Aliens in Drag

It's very hard to tell someone you're going to a science fiction convention without being asked about Star Trek. The implication, when it's not stated outright, is that there will be a bunch of weirdos there dressed up as Klingons.

That doesn't happen at WisCon. There are people who love Star Trek, sure, but no Klingons. No slave girls, no furries, no anime characters in three straps, a cropped tee and thigh-high boots. There's essentially no cosplay, except at the fancy dress party. And it isn't because anyone says not to. It isn't because someone would be mocked for being strange. Costumes at WisCon are viewed more like a cocktail dress at a picnic. There's nothing wrong with it, exactly, but it's trying awfully hard--harder than the occasion calls for.

WisCon is all about being the alien living among other aliens. Nobody needs prosthetics to be set apart. We're all weirdos, whatever we're wearing. We might as well be comfortable.

And that's just one of the reasons I love WisCon.