Background
I’ve been wanting to cosplay since as long as I knew cosplaying was a thing. Back in the good ol’ Tumblr days, I would follow cosplaying accounts wishing that could be me. I always thought it looked so fun but I didn’t get into it for a few reasons:
- I thought it was expensive
- I thought I didn’t have the best “body” for it
- I was scared of being judged
I grew up watching anime so I knew what it was liked to like it before it became this “mainstream” thing it is now. And I don’t say that in a “oooo I’m better than you because I watched it first” way because fuck that, I don’t care when you got into anime or why. But there definitely has been a stigma of what your typical anime watcher looks like/act likes. We all know what those “stereotypes” were of people who watch anime: white, “weird“, emo/goth kids. Or the “weebs” (see below.) A lot of people who watch anime, especially Black and People of Color, don’t fall into those stereotypes. But it definitely was something that had people giving you a side eye.
I was also repping my freak flag high, happy to read manga in school and explain what it was to people. I was also obsessed with Nintendo and video games so I would always wear stuff to rep that. But I definitely thought cosplay may be too much for people to handle.
But the older I got, the less fucks I began to give. Especially since launching TWOI and embracing the things I want to make content about. As many of my followers know, I started attending anime conventions last year and covering that. So in combination of attending cons and seeing dope Black and POC cosplaying and seeing people online doing it, I thought “fuck it, I can do this too.” And so, I did.
The Cosplay
For my first cosplay ever, I choose the ultimate anime bae, Todoroki from My Hero Academia! I absolutely love his character. Plus all the gender bend cosplays I saw looked dope. Now I did edit one picture with the Todoroki eye and special effects, but for the rest of these pictures, I really enjoyed them on their own!
The Photoshoot:
Cosplay Details
I tried to make this cosplay as affordable as possible because I didn’t want to spend a million dollars on this. I used my own makeup items I already owned. Below I’ll be listing the products I used and where I got them from.
Please note: the following includes some affiliate links. This means I will receive a commission if you decide to purchase using that link.
Makeup:
The following I already owned but here are links if you’re interested:
Primer:
Tarte Double Duty Beauty Base Tape Hydrating Primer ~ Travel Size Duo ~ 0.236 fl oz each/total 0.472 fl oz https://amzn.to/2WlSnsv
Foundation:
L’Oreal Paris Makeup Infallible Up to 24HR Pro-Glow Foundation, 202 Creamy Natural, 1 fl. oz. https://amzn.to/2QjSscq
Eyeshadows:
Urban Decay Mini Naked
ColourPop Sailor Moon Pallet
Eyeliner:
Colour Pop Eyeliner
Lipstick for red scar:
MAC Little MAC Lipstick Russian Red Mini 0.06 oz/ 1.8g https://amzn.to/33pa3EZ
Lashes:
Kiss Products True Volume Lash, Ritzy, 0.03 Pounds https://amzn.to/3cZGEWF
Wig and School Uniform:
These I ordered directly from Amazon
Uniform:
Anogol Hair Cap+Silver Half Red Long Wavy Cosplay Wig With Bangs Ombre Synthetic Wigs Hair https://amzn.to/2UddYR4
Wig:
Valecos Cosplay Boku No Hero Academia My Hero Academia, Gray, Size X-Large https://amzn.to/38RxQyv
Tracksuit:
From Burlington, not available online
Photoshoot Items:
Camera: (I bought mine at Best Buy but here’s a link)
Sony a5100 16-50mm Interchangeable Lens Camera with 3-Inch Flip Up LCD (Black) https://amzn.to/3d38GAr
Tripod: (This is the exact one I have which I purchased from Amazon)
PLR 72″ Photo / Video ProPod Tripod https://amzn.to/3b2gMHw
Ring Light: (I have this brand, maybe a different size which was purchased for me from Amazon)
Neewer Ring Light Kit:18″/48cm Outer 55W 5500K Dimmable LED Ring Light, Light Stand, Carrying Bag for Camera,Smartphone,YouTube,Self-Portrait Shooting https://amzn.to/3d5pHtV
