Do it! It's cosplay! That's my take on it. I've done a handful of crossplays and always got a positive reception to it. 10 years ago? Maybe not. 2025? Absolutely.

I’ve never had any problems when cosplaying the opposite gender, what you should think about Is just enjoying your time cosplaying your favourite characters

Honey, I have seen big burly men prancing around cons dressed as Sailor Moon and absolutely no one bat an eye. No true cosplayer will have an issue with male crossplayers; Anyone that has anything negative to say about it is a poser and their “opinions” mean jackshit.

I'm a hairy man built like a brick shithouse and I have gone out in public dressed as anime girls before. It's a liberating experience and I enthusiastically encourage you to try it!

I live in a fairly conservative state and have not received backlash to my face yet. I could just be very lucky, but conventions are welcoming environments of support 💚

Dude people do it all the time and it’s awesome I’m a fem that’s only cosplay male characters got a few characters I want to do that are female but doing a gender blend to them, never had problems and over 12 years sense I start cosplaying go all out

Crossplay is fun, I'm fem, not a guy but if you are going to a con, you are absolutely fine! I've crossplayed Jack Frost, Zagreus, Roman Torchwick, and I've had guy friends do Miku, some pink haired girl from some dating sim my friend liked, and a friend of a friend cosplays Mirko every con I see him in. We all go to restaurants after cosplay shoots or cons so all of us dressed up makes people laugh <3

Honestly, my friend group and I love crossplayers and nontoxic guys and gush over them bc they are honestly the best people to have around cons. We made my friend wear a virgin killer and, honestly, it upped his Jujutsu Kaizen cosplay (Na-something? Idk that show). He literally had people giving him cash bc it was fun and everyone played along. Basically, just enjoy it, it's fun. Cons are the wrong place to worry what people think and if it's elsewhere, fuck them! You got this!

Try small stuff at home if you haven’t already. Wigs, makeup, etc. it may help you build confidence if you’re excited about the costume. The more excited you are the more it will likely drown out the assumed opinions of others.

It's easier if you're doing a cosplay group. There should be plenty of examples online of guys doing silly cosplay together. It's actually low stakes because nobody expects a shitpost cosplay group to be any good anyways. Having said that, I realize that having friends interested in cross-cos with you is a problem in itself.

My other strat was choosing a character who is already gender non-conforming in their story/universe. The more gender-ambiguous the outfit is, the less you have to worry about. In the case of in-universe "crossdressers", you're technically dressing up as a "male" character? Not sure if that helps you mentally. If you're not willing to switch your first-time cosplay, this strat won't apply to your situation at all.

Now about "doing all the work for the first time". Yes, there can be a lot to learn. On the other hand, I was extremely shocked to learn how little non-cosplayers cared about mistakes. The bar is so low it's basically on the floor. (This is assuming normal events, not world-famous events that are swarming with pro cosplayers.) In my experience, pre-made cosplay ordered online are decent enough that people who interact really only care about how much they like the character.

Take baby steps where you can. When faced with a complex problem, it's best to break it down into smaller tasks and handle it one by one. Then at some point, after gradual exposure, overcoming your anxieties is about taking the plunge and teaching your brain that real life is not as bad as the worse stuff that it cooks up.