Lisa Lou Who has been in love with costuming since she was about 11-years-old. She handed her dance studio's costumer a book of her sketches of costume designs for all of her different dance numbers, and although she was unable to make any of her little squiggle drawings into a reality, she encouraged Lisa to keep trying.
She left dance and started costuming at a high school theatre at 15-years-old-- since she was homeschooled, they let her be in their plays if she did costuming for them. By the end of her junior year, she had enough hours in costuming that she could've lettered in Theatre. She spent every spare moment either costuming, helping with set design, or performing.
When she won the role of Jasmine in Aladdin Jr. in a prestigious community theatre in her area, her life pretty much changed entirely. She had done small roles before, but nothing ever like this-- this character had a place in little girls', as well as adults', hearts and Lisa wanted to live up to their expectations. Not only did she watch the movie about 60 times between the start of rehearsals to opening night, but she lost ten pounds, tanned, whitened she teeth, dyed her hair, got extensions, and wore fake eyelashes for the first time. Lisa was told she didn't need to go to the extreme, but she had this expectation for herself to convey the character to the best of her ability...
Flash forward to February of 2012, and already Lisa had auditioned to be a Disney Princess four times with no success. She realized, though, that she could still make people smile by working at Disney-- or at the very least she would be able to see those smiles, even if she didn't cause them, so she joined the WDW College Program in Florida as a costumer.
It was a living hell... Lisa found out more about how to become a Disney Princess, and realized it was a dream she more than likely could never achieve due to her facial structure and other aspects she couldn't change, and although she hated giving up, she went home to Minnesota in the beginning of April.
She turned to My Little Pony to brighten my spirits. She had been watching it while she was in Florida, but it became her life source once she got home. Nothing could put a smile on her face like those shows, and it kept her going through the next month. On her birthday while everyone was at work, she made my first Rainbow Dash hoodie, dying to get back into sewing again. That first Rainbow Dash hoodie was the first of many, and it brings to her where Rarity's Boutique is today!
This story explains her love of cosplaying-- she can make people happy by being a character they enjoy and hold close to their hearts. She gets to put smiles on peoples' faces all over again. It's like being a Disney Princess, except she doesn't have to change who she is to make people happy.[1]
Awards[]
- Best in Show -- DragonCon Cosplay Contest 2012 (Ty Lee)
