When you are five years old and decide to wear your Spiderman costume to the grocery store, people think it’s funny and cute. Little kids in super hero or princess costumes are met with ooohs and aaaahs, smiles and giddy laughter. However, there comes a time when other shoppers will gaze upon you with puzzled faces.


I am not quite sure if there is a magical age where dressing up is forbidden. I haven’t found a law on the books that states an adult or near adult can no longer don a Cinderella dress or Ironman suit in public but certainly it is an understanding that anyone who can grow a beard shouldn’t play dress up.

Or should they?

Stand outside any pop culture convention and you will see a lot of people in their cosplay posing for pictures. Head out to your local Renaissance Festival, you might have a hard time telling who is working at the event and who is a guest.

Hollywood Blvd, anyone?

Leave the confines of the convention center or the dusty tents of Renn faire in costume to grab a soda at the store and you’ll be met with immediate stares from the general population.


They smirk with a raised eyebrow coupled with judgmental squinty eyes. Maybe they’ll skip the aisle you’re on, clutch their purse and treat you as if you have escaped from Arkham Asylum.

Some people are discreet. Others are flat out bold, mouths open and might even whip out their phone to snap a picture of “this crazy person” they saw in the Starbucks.
I’ll admit that I used to get a little offended at people whispering and staring. Then I realized that it’s not everyday you see Black Widow buying bread and peanut butter in your local grocery store. *Except for 4 days of the year in the Gaslamp, San Diego*

A Storm Trooper Ballerina crossing Harbor Blvd while on the way to the Anaheim Convention Center during Wondercon? Definitely a little out of the ordinary.

Or a woman waiting to pull out cash at the bank while wearing full privateer garb with bells, feathers, a whip, knives, a tail hanging off her belt and a bodice that draws a lot of attention to the décolletage. Sure to garner a lot of bizarre looks from everyone else in “normal” clothes.

It may not be normal for *you* to wear costumes in public but it’s become normal to me! In our family we don’t save dress up for one day of the year. We take costuming and the world of make believe to a whole new level.

One of the best parts of Halloween gets spread out to many days of the year. Conventions of every type, we have costumes for each. Geeky stuff, scary monsters and family cosplay not to mention our Rennie garb. Our guest room closet looks like a movie studio wardrobe department.

If you’re thinking of trying cosplay but aren’t sure where to start, then start easy. Costume bounding (also known as Disneybounding) is a fun place to begin. All it takes is an entry level imagination by simply matching the colors and general look of a character. It’s a low maintanence approach to costumes.
The next step would be to cannabalize either cheaply made halloween costumes or every day clothes off the rack by adding embellishments. People won’t generally know that you bought your Victorian Vampire dress off of Amazon if you add in a terrific wig, shoes and stellar makeup.


Once you’ve mastered the art of hot glue guns, simple sewing and your UPS driver knows you by name from all the packages she delivers then you are ready to kick it up a notch.
By yourself a vacuum form machine so you can mold armor, it’s only a couple thousand dollars. While you are at it, mold some armor for other people and start a business. Seriously though, the sky is the limit for making your own costumes.

Don’t be afraid to be an adult who dresses up. Call it what you want-cosplay, costume bounding, dress up-it is a fun and creative way to use your imagination. Something that a lot of adults don’t get a chance to use often.

Once you are on your way to a convention in costume, make sure you run into a grocery store to do some shopping. Stroll the aisles like nothing is out of the ordinary. It really is fun to see people’s reactions.


The best is when someone asks, “Wow are you going to a party?”
Stand there in silence for a few seconds with a quizzical look on your face before responding, “um, no. I’m just picking some stuff up for dinner.” Then walk out without saying another word.
Stifle your laughter until you get to the car then post about it on social media and don’t forget to tag me in it.

About the Author

Erin Jefferson-Foley (Mommy Fearest) is terrified of scary movies, gore and zombies. But she loves all things Halloween and Haunt related! Slowly but surely she has been dipping her toes into the realm of horror movies with great results. Pretty soon she will work her way up to watching a scary movie when it is dark outside. Erin has had a love affair with theme park Halloween events for the past 20 years. Her first time at an event was at Knott's Scary Farm in the late 80s when a family friend, a Knott's employee, escorted her into the park to watch Elvira and give her a behind the scenes tour. She was intrigued as she walked through the break room and realized that they were just people in masks and makeup. It seemed like only a short time later, Erin was performing for Halloween Haunt which led to her meeting the love of her life, her husband. Each year she cheers on her husband and his friends as they set up and run a home haunt. You can catch her helping with line control and repeating the same instructions over and over and over to the guests each night. She has been a professional dancer and actress for over 20 years. When she is not in the studio teaching dance or in her office writing, you can catch Mommy Fearest with her husband and two kids at various conventions throughout California. She enjoys Cosplay, Star Wars, Renaissance Faires, Halloween, haunted attractions, paranormal happenings, special effects makeup and horrible reality television shows.