I was recently attacked by a dangerous dragon named ‘adulthood’. This dragon has a dozen razor-sharp student-debt claws, pointy teeth of responsibility, and breathes out a fiery barrage of bills. This dragon of adulthood loomed over me, ready to destroy me with one swipe. What could I do?

Thankfully, Disney prepared me for this monumental face-off. I took up my sword of acceptance and my shield of escapism, though many ridiculed my shield and claimed that it would never protect me. In truth, the two combined gave me a powerful edge against my dreadful foe. When wielded with determination, the sword of acceptance can slowly but steadily cut through the fiery bills and student-debt claws. And though some criticize it, the shield of escapism held strong against the teeth of responsibility. But to remain steady, the shield must be diligently looked after.

And that is why I dress up as princesses. Responsibility is a necessary part of adulthood; you can’t have a toothless dragon, after all (no, even Dreamworks admitted that a dragon must have teeth). But if you’re not careful, responsibility can tear you apart quicker than a dragon gulps down a valiant knight for dinner. There must be a way to protect against the weight of responsibility, while still accepting the responsibilities that come with the new duties of an adult.

This protection comes in a different form for everyone. For me, it comes in the form of writing and cosplaying. Within the past month, I have dressed up as Anna, Elsa, and a pirate, and attended my local Renaissance Faire each time.

And it has changed my life.

The transition from college to true adulthood is never easy. For me, it proved especially difficult; all of my college friends lived at least two hours away from me, and all of my friends at home were going off to college themselves. I suddenly went from spending several hours a day with people, to barely interacting with anybody outside of work. This change swiftly took a toll on my emotional and relational well-being. I’m a social extrovert. I don’t do well when I can’t be with people. I started getting depressed and lonely. But, by God’s awesome planning, that was when my family took a trip to the Renaissance Faire as one last family outing before my younger sister started college.

Now, it had been four years since I last went to the Renaissance Faire. Before college, before I had a sustainable job, and before I was secure enough in myself to dress up. So, this time, I decided that I wanted to dress up. And so, on August 20th, I attended the Ren Faire with my family in full costumed attire, wig and all, as Anna of Arendelle, from Frozen.

(Photo Cred: Rachel Krodel)

When I went, I never expected to have such a fun time. Not only did I have enjoyable interactions with the Ren Faire workers, but kids would come up to me and want pictures with ‘Princess Anna’. For those few hours (hot and sweltering though they were), I was not Rachel. I was Princess Anna of Arendelle, and I brightened the days of the little girls that came up and talked with me. It was the best feeling in the world. I wasn’t worried about work, the next bills I had to pay, or my student loans looming on the horizon. For that day, all I cared about was having fun and interacting with Anna’s miniature fans.

Photo Cred: Rachel Krodel

I had such a good time that I realized how much I wanted to dress up again. So I did! The very next weekend, I went with a friend for the pirate-themed event.

Photo Cred: Rachel Krodel

Once again, we had a great time. It wasn’t quite as exciting as being Anna, but it was still a lot of fun! However, both experiences paled in comparison to the time that I had on September 11th when I went to the Ren Faire dressed as Queen Elsa (coronation Elsa). I didn’t quite realize that it was kid’s weekend when I went. Needless to say, I got swarmed.

Photo Cred: Eric Henry

This time, however, I went with a friend with the full intention of doing a sort of photo-shoot aspect. I left behind my purse and glasses and took on the full appearance and personality of Queen Elsa of Arendelle. I had the best time of my life. Interaction with Ren Faire staff hit a new high with people bowing, asking me not to freeze things, and just generally being awesome.

Photo Cred: Eric Henry

I had full conversations with adoring fans, I listened as little girls went on and on about the various Elsa things in their lives, and I meet a man whose legal, actual name is Olaf. I was fully in-character for a majority of the time, from telling a girl I can’t show her my snow powers because I might send everything into winter again, to doing the ‘queen wave’ as Ren Faire workers bowed when I passed them.

It was such an amazing time, and it brought me to realize that we all need a way to escape reality for a bit. Whether you do that by dressing up as a princess, binging your favorite show, or reading a really good book, we all need that escape.

For that time, however short it may be, fight back against that dreaded dragon of adulthood. Don’t let it win. Real life gets tedious; every day you drive to the office, work, drive home, take care of adult things like bills and groceries, and then the next day you have to start it all over again. There has to be something in your life to fix the balance. And never let anyone tell you that you’re too old to do something like dress up or watch children’s movies. We all need that time of fun, relaxation and enjoyment in our lives.

I dress up as Disney princesses and I have a fantastic time doing so. Anyone who thinks I shouldn’t be doing something so ‘childish’ is probably not as happy as I am with my regular life. What I do gives me a chance to enjoy something that I normally wouldn’t get to experience. I’ve made friends and memories, and most importantly, I’ve had an impact on others around me.

My name is Rachel. I dress up as Disney princesses and I don’t care what you think.