This is my Nerfertiti cosplay. All pieces made by me. The lips are loosely mustache-inspired, and the hair is meant to look like a pharaoh's beard. I have no idea if the pharaoh queen shaved her pits, but I've been cultivating my fuzz since 2012 and ain't gonna change.

I presented a more covered-up version at the Oceanside Museum of Art 25th Anniversary Gala 2022.

Some history:

Nefertiti is depicted in archaeological records as equal to men: she rode a chariot, wore a pharaoh's crown, and smote the enemies of Egypt. She was appointed co-regent (i.e. equal in power) by husband Pharaoh Akhenaten. After her husband died, Nefertiti continued to rule as female Pharaoh under the name Neferneferaten. She then disappeared mysteriously and was erased from historical records, but it is suspected that she donned a fake beard and continued to rule under a male alter-ego named Smenkhkare (who just as mysteriously appeared in history at the time of Nerfertiti's disappearance). This allowed her to marry her own daughter (on paper—erm...papyrus?) and elevate her to status of great royal wife. Way to keep power in the hands of women!

Let's not take for granted how lucky some of us are, that these heroines have been fighting for equal rights since at least 1370 B.C.! We've come a long way, but our work is not done. Just because things are better now compared to back then doesn't mean we should stop striving for improvement.