Royals

On TikTok, cosplayers set the record straight about Henry VIII’s ill-fated wives.

A year later,The Other Boleyn Girlhit theaters.

Davis had found her inspiration, her muse.

She gave birth to future queen Elizabeth I, but never delivered the king his much-wanted son.

Misogynywas rampant in the Tudor court, and it still holds our cultural imagination captive.

Many women who cosplay this period portray Anne in particular, spending thousands of dollars to do so.

Dated to approximately 1550 by an unknown artist, its the most famous depiction of the queen.

The whole dress is held together by gold pins as would have been the custom at the time.

Only the fur on the sleeves is fake.

But for the chance to live as Anne well, it was all worth it.

(There isabsolutely no evidencethat Anne was ever in an incestuous relationship with her brother, George.

The Tudor cosplay community is split into many different factions.

Caitlin Davis is one of the most historically accurate Tudor cosplayers, while Jasmine Cooper fights sexist myths.

Even the majority of her friends are people she met while cosplaying.

Shes politically educated and shes running the country while her husbands in battle, Shield says.

She did everything right, and still ended up divorced.

Between gathering materials, making the pattern, and sewing, the gown took her 500 hours to make.

I want to make these communities more accessible for people, Shield says.

In a sea of white faces, seeing somebody who has brown skin is huge.

It would have meant so much to me.

Shield isnt the only one who has noticed how important historical accuracy is to Tudor cosplayers.

Many help spread the true stories of women with bad reputations.

But they also contribute to the communitys propensity for gatekeeping.

Its made from magicians flocking velvet, the cheapest kind money can buy because its machine-washable.

And thegirdle beltthat adorns the front of the dress?

She constructed it with clip-on earrings held together by fishing wire.

Her video explaining why herAnne Boleyn costume is a catfishhas more than 260,000 views.

Cost and accuracy are afterthoughts to Eaton anyway.

The gown lends her Annes strength and confidence.

Its hard to wear that many layers of clothing and not feel regal, Shield says.

Its an experience that a lot of people only have on their wedding day.

I love being able to feel that way whenever I want.