Confidence by Cosplay: Sailor Moon

At SC Comicon 2017 I fulfilled a longtime dream of mine; I cosplayed Sailor Moon. It wasn’t perfect, but it was me. I wanted to take some time to reflect on how much I’ve grown since the last time I was the pretty guardian in a sailor suit. Not only is it awesome for me to see the changes, but sharing changes with others can sometimes help them in their journeys as well.

Once Upon a Time

I discovered Sailor Moon at a young age as I grew up in the precious 1990’s when she was first airing in the United States. *GASP* I grew up without cable, so I only got to watch her when we were at friend’s houses when it just so happened to be on leading into Dragonball Z. At least the boys were nice enough to indulge me my girly TV before the DBZ. In those moments I was instantly obsessed like any good princess loving girl should be.

Fast forward to freshmen year of college where I called my mom to let her know that I had to be Sailor Moon for my first college Halloween experience. It was the perfect choice obviously. Together my mom and I threw together a college-acceptable scout uniform. Let’s take a look.

My mom helped me with the skirt and the collar with bows. Those boots are Funtasma. The shirt, headband (“tiara”), earrings, and gloves were purcased, and that fantastic hairdo of simple pigtails was styled by yours truly. Let’s not overlook the fact that at this point in my life the only time I had ever worn makeup was when someone else had put it on for me, so you can take a gander at my frighteningly shiny, acne ridden forehead:

A Magical Transformation

It’s been almost 9 years since that epic night! Thanks to the support of my friends I finally got the courage to cosplay my beloved Sailor Moon. I made this entire costume except for the tiara and the boots!

To me the difference is unbelievable:

• I have learned to love my pale skin, and I no longer torture it by neglecting the SPF.
• Eating healthy, hormone balance, skin care with no harsh chemicals, and a little less stress has helped my skin clear up.
• Makeup is now something I use to enhance my looks instead of believing it would turn me into something I’m not.
• I’ve learned to embody a character, and even after the costume comes off I am able to take their best traits with me as part of my own artillery.

The most important takeaway for me is while I love myself in this costume I have also grown into someone who I love out of costume as well. I am my own hero.

Are you interested in joining a cosplay community devoted to becoming your own hero? Follow this link. 

How has cosplay helped you with self confidence? Do you have any fun transformation stories like mine? Share your story below. Leave a comment, and don’t forget to subscribe via email or Bloglovin’ to never miss a post!