are goofy.

      Cheers, thanks for being gendercool,

      Storm

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  20. So impressed by our boy Ada! What a guy! And what a mum.

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  21. That Red Hiding Hood is the most adorable thing ever! Also loving Ada Lovelace.

    You really want to see my Monster High collection? Okay, let me getting to dusting real fast, you might regret it later. :)

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  22. These exemplar posts are always some of my favorites. I love seeing these kids being themselves and parents that encourage it. My mom always encouraged me to be myself but not everyone gets that kind of support and they should. These kids and parents are truly inspiring and I really hope that I can live up to the awesomeness of these parents with my two kids. :D Also thanks for sharing the plus-size cosplayer article. I hadn't seen it before and it is amazing.

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  23. So love these posts - adults and kids being fearless and cool :)

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  24. could someone tell me how to make a cloak like Annes? that is the awesomest ranger cloak i've ever seen and would like to make one of my own. how did she colour it and what material is it made of?

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