by Cosplay is the act of portraying fictional characters (from books, films, TV series, or video games) through the use of costumes and roleplaying. Cosplaying playing originated inJapan but has since become popular the world over.
What is the Difference Between Cosplaying and Wearing a Costume?
Although cosplay is indeed closely associated with making and wearing a costume, that isn’t the whole story. Over the years, cosplay has emerged as a lifestyle – one that involves a lot of dedication, skill, and working hours. These days there are even professional cosplayers. Whereas dressing up with a costume is usually a one-off deal – for example dressing up for Halloween every year– cosplayers often inhabit their characters in a way that is more similar to acting than dress-up. Dedicated cosplayers may not even break character while in costume. Cosplayers typically also rely more on hand-made costumes and tend to have greater attention to detail and accuracy than those who are merely dressing up for a party or holiday.
How to Get Into Cosplay
While it’s true that cosplay can involve a lot of time and can be expensive, getting into cosplay is only as expensive or time-consuming as you want it to be. While dedicated cosplayers can end up spending a lot of time and money on their cosplays, all you need to do to get started is to choose a character to cosplay, research and design your cosplay, and then get out there and cosplay!
Choosing a Character
There’s no wrong or right way to decide which character you want to cosplay. Typically, cosplayers pick characters that they resonate with or aspire to. A character that you personally like, not just for their aesthetic but for the general impression of the character is a great place to start. Of course, that is just one way – some people deliberatly choose characters whose personalities are unlike theirs in order to have more fun with the roleplay aspect. Others pick a character based on them looking cool or having an appearance they want to replicate. Others come up with their own original characters, for example original wizarding students in the Harry Potter world, or an original Mandalorian character from Star Wars.
Research and Design
After picking a character, the next stage is all about the costume. Some people simply purchase a costume. Purchasing a costume from an independent cosplay artist who is making custom work for you can be expensive, and store-bought costumes aren’t always of the highest quality, so many choose to make their own. Although there are certainly a number of free tutorials available both in terms of general costume fabrication and in terms of creating specific costumes for specific characters, most cosplayers learn by doing. As such, it might be a good idea to either start out with a relative uncomplicated costume, or else resign yourself to the fact that creating a costume from scratch, especially for the first time, is going to take a lot of trial and error and a lot of time. Depending on the character you’ve decided to cosplay as, the reference material available to you can widely vary. Some characters are so popular for cosplayers that there are step-by-step instructions available for you to follow, while other characters are more niche and may appear only in a book, rather than visual media, leaving a lot up to your own creativity.
Start Cosplaying
After getting your costume right, you’re ready to start cosplaying. Some of the most effective ways of breaking into cosplay include:
Find your local cosplaying community – if you cannot find one, be bold, and create one (there are most likely people like you).
Join online cosplaying communities – given the digital-connectivity of the modern world, it’s not absolutely necessary for you to be psychically present before connecting to people. You can just do it online. There are tons of online cosplay communities to you can join. Many cosplayers get their start on social media by simply taking pictures or videos of themselves cosplaying their chosen character and posting it online. This is also a great way to receive tips and advice on how you can improve.
Go to cosplay events – Everything from your local Comic Con to specific cosplay conventions represent opportunities for you to show off your new cosplay. Some are huge events with massive crowds, while others are tamer affairs. Simply decide where you’re more comfortable starting out. It might seem counter-intuitive, but the bigger events might actually be the better place for those who are anxious about their cosplay debut. With bigger events there are bound to be lots of cosplayers and you won’t have to feel like all eyes are on you.
Ask questions from experienced cosplayers and from beginners too – One of the best ways to learn is by asking questions, so if you ever get confused or need advice, don’t hesitate to ask questions. Members of the cosplaying community are usually eager to help.
Myths and Misconceptions About Cosplay
As more and more people get into cosplaying, you might be increasingly more likely to run into gatekeeping and general misconceptions.
- I have to look exactly like my character: No you don’t have to look exactly like your character, you can have a different skin tone, gender, or eye color as your character – while it might be easier to play a character with similar features, it is not compulsory. A lot of people cosplay as animals and aliens. Many people make distinct changes and creative choices when it comes to cosplay. Your cosplay is your own, and you can own it without looking like the actual character.
- Cosplay is only for a certain demographic : Cosplay is for everybody interested in cosplaying. It’s that simple. If you like cosplay, then it’s for you. These days, cosplay is popular in almost every fandom and across many demographics.
- Cosplaying is an Expensive Hobby : As mentioned earlier, it all depends on how you do it. If you have a large budget you can decide to splash out on an expensive costume or materials, yet it is still possible to achieve a similar look on a budget.
- You need to know how to sow to be a cosplayer : No you can buy your costumes, that does not make you any less of a cosplayer.
Also as a beginner, remember the golden rule of cosplaying – Cosplay is not Consent! That means you have to ask permission before touching a cosplayer, and before taking pictures, and no making unwanted comments or touching. It doesn’t matter who the person is cosplaying as, they’re still a person.
Happy Cosplaying!!!
