An interview with GayPanic Cosplay
How did you first get into cosplay?
My family always loved dressing up for Halloween. I remember a lot of hand made costumes, my favourite being Cousin It from the Addams Family, which mam made by cutting lengths of sand coloured yarn and tying it onto a mesh laundry bag. So costumes have always brought me joy. My first experience with cosplay was in 2016, when I attended Cardiff Film & Comic Con with a friend who was gifted tickets for her birthday. She insisted we dress up and I decided to order some fabric paint, glitter glue, and a royal blue hoodie to make myself a cosplay of Jack Frost from Rise of the Guardians. I sprayed my hair grey with coloured hairspray and had the best time at my first ever comic con! Once I had fallen down the rabbit hole there was no turning back, a life long hobby had been born.
What inspired your cosplay name or brand?
For a long time my Instagram username was “roxaspritch” – my favourite kingdom hearts character, followed by a shortening of my surname. I eventually decided to create a dedicated cosplay account, around the same time I felt I was growing out of my old username, and decided instead to opt for Gay Panic Cosplay. There are layers to this username. The main reason I chose it is because my most popular cosplay at the time, earning almost 800 likes on one post (a huge number for someone with about 200 instagram followers in 2018), was Sherwin from in a Heartbeat. Who’s story shows him repressing his feelings for a class mate, experiencing several moments of very literal “Gay Panic” and eventually finding out that his classmate feels the same.
On a deeper level, as a queer person I am painfully aware of how the term “Gay Panic” originated as a legal defence used by homophobes in court. To ‘justify’ entering a blind rage upon finding out someone is gay, and attacking them. This legal defense was used to lighten the sentences of those who committed hate crimes. So it means a lot to me that the LGBTQIA+ community have been able to reclaim this term, that was used against them, to mean something joyful instead – the feeling of becoming flustered when you are attracted to someone of the same gender – Gay Panic.
How long have you been cosplaying?
I started cosplaying in 2016. So as of writing this it will be 10 years! Where has the time gone? Make it stop please.
What’s your process for choosing which character to cosplay next?
Cosplay is one of the ways I deal with hyper-fixation – I always say “I can’t like things normally, I have to let them take over my entire being” because I obsess over my hyperfixations. So much so that I feel the compulsion to cosplay my favourite characters. I usually gravitate towards older female characters, or queer coded (although usually canonically straight) male characters. Usually, the characters I cosplay will have an interesting design that makes them stand out in comparison to the others or are written in a way that makes me think of them as iconic.
What materials or techniques do you love working with most?
I love to work with natural fibres like Wool, Silk, Cotton, and Linen. These fibres are all amazing to work with in their own ways. Linen is breathable and has a natural wicking quality, because its made from the fibrous stems of the Flax plant. So its wonderful for keeping cool on hot days (or in a crowded convention hall), it wicks sweat away from the body which means you’ll stay fresh for longer. Cotton is a versatile fabric that comes in so many forms, still with that amazing breathability, but unfortunately lacking the wicking quality. Wool is another very diverse fabric which can admittedly be tricky to work with, it can be very rewarding. It’s both breathable and insulating, is slightly water repellent, and can aborb 30% of its weight in water without appearing wet! Wool is the best material to wear in the rain because of these qualities. As even in heavy rain, if wool gets soaked, it’s insulating quality will keep you warm. Silk always ends up looking so beautiful, whether working with a dual tone silk Dupion, or a lightweight silk Matka. I’ve yet to find a silk that hasn’t ended up looking stunning as a finished garment.
Are there any characters you’ve always wanted to cosplay but haven’t yet?
A dream cosplay of mine has been Ursula from the 2008 Broadway production of the Little Mermaid. I even went as far as to email one of the engineers who worked on her dresses to ask how the tentacles on the “flip” dress were supported – The answer is steel wire mounted into a fibreglass backplate that is worn over the green/blue, but straps onto a harness worn underneath, and on top of her padded bicycle shorts. There are several reasons I haven’t approached making this costume yet, :-
1 – I’m still learning. I would consider myself a journeyman costume maker, while I’m aware my recent costumes have elements of high quality to them, and I know how I could improve them, there is ultimately improvement to be made, Ursula is very much a master build for sure.
2 – Sourcing materials. While the engineer was immensely helpful in answering an 18 year olds questions about how they created a theatrical costume from 10 years prior, they unfortunately did not know which gauge of wire was used to make Ursulas self supporting tentacles. All that I do know, is that it needs to be strong enough to hold its shape when held vertically and to not collapse under the weight of the tentacles, which are an accordion of PVC spikes, while still having enough bend to be able to bounce, flick, and flow when moved by the actor. The tentacle skirt creates an 1860s ballgown shape, which can be flipped up to present all 8 tentacles vertically to the audience in a similar manner to a peacocks tail. Which can then be pushed forward over and around the wearers torso, flowing elegantly and ominously to the music. Until I am able to sample several different gauges of high gauge wire, I will not be able to start this costume.
3 – Money. Cosplay is expensive, and recreating a dynamic broadway costume is the boss of expensive cosplays.
How do you prepare for walking on stage or doing a photoshoot?
Honestly I tend not to prepare for photoshoots. I usually have an idea of how the character exists in the media they’re from, but I like to be directed by a photographer, because the shoot is as much their art as it is mine, so I enjoy having a look around a location with a tog and having them make suggestions to fulfill their vision. When I do have specific ideas for a character it’s usually using poses they have used in the media they’re from, or recreating scenes they have been in. Studying your characters movement, poses, and attitude can make a huge difference if you tend to freeze up in shoots like I do. For performing on stage I will usually have prepared a performance in advance. Again, recreating scenes from the media that the character is from, and making sure I use the space well.
What’s your favorite thing about interacting with cosplayers at conventions?
I love being able to make new friends from shared interests! I’ve met some fantastic people that I otherwise would not have spoken to if we weren’t at the same cosplay meet! My local cosplay group page: Cardiff Cosplay Meets was where I made some of the best Friends I’ve ever had. (Shoutout to Noodlecup Cos and Shibinogi for organising those meets for so long)
How do you balance stage performance with costume craftsmanship?
As a performer, I usually approach costumes in a way that makes them adaptable for the stage – Lady Dimitrescu for example. I designed as a costume for a Halloween burlesque performance with Clumsy Cabaret, so once I had the pattern I had to look at how I could adjust it for that purpose.
The dress did have an opening down the back, but the sleeve pattern joined the sleeves together in the back with a cape. So I used hidden popping clasps to make the cape appear to be sewn together down the centre back, with its pretty pleats hanging down, but in actuality, it could be torn into two pieces, with popping clasps going partway down the centre back, and then along one side of the pleated cape. I hemmed the skirt so it couldn’t get caught under my dancing shoes, which I decided to be 8 inch platform heels, while leaving enough extra fabric in the hem to let out when I eventually leveled up to 10 inch platform heels.
In regards to costumes that didn’t start their life in the glamorous world of burlesque, as a Theatre & Drama graduate and a Theatrical Freelancer, I specialise in devising, and performing Musical Theatre. When it comes to costuming for performance, its important to understand the practical elements of costume design. How you are going to move in it? What materials to use? How to cut your pattern to move the way you want it to and how your costume may affect the way you move.
To maximise the effect of your performance you may need to make changes for practical reasons, like swapping hooks and eyes for zips, shortening hemlines for ease of running, or adding protective layers to protect the costume from dirt on the stage. It’s also important to know when to take creative license to make a performance better. Swapping a rectangular cape for a circle cut cape will make for a more dramatic swoosh for example, this would however come at the cost of accuracy. I am of the opinion that the best way to make a costume functional is to approach making it the way your character (or the person they bought it from) would – like clothes. Your character doesn’t wear a costume, they’re wearing clothes, so using finishes and techniques used in the fashion industry or by historical seamstresses can make all the difference in making your costume more practical for performance.
What do you think makes a strong cosplay community?
The cosplay community is at its best when we bring out the best in each other and when we lift each other up. Being kind and respectful takes no effort, which is far less effort than being hateful and divisive. I think the strongest cosplay community is one where people hype each other up, help each other when they are struggling, and are there for each other always. There is a saying “the cost of community is inconvenience”, which means building a community takes time and effort, and that those who wish to build community must sacrifice their time and convenience to help each other and be present. I would argue that spending time to build community and help your friends is never time sacrificed, but time well spent. From advising each other on sewing techniques, to helping each other learn choreography, to showing your friends how to make their first foam prop, the cosplay community is at its best when we help each other.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to aspiring cosplayers?
If you want to learn how to sew, you will learn more by making an actual project than by making a pillow. Don’t listen to the sewing videos telling beginners “start on something small”. If you want to learn how to make clothes, you need to make clothes. Clothing patterns are made of a finite number of shapes, use a pattern block and use the slash and spread method to make custom sewing patterns for what you need, or find a sewing pattern that would make a garment of the same shape you need. Make it up in cheap fabric, then use TR cutting to make the custom sewing pattern you need for your intricate garment. Remember when sewing your costume you need it to fit over your undergarments. If you are wearing a lycra or spandex body suit (spiderman, superman, etc etc.) A dance belt is a modesty garment that is *not* optional – you need to wear one underneath. A lot of female cosplays are improved by wearing a well fitted corset underneath. Corsets also help with the comfort of wearing heavy ballgowns. Wear a breathable fabric between the corset and your skin, then layer your ball gowns on top. The corset will disperse the weight of the gown over your entire torso, instead of just at the waist.
✨️ Media: https://www.instagram.com/gaypaniccosplay/
https://www.tiktok.com/@gaypaniccosplay?_t=ZN-8zrpqFSfCWE&_r=1
https://www.facebook.com/Gay-Panic-Cosplay-2373470909547995/