Photo or Selfie Challenge/Cosplay | Transmogrify: Transforming Into My Favorite Characters
5:50 AM
Our second blog photo challenge is “transmogrify”. When I first heard the word, I searched for it and saw that it meant “transform, especially in a surprising or magical manner.”
Wow, that really is deep. What should be my subject for this challenge??
Suddenly, I realized the answer was right in front me and I’ll be able to relate it to one of my niches: COSPLAY. :D
The reason why I cosplay is I want to give tribute to my favorite characters. Through this hobby, I can be someone whom I relate to or have always wanted to become. Thanks to costumes, wigs, makeup, and acting, I literally transform myself into my favorite characters.
For the past five years, I became:
For the past five years, I became:
A soul reaper (Toushiro Hitsugaya of “Bleach”)
A robot pilot (Kaworu Nagisa of “Neon Genesis Evangelion”)
A non-bender (Asami Sato of “The Legend of Korra”)
A Disney Princess (Mulan of “Mulan”)
A Fourth Hokage (Minato of “Naruto”)
A leader of the Swarm (Sarah Kerrigan Ghost of “StarCraft II”)
A kick-ass female cyborg (Motoko Kusanagi of “Ghost in the Shell”)
A kick-ass female cyborg (Motoko Kusanagi of “Ghost in the Shell”)
…And many, more.
For me, cosplaying is about giving tribute and honoring my favorite characters.
However, it’s not easy to transform into someone. Throughout the years, I learned how to style a wig, make some few props, and, most important of all, apply makeup. Makeup is very essential because it helps me become my favorite characters.
In order to perfect the looks that cosplayers want to achieve, they always do makeup trials. This is what I did with Peggy Carter, which I cosplayed in AsiaPOP Comic Con 2016 (APCC 2016). To see how I fared, I took selfies of my before and after looks. So, my dear readers, here is how I transformed from Erin Yang to Agent Peggy Carter:
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| Before Look: No makeup and undone hair |
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| Before Look: No makeup and rolled up hair under net |
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| Before Look: With makeup and rolled up hair under net |
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| After Look: With full makeup and hair done (no costume yet) |
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| After Look: With full makeup, hair done, and half costume |
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| After Look: With full makeup, hair done, and full costume |
To tell you the truth, I was surprised by the results. I did not expect my cosplay to turn out really well. One of the best parts of completing the whole cosplay trial is I start to get a feel of my character more. By the time I cosplayed Peggy Carter in APCC, I was already in the zone and gave my all in portraying this bad-ass S.H.I.E.L.D agent. I walked in 4-inch heels for six hours but I endured it because Peggy can. Throughout the event, I brought out my inner Peggy Carter side and I loved it! Here are some photos of my cosplay taken by great photographers:
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| Photo by Anna Panganiban |
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| Photo by Kokimonster |
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| Photo by Happy Hariography |
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| Photo by Ninja Peps/Peppy Salita |
Every time I cosplay, I transform into someone I want to give tribute to. It’s not easy to change my look and personality even for just one day, but with a wig, costume, prop, and makeup magic, I become a different person---and it’s a good thing. Cosplay is the time when transforming myself into my favorite character is actually something I am very excited to do.
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