I'm not generally one to let a Disney movie guide my life. Not in any major way anyhow. I mean, I identify with various characters, like Alice and Belle. But Disney has always been more of an excuse to sing out loud than a real driving force.
But everything came together with Elsa. It was a matter of being at the right place at the right time.
I decided that I would cosplay her before I'd even seen the movie. I saw the video for "Let it Go" and I kinda liked the song, but more importantly, it had cosplay appeal.
After doing Ronon Dex for PopExpo, I had learned a few things about Masquerades: You get points for character popularity, elaborate craftsmanship, and general wow-factor on stage. The moment I saw "Let it Go," I knew it had the potential for all of that, and more! The newest Disney princess movie, a glam sparkle-laden dress, and a power ballad. Score.
I knew that a gazillion others would be cosplaying her, but I didn't care. I was going to give myself free reign on this costume. NO set budget, no holds barred. I was convinced that given the resources, I would make the best one. I mean in terms of replication - making an animated characters into a living breathing woman.
So I started planning a good month before I saw "Frozen" at the cinema (and I loved it, of course), and the insanity began. But good, cosplay insanity!
At the same time as the work was at its peak, I happened to be going through some pretty intense romantic heartbreak. I won't go into details, but suffice it to say, I had been pretty emotionally wrecked by a careless male-type, and o my life was not living up to the fairy-tale dream.
I think that I used Elsa as a bit of a motivator. If she could let it go, so could I! She didn't need a man, so men be damned! And as a bonus, at the time of the aforementioned heartbreak, I was just starting to poke my head back out after a couple years of depression. I'm actually surprised that I didn't retreat back into my shell! Instead, I reasserted my own powers (of costuming!), made my home my ice castle, and finished up the costume.
In the end, it paid off, because my Elsa cosplay (along the bestest human prop ever!) won Best in Show, and wow-ed the international cosplayers (who watched the Masquerade as unofficial judges). And I got my groove back. I let it go. I let go of all the snide comments about my geeky lifestyle, and I let go of the aching in my broken heart, and I made snow magic on a stage.
To this day, and despite countless viewings of "Let it Go," I still get goosebumps. I see Elsa taking down her hair, and I see myself. And not just because I make spare cash by imitating her for children :P
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