95 / 100
your jaw and apply highlight generously above it to pull the eye
to the softer features.
And as I’m sure you’ve guessed, we don’t stop with the face
here either. To bring a more delicate appearance to the neck,
collar bones, and shoulder area, apply highlight to the tops
of the collar bones, and contour in the hollows to help them
stand out. Depending on how much of the chest is covered by
clothing, you can also contour and highlight to create believable
cleavage. In terms of creating a feminine silhouette, refer to
the character you have chosen first. While masculine char-
acters have similar sized hips and waist, feminine characters
have similar sized shoulders and hips, and a smaller waist.
How much you need to pad out
your hips will depend on how
big your shoulder to hip ratio is
naturally. Some characters may
have a more straight lined body
shape, or even a pear shape
where the hips are wider than
the shoulders and waist. Shape
wear is great for layering over
padding to keep everything in
place, and also helps smooth the
appearance of multiple bras. If
you intend to create the appear-
ance of a feminine chest, there
are plenty of tutorials available
for layering and padding bras,
creating attachable breasts from
scratch, or buying them online
similarly to the male torsos men-
tioned earlier. Drag queen tuto-
rials will be a great resource for
this as well as padding clothing
for a feminine silhouette. If you
have leg hair and do not wish
to shave, but desire a smooth
look, skin tone dance tights are a
great option and will also shape
the legs nicely. Wearing shoes with a heel or inserting lifts into
flat shoes will help elongate the legs, but if you don’t want to
add to your height you can also wear pants or skirts higher on
your waist to create the illusion of longer legs.
As with male characters, how you pose will be dependent on
the character’s personality coupled with stereotypically femi-
nine stances and expressions. Arms should be held out slightly
bent, with graceful and long fingers. Utilize the ¾ pose and
make sure to raise shoulders and hips in opposite directions to
create an S curve and accentuate a feminine figure. Shift your
balance from front to back or side to side to add dimension to
your photos, and when sitting keep the legs crossed at the an-
kles or knee over knee. Expressions can range from cute peace
signs and smiles to seductive eyes and a smirk. When in doubt,
always do what you think fits the character first, and do not
worry about what is masculine or feminine.
A quick note about body shape and silhouette: by no means
is it necessary to have the body of a competitive swimmer to
crossplay Haru from Free!, nor is it a rule to lean more towards
androgyny or naturally feminine features to crossplay a Disney
Princess. The same goes for cosplay of any kind. Makeup is a
wonderful tool, but always remember that anime characters are
2D, and it is impossible to look just like them in the real world.
Your end goal should not be
to perfectly portray a charac-
ter in physique and gender
appearance, but instead to try a
new side of cosplay and show
your love for the character, the
series, or the costume itself.
However you choose to cosplay
is always good enough, and
your natural appearance should
not deter you from any charac-
ter you want to dress up as.
At the end of the day, there
is no “wrong” way to crossplay.
As long as you are comfort-
able and enjoy portraying the
character, you’re golden! The
lines between what is gener-
ally accepted as masculine
and feminine are starting to
blend even in the animation
world, and there are quite a few
exceptions to the norm. This
article is a merely a starting
place, with plenty of room to
experiment and think outside
the box. There are resources
and tutorials in the community that go into more detail about
specific aspects, like binding or creating a specific silhouette,
and you will also find helpful information within the drag queen
and transgender communities that are applicable to cosplay.
Make sure to always be respectful of these communities and
the information they share.
A very special thank you to all my cosplay and photographer
friends for sharing their photos and advice; I hope it was helpful
to see more than just my face for reference! Have fun, and good
luck with your next crossplay!