All That Matters Is How You See Yourself: Awesome Con 2021!

I went to the awesome Awesome Con in Washington DC. Yes, it was awesome. The first in person Awesome Con since the pandemic. One of the panels I attended was called “Cosplay Is Limitless”, hosted by the Philadelphia Avengers. I wasn’t expecting much from this session, just some fun cosplay tips and ideas. 

But what I got instead was a powerful lesson about self identity and colorblind acceptance. The group showed the meme above, of a little boy wearing a cardboard box and holding flashlights, but his shadow is Iron Man. The meme says, “All that matters is how you see yourself.” 

The Philadelphia Avengers, especially Lady J, shared how they dress as whatever characters they want, regardless of their race, gender, body type, or whatever other “social norms” might usually prevent them from wearing the costumes they want. Even more amazing, the cosplay group admonished the participants to respond with kindness when trolls make fun of them for not looking exactly like their characters. Your weight, your gender, your ethnicity — they shouldn’t stop you from doing what you want to do.

What a powerful message. Not just for cosplay, but for life. We are all working to improve ourselves and to self actualize. This concept was further emphasized when we went to the Pride Squadron session and they talked about their philosophies of cosplay, which mirrors their mantras in life. Live your dreams! Be who you want to be! Make your life whatever you want it to be. And all that other good juju stuff. Everything is AWESOME!

To celebrate diversity and self actualization, here are some fun cosplay highlights from Awesome Con 2021!

All that matters is how you see yourself.

Party in Your Pajamas at Awesome Con!

A few months ago, I went to my first comic con, and I was hooked. So naturally, like the geek I am, I got tickets to Awesome Con, which sounded ... well, awesome. Held yearly in Washington DC, Awesome Con boasts more than 70,000 fans who celebrate geek culture, along with side areas like Awesome Con Junior, Pride Alley, and Future Con (this is where I wanted to go, where "science and science fiction meet"). My brother and I were all set to go, ready to stay at our sister's house in Maryland, and looking forward to the opportunity to bond and geek out together. We even picked out our cosplay outfits: Seinfeld and Newman!

And then ... coronavirus. Awesome Con was postponed. No trip to DC. No Future Con. NO SEINFELD!

But even though Awesome Con is postponed until December (count me in!), they made the decision to continue with the con this past weekend -- ONLINE! Now this was a unique prospect! "Party in your pajamas" indeed! What a great way for people all over (not just in the DC metro area) to enjoy the comic con. During these strange times, what an equally strange – and awesome – way to connect people in a geeky community. It gave us a chance to forget the stresses of living in a world where a virus has taken the lives of so many. It was an opportunity to bond with other geeks and feel like we are part of a community, despite the limits of social distancing. And it was a moment of escape back to normalcy in this topsy-turvy world. (Yes, that was a Hunchback of Notre Dame reference.) So let's look at this party we throw here in town once a year! (See what I did there?)

The pet cosplay was hands down the cutest and best use of the unique at-home comic con format.
Can we make this a regular part of every comic con?

I won't be able to bring my kids to Awesome Con in December because 💸.
But I could bring them to Awesome Con Online!
The best part was the three movie watchalongs: Tangled, TMNT, and my personal favorite Into the Spider-Verse!

Q&A sessions were held with Zachary Levi, Ross Marquand, and Mikal Mosley.
Zachary Levi is always a treat. He is down to earth, personal, funny, and just a great geek.

There were a ton of wonderful events, tutorials, segments, and forums throughout the weekend.
I especially enjoyed how to make face masks, the trivia games, and the drawing demo.
But the most apropos segment was how to play D&D (and other tabletop RPGs) online.
This was a growing trend, even before #stayathome. And it's needed now more than ever.

And of course there was this! 🕺💃

Overall, Awesome Con Online was a success. There was a ton of work that went into it. It wasn't the live comic con we were all hoping for, but as far as at home entertainment goes, this event really was mad and crazy, upsy-daisy! So kudos to Awesome Con for pulling out all the stops, making the best of a tough situation, and bringing joy and distraction to a world in crisis.

Ugly folk, forget your shyness

You could soon be called Your Highness!

Put your foulest features on display

Be the king of Topsy Turvy Day!