Carbon Costume Women
Yubaba from Spirited Away
Yubaba is the main antagonist in Spirited Away, an animated film created by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. She is the owner and employer of the Bathhouse. She tricks the bathhouse workers by stealing their names and only freeing them if they can remember it. Some of her other powers include fire breathing and flying. Compared to her identical twin, Zeniba, she’s considered the evil one. Our protagonist, Chihiro, finds her much more intimidating. Yubaba is extremely overbearing, but she can be seen as a doting mother to her giant baby, Boh. She embodies greed because she obsesses over gold, valuing money more than her own family.
Nora / The Stray from Noragami
Most Regalia / Shinki (weapon-sidekick-people) belong to one master alone, but Nora’s developed a reputation as “The Stray.” Yato is one of many to have utilized Nora’s weapon form, but has since, to her ire, acquired a Regalia of his own. (Keeping a Regalia to himself is an entirely different challenge, given Yato’s careless, narcissistic personality, but that’s really not Nora’s problem.) Suffice to say, she gets jealous easily, yet is undeterred by others’ conflicts of interest.
Nora / The Stray wears her kimono folded the way of a corpse, and wears a hitaikakushi on her head like the ghosts of old Japanese mythology. We can recreate this ghostly headdress using a white headband and a small, folded cloth napkin, since it’s not something readily available, given its taboo nature. Additionally, we’ve used a large, striped shawl-scarf in place of the traditional obi sash worn around the waist of a kimono.
Sandy from Nightlights
Sandy catches little stars every night to make creatures to play with. She does this to help herself fall asleep. Sandy keeps the memory of her fun creatures as sketches she draws herself. One day, a new girl in school, Morfie, takes an interest in Sandy’s drawings. It’s nice to have a new friend, but something is off about Morfie. Sandy and her art start to see an unusual side of Morfie in Lorena Alvarez’s graphic novel Nightlights.
Zoe Murphy from Dear Evan Hansen
Zoe Murphy is a character in the musical Dear Evan Hansen. She is the crush/love interest of Evan. She is also the younger sister of Connor Murphy. In contrast to her brother, Zoe has a bubbly and confident personality. Although she struggles with the pressure of being the “good child” in the family. To ease that struggle, Evan tries to make her feel like Conor was actually a better person. Even after realizing his lies, Zoe forgives her brother because she wants to believe Evan. She plays in her school jazz band and draws on the cuffs of her jeans (which you can do with a pen). Laura Dreyfuss originated the role on Broadway.
Beth March from Little Women
Beth March (played by Eliza Scanlen) is the most fragile of the March sisters in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women. Beth takes after her mother and spends much of her time helping to care for the destitute Hummel family. However, when their baby falls ill with scarlet fever, Beth catches the disease as well and eventually passes away due to complications from her illness. Beth is an accomplished pianist and can often be found wearing sweet pink hues.
Lureen Newsome Twist from Brokeback Mountain
In Brokeback Mountain, Lureen Newsome Twist (played by Anne Hathaway) is a rodeo performer and the unsuspecting wife of Jack Twist. Lureen’s father is a successful businessman and she eventually leaves the rodeo to work for him in pursuit of greater wealth. Lureen’s most memorable costume in the film is her red and white rodeo outfit.
Dex Parios from Stumptown
On the TV show Stumptown, based on the comics of the same name, Dex Parios (played by Cobie Smulders) is a sarcastic Portland private investigator and ex-Marine. With a complicated past and little tolerance for dwelling on it, Dex can usually be found avoiding talking about her feelings with a drink in her hand. Dex’s style mostly revolves around well-loved vintage t-shirts, slim fitting jeans, and practical footwear.
Gia Sunoo from 100 Days in Europe
Gia Sunoo is a Korean-American backpacker bent on spending 100 days on a tour of Europe. She sketches in her ample spare time, traveling by train between countries, and collects small rocks as souvenirs from every place she visits. Her idyllic plans get interrupted over and over again by encounters with snobby Hayden Park. In this modern-day Pride and Prejudice, Gia’s humility and humble background both fascinate and confuse the traveling celebrity, and opening Hayden’s eyes to the harsh reality of normal, “ugly” living is a challenge Gia finds herself embracing.
While visiting Italy, Gia attempts to get a haircut not unlike Audrey Hepburn’s in Roman Holiday; what she winds up with instead is a cute, curly bob that can be reigned in with just a bit of styling.
Kanao Tsuyuri from Demon Slayer
Kanao Tsuyuri is a character in the hit anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba. She is another Demon Slayer who survived the Final Selection with Tanjiro and Zenitsu. In her pursuit of Nezuko, it’s clear she is fast and skilled with her sword. She is the adopted sister as well as the successor of the Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho. Because of her abuse and indecisiveness as a child, the Kanae Kocho gave her a coin to flip to choose what to do. Eventually she finds her own destiny in her own fighting style.
Dani Ramos from Terminator: Dark Fate
In Terminator: Dark Fate, Dani Ramos (played by Natalia Reyes) is humanity’s only hope for stopping the deadly terminators created by Legion, an AI system originally developed to combat cyber attacks. Dani struggles to come to terms with her role as a Resistance leader and fight to survive not only for herself, but for the future of humanity. Dani works at an auto assembly plant in Mexico City and is dressed for work when she is first attacked by a Rev-9 and flees with Grace.
