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鈥業f I don鈥檛 like myself for any reason, I step out for a while and be someone different鈥� 鈥� the attraction of cosplay and comic cons

1 November 2018

Leon has won awards for his cosplay outfits and will compete against the best in the country at the London Film and Comic Con in 2019 — but he hasn’t entered the world of costume play for the silverware. There’s much more going on under the armour.

“If I don’t like myself for any reason, I have the option of stepping out for a while and just being someone different.”

The same is even true of his standard-issue jeans, t-shirt and hoodie: “This is just another costume I wear, but I’m in this one most often.”

Why I like using cosplay to be a different person

Leon and Jamie use cosplay to step out of real life and be different people.

‘As a male character I realised: this is me’

Leon works together with partner Jamie to make a host of costumes by hand. Currently Leon’s Skurge character from the Marvel Universe is making headlines, winning best costume at the Glasgow Comic Con.

He considers the safe-space allure of cosplay and comic conventions: “I was born female and being able to match with how I felt on the inside with how I looked on the outside was something that I wasn’t able to do in the real world.

“Nobody judged you at Comic Con. I went as a male character and i just started to realise more and more this, this is me.”

“I look now on the outside how I feel on the inside. So I don’t have to put on the costume anymore — which is a big deal.”

The dressing-up box

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