So your friend, relative, neighbor is having a Halloween party this weekend. You’re planning on showing off that really great cosplay you just finished. It wouldn’t otherwise get used until your next convention, so why not give it a test drive during Halloween, right?

Well, maybe.

Halloween is the ultimate holiday for cosplayers, the one day a year when costumes are a-OK, even with normal folks. Unfortunately, things aren’t quite that simple. Cosplaying at a “regular” Halloween party has its share of tricky social dilemmas, as I’ve discovered first hand.

Last year around this time, my friend invited me to a Halloween party. I had just finished sewing a brand new costume from $9-a-yard bridal gown fabric and $13-a-yard embroidered fabric. The party seemed like the perfect chance for me to give that bad boy a test ride and show off a little.

I quickly learned that that wasn’t exactly how things were going to go down. Even on Halloween, I fielded my share of “so what are you dressed as?” “Is that one of those Japanese animes?” questions.

This year, to help other cosplayers avoid the same disappointing fate, I’m going to share my tips on cosplaying among the “normies.”

1. Be ready for questions

Even on Halloween, you shouldn’t expect your buddies (unless they’re geeks too) to recognize your cosplay. “Costume,” to us, means anime, manga, comic books, video games. So it’s easy for us to forget that “costume,” to most people, means witch, nurse, vampire, zombie.

2. Don’t wear $9-a-yard bridal fabric

I’ve learned my lesson since last year. Regular Halloween parties mean cheese-coated chips, gooey chocolate, soda, alcohol and other messy foods. And as the night drags on, it isn’t going to get better. So you don’t want to walk around in white bridal gown fabric like I did.

The same goes for delicate items. Sure, cons are rough, but some Halloween parties can be even rougher. Especially if alcohol is around. You don’t want to wear something that has little pieces that could get torn off, is made of extremely delicate fabric or has parts that kids might want to grab at.

3. Leave the props at home

Sure, your five-foot wingspan draws a crowd at conventions, but all it’s going to do is get in the way at a party. Same goes for that to scale Sephiroth sword.

4. Don’t wear something you can’t move in

This is often recommended, and disregarded, for conventions as well. But it’s even more important here. At a convention, it doesn’t matter if you can’t move in your gundam suit, but at a party it’s just going to be awkward and uncomfortable.

5. Take it with a grain of salt

If your friends are anything like mine, they’ll probably show up in your typical Halloween fare: sexy nurses, devils, bedsheet ghosts, etc. So while your carefully crafted cosplay will probably blow them away in terms of craftsmanship, a Halloween party isn’t the kind of place where that’ll earn you any cool points. You might get an occasional, “You made this? Wow,” but overall, the funny costume often takes the cake at Halloween parties.

6. Have fun anyway!

Once I shed the expensive, hand sewn bridal fabric, put away my props and stopped comparing my costume to my friends’, I had a lot of fun at my Halloween party last year. You should too. Halloween is a great chance to cosplay among your non-cosplayer friends if you take it in stride. Wear something fun and easy. Field their questions about your crazy Japanese anime. Eat gooey chocolate chip cookies without worrying about staining bridal fabric. And save the serious stuff for your next convention.

Halloween is the cosplayer’s holiday, but it’s everyone else’s holiday as well. Take the opportunity to cosplay and show off your stuff, but remember that Halloween isn’t a craftsmanship contest. First and foremost, have fun.

If you have any suggestions or stories about cosplaying among the normies on Halloween, comment and let me know. I’d love to hear about your own experiences.

This week we are celebrating Halloween GEN style. Running October 26 - 31, we will be bringing you daily features including a look into the current Halloween trends, examining the best movies, anime, comics and video games of the season, and offering up tips on how to whip up costumes in a pinch. Check back daily for updates!

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