It’s quite possible that maybe I’m just cranky, or sensitive, or something else, but right now I’m getting a wee bit tired of people continually hammering me about my Batgirl cowl. Of all things! First it was “ehhh, she needs a cowl! Ehhh!” because I was either going without or using a domino mask. Then I modified a Catwoman mask to be a serviceable Batgirl cowl, because honestly folks, they don’t exist. I can’t just run out to a costume shop or Halloween box store and buy one, and you can’t buy them online. They’re either part of a packaged costume and all wrong, or else people make the domino paste on masks which isn’t the Batgirl I’m doing. So I’m making the most of the materials I have on a shoestring budget, and really? It’s still miles better than any other hobby costume you’re going to find.
See, what we’re doing here is just a hobby. We spend our own money, a lot of it, putting together these costumes and Catwoman and I are both nitpickers by nature. If you’re going to do it, do it right. We aren’t making much money, if any, on the boulevard, so we’re not even getting our investments back. There are no day jobs to speak of because we were both let go from our last jobs and we have the bad luck to live in California, part of the US’s crumbling economy and the state’s own huge mess (the worst in the country). We keep looking and trying, but there are no jobs right now. So really, we’re breaking our backs trying to get this off of the ground, do some business, make some money and have some fun. We could just be the lazy costume-in-a-bag characters that you see everywhere else, but that’s not us.
This is also why it irritates me when people drop little snarks about our costumes. It’s one thing to say, “I know that’s not quite accurate to the comic, but how can you really recreate that?” or “Oh yeah, getting a slave Leia costume custom made costs around $300, I don’t blame you for using your money to pay rent and buy some food,” or even “Nice work in progress! It can only get better.” Even, “If you’re interested, I know where to find/who to call for a more accurate ________.” We do get that, and thank you to the people who are kind enough to give us that feedback, or even better, tell us where/how to get even better pieces. That is greatly appreciated. But to just say, “That’s not right at all. I hate it,” or “Why don’t you get something better?” without offering anything constructive is not, in fact, constructive criticism. It’s just complaining to complain, and only asses do that. So if you come around, either to here, YouTube, Flickr, or anywhere else we may be just to grouse, kindly STFU. If you’re dumb enough to do it to my face, I’ll gladly give you the uncensored, full-length version of STFU because really, someone needs to tell you that. The world has too many nasty people who just say rude things because they can, and I’ve taken it upon myself to not have any of that in my little corner. Life’s too short to let yourself get knocked down by people who can only feel better by pulling others down.
the current cowl
Anyway . . . if you have such a big problem with that damned cowl of mine, why don’t you put in a donation towards a better one? Materials and my time as a seamstress cost money, and if you want me to do things for you, then you’re going to have to do something for me, too. Hell, if you want, donate enough and I’ll build whatever costume you want to see me in. You can even get a private set of pro pictures in return, for your eyes only, if you’re into that sort of thing. Just don’t whinge and be negative without any sort of options. It’s rude and your mother would be embarrassed.
How appropriate: Bob Dylan’s “Idiot Wind” just came on the iPod.
