#crossplay tips

Hey, all!  So while I was at Otakon, I went to this panel called "Crossplay for Girls."  All my other friends were at the rave and I figured it'd be a pretty useful panel!  So I thought you all might like to hear what I learned, along with a bit of my own experiences! ^_^"  Just so you know, one of the speakers was Lady Ava from cosplay.com, so if you're interested in a bit more of the details, either ask me or contact her! :)  (can't find the other speakers T^T)

Wig Advice Make sure you're careful when buying a wig for your crossplay.  A lot of girls have a bit more hair and that can make the wig a bit tighter.  Also, many male-appearing wigs have shorter hair in the back.  Make sure that it's going to cover all of your hair, and also make sure your own hair is either pinned or in the wig cap securely!  We don't want any of your black hair peaking out through your blonde wig or something, right? :)

Make Up I've always wondered how I'm supposed to do make up for a shoot/convention when I'm a guy, especially if the character definitely doesn't wear make up!  But they gave me a few helpful hints on that one.  First, darken your eyebrows a bit.  Guys tend to have fuzzier eyebrows than women have.  They gave two suggestions: the route I know and the route I didn't.  For the former, take your eye liner pencil and simply do some sketchy lines in your eyebrows, going outwards just a bit.  Follow the lines of your own eyebrows (I used this method when doing Claire's for her England cosplay).  The other route was using a mascara brush.  They said to brush in the opposite direction of your brows, then up a bit and fiddle with them (after they've dried) to look the way you want.  This'll give your eyebrows a bit fuzzier of an appearance. The other thing they mentioned was blush.  Most women apply their blush to  the upper cheek bone.  For guys, if you do in in a sort of triangle/angle, one line going underneath that same bone, then down, it'll give your jaw a bit more of a square look and hide the "round woman face" a bit more!  *Other tips for that jaw were given in posing. 

Binding Advice I've already done one post on binding, though I'll talk a bit more about it again. :)  First method would be binding with ACE bandages.  Wrap from the bottom upwards, and don't try to do this lying down.  Things will not "settle" correctly. ^^"  Especially if YOU'LL be standing up most of the time in the outfit, you want to do the binding standing up.  Second main method is an actual binder. T-Kingdom and Underworks were the two examples given (ironic, since those were the two that I looked at!) if you're interested!  Always make sure to get your size; most of the websites come with sizing charts.  DON'T GET A SMALLER SIZE TO COMPRESS MORE.  It's not healthy for your ribs and you could break something!  Remember to breathe from your stomach, not as much with your chest (any singers out there will know what I'm talking about! ^_^ )

The "Butt" of the Problem Okay, girls, let's face it.  Guys tend to not show as much fat on their bodies.  It's simply because we're made differently.  Therefore: GUYS TEND NOT TO HAVE A "BUTT."  I usually haven't had too much of an issue with this in cosplay, though I never fully thought about it before!  The girls recommended that you can actually do the same thing to your rear end that you do to your chest: binding.  You don't have to do it too much, just to flatten out some of those lines.  Also, they said you could do some wrapping near your hips to flatten out the natural curves of your hips. :)

"Manly Pants!" (Title from a joke from the panel X3)  Okay, there's a sewing tip, more of, then your gestures or characteristics while cosplaying.  Girls pants tend to have a flair at the bottom.  It helps to define our curves and make our legs look great!  Guys, though, not so much. ^^"  In summary with a lot of this: curves are not your friend while crossplaying ;)  Try to flatten them out a bit!  So make sure that when you sew your pants for your outfit, a lot of guy-pants tend to be a bit straighter in the legs.  If you want to fully see, take a pair of your own regular, womens jeans and hold them up to a pair of regular guy's jeans (not the skinny jeans or something like that, though).  I'm pretty sure you'll see the difference!

Posing and Creating the Male Persona First thing they talked about is walking.  Girls, we tend to swing our hands a bit more.  We swing our hips a bit more, and our feet go one in front of the other.  The "model walk" is really just an over-exaggerated version of the "girl walk." /teehee/  Guys walk with their feet shoulder width apart, feet facing forward.  Their arms don't swing as much (usually.  This will depend on your character, of course!  For example, Hunny-sempai from Ouran could use a bit of arm swinging, in my opinion ;) ), their shoulders are back (to make your shoulders appear more "manly" by the way, try shoulder pads!  Yes, you'll feel like you're from the 80's, but it could definitely work!).  For those of you who've done marching band, they said that this will be great practice for you!  Just don't actually roll your feet too much, since guys don't glide usually. ;) As far as sitting goes, girls overall tend to sit back in the chair, closer to the back of the seat while guys tend to sit forward.  Girls tend to cross their legs or sit with their legs very close together (it’s also thought to be more “lady-like”).  Guys, on the other hand, sit with their legs apart, since it’s obviously more comfortable for them.  Unless your character calls for it, no crossing your legs unless its loosely so, where your ankle more of sits on your knee as opposed to your other knee.  Remember to stay a bit more loose. As far as posing goes, remember your “rules” for yourself in sitting and walking.  If it’s a standing pose, for example at a convention, remember the three-fourths view.  This is more likely to make you appear slimmer, and will give the camera a very nice view for the photo!  One other tip they gave was to have your hips slightly forward (obviously, don’t over-exaggerate this!!!!!!!!!!!), keep your shoulders back, feet shoulder-width apart, and flash the camera your winning smile!