Photo: Angela Clayfield and Julia Hall
Aaron Muszalski tells Boing Boing,
Inspired by Skepchick’s genderbent Star Wars costumes at last year’s DragonCon, hobbyist armorsmith Ryan spent the winter creating a version of the iconic “Slave Leia” costume fit for a man.
“I could just buy a Slave Leia Costume and wear it. In a lot of ways, that would be easier; It would be purposely comedic and absurd. Nobody could mistake me for trying to look good in it. It would be a joke. But that is not at all the point.“The point here is to make a gender-bent Slave Leia, a Slave Leo. The outfit must capture the essence, the aesthetic, and the artistry of the original costume, and twist them to suit a man. This is a fun game for any character, in my mind, but Slave Leia presents a deeper challenge. Slave Leia is a sexual icon. I am not.”
The results—including laboriously hand-crafted leather and metalwork—are impeccable, and will doubtless inspire many viewers to take issue with Ryan’s humble assertion.
“Slave Leo, A Genderbent Slave Leia Costume” (madartlab.com)
