Playing dress-up

Posted on by WritingfromtheheartwithBrian

Kids love to play dress-up. Educators tell us that imaginative play boosts problem-solving skills, creative thinking, and helps manage emotions. Kids create situations and scenes and then act them out. In the long run, they become well-adjusted adults.

When I was a kid, I was pretty typical, I loved to play policeman, soldier, cowboys, and mimic my sports heroes. I would dress up in my brother’s hand-me-down football jersey and play out the games I saw on TV out in my yard. I had the games and players memorized. I was no longer outside our house on Back Mountain Road and instead in New Orleans, Louisiana or Miami, Florida in the Super Bowl in front of thousands of cheering fans. 

I would dive to make the winning touchdown catch or twist and slide for a first down. Later when I went inside, my Toughskins jeans, marketed by Sears for their durability, would have grass stains up and down the legs and maybe even a rip or two in the knees. My mom would scold me for not being more careful with my “school clothes” and tell me to take them off so that she could wash them and try to patch them up for the millionth time.

Dress up for adults

We’re writing about how people “show up” and I’ve been thinking about how kids and even adults play “dress-up.” I was in a meeting a few years ago when a coworker told us how she and her husband were spending the weekend going to a Comic Con-type event. 

For the uninitiated, Comic Con is a convention with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture, in which fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Attendees often dress up as their favorite characters from comics, television, and movie characters. 

Watch out, here comes Darth Vader from Star Wars. Or look over there, Thor and Harley Quinn have entered the building. Cat Woman and The Joker are right behind, ironically smiling and holding hands.

The first comic convention was believed to be an event called “Comiccon ’64” held in New York City in July 1964 and the first San Diego Comic-Con, the most-attended comic convention in the country, was held in 1970.

Characters you love

My coworker and her husband met while in college and had a shared interest in Star Trek. For them, dressing up and attending the fan expo was a way to express their passion, the way another couple might enjoy watching sports or concerts together. (For the record, they were both Spock fans and dressed as Vulcans.)

She gave some good advice about dressing up and what to avoid at a comic book convention:

  • Focus on what you love.
  • Be respectful of others and don’t insult someone else’s cosplay or appearance or favorite character.
  • Remember that one person’s dislike is another person’s love. 
  • Don’t be loud or disruptive during panels or presentations. 
  • Remember that people express love differently. 

My Turn!

I’ve never attended Comic Con, but with 86th anniversary of DC Comics’ Superman character celebrated this week (April 18), I think I may need to check one out. I know exactly who I would dress up as. 

It turns out that Superman and I have a lot in common. 

Clark Kent worked at a newspaper. I used to work as a newspaper reporter. Superman has a strong sense of right and wrong. I have a strong sense of fairness and justice. Superman is “faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.”  Me? I can barely lift myself out of bed each morning, but I love to watch Superman do his thing. 

If I had my choice, yes, I would dress up just like Superman. I may be a balding, middle-aged man but I’ve never lost my love of dreaming and being the hero.  

What about you? Who or what would you dress up as?  

. . . .

Please join in on the discussion. In addition, please visit my personal blog at www.writingfromtheheartwithbrian.com to read my companion piece. You can follow me on Instagram at @writingfromtheheartwithbrian.

All the best, Brian.

Images by Pexels

34 thoughts on “Playing dress-up”

  2. Pingback: Yeehaw, round ’em up and move ’em out – Writing from the Heart with Brian

  3. This a great question! I’ve never attended a Comic Con or given it any thought, but I can agree wholeheartedly with your statement about the value of imaginative play in childhood. It’s probably not a bad idea to tap into that every once in a while as adults…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. Thanks for reviving my fantasy Brian This balding, ole man also never lost his love of dreaming and being my boyhood hero … Davy Crockett. I still roam forestd stalking ‘bar’ and splashing in creeks, enhanced by my reciprocal age delusion that I’m 18, not 81 😊

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  5. We accidentally came across a comic con when we went to a huge Brickfest ( Lego ) at the local conference centre. I thought the people going to see Lego Heaven were even weirder than I expected till I realised they were going next door to the comic cos. If I was going to dress up I would love to be in an historic re-enactment group, like Cavaliers and Roundheads.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  7. Oh, I love that you wrote this on a day when Mr. D went to school wearing a policeman costume. And Superman? That’s such a good choice!! I’d definitely opt for Wonder Woman. I love the bullet bouncing bangles and the bad-guy catching boomerang headband.

    And it strikes me that the very good guidelines you include are good no matter what kind of dress up we are doing. Since we often wear less obvious costumes to inhabit identities like sporty mom or confident boss, it’s still good to be respectful and not disruptive! 🙂 ❤ ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. You’re right Wynne, we may not be “playing dress up” but we all play dress-up in one form or another. It’s just how blatant we are about it. Love your choice of Wonder Woman. I was so glad when they finally redid that movie with Gal Godot. I hated that my daughter didn’t have any female superheroes to get excited about. Run that way bad guys. Ha, ha.

      Like

      Reply

  8. Beware of Kryptonite! Good choice of Super Hero. I watched every episode in the 50’s TV version starring George Reeves. The show prompted my younger brother Eddie to jump out of a window about 10 feet above ground with a towel tied around his neck, serving as a cape. Fortunately, I saw him and broke his fall, my first and last act of physical heroism. Live long and prosper, Brian. 🖖

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  10. Superman is a good choice -a superhero who fights evil. I’d opt to be like Spiderman, who is a friendly, helpful neighbor., but I’d pretend to be Spiderwoman. Although once I see I’m a spider in the mirror, I’d likely squash myself with a shoe. 🙂

    Like

    Reply

  11. I love dressing up in costume. One of my favourite parts of the Queen fan convention is the costume competition. I put my thinking cap on and have been in the top 3 every year I’ve attended. Last year’s theme was “the 70s” so I did a half and half costume of Queen guitarist Brian May in the 70’s and in his 70’s. It was good enough for second place. Such fun!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  12. Clark Kent would be such a fun character to dress up as, Brian.

    I miss dressing up as we used to do as a staff at my school for Halloween. One year we were all school supplies. We went all out that year. I got a refrigerator box, painted it, and then put fancy stenciling on it. The funny part was I cut a slit in the front and taped an actual Kleenex box inside so that kids could get a tissue from the giant tissue box (me).

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  14. I’ve been to one ComicCon and it was a hoot. I/we didn’t dress up but enjoyed seeing others who did. There was no lack of opportunity to buy costumes at the event, btw. For a price you could be anyone. 

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment