What is cosplay?
Well, I will try to answer that question and provide a little more information on the subject. Huzzah!
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Well, the term "cosplay" is a Japanese portmanteau of the English terms costume and play. The word was coined by Nobuyuki Takahashi in 1984 at the World Science Fiction Convention, Worldcon. He was wanting to move away from the term ‘masquerade’. More about this information is here.
But another answer is, cosplay can be whatever you want it to be. Cosplay is generally viewed as ‘costume play’ and is a performance art where the performers (cosplayers) are using said costumes and accessories to represent a certain character. When in costume, some cosplayers often seek to adopt the affect, mannerisms, and body language of the characters they portray (with "out of character" breaks). A part of the ethos of cosplay, is that anybody can be anything,
Now that being said, cosplay can, and should encompass many aspects. These include actual costumes, makeup, masks, etc. These costumes can be store bought or homemade, or a mix of it all. Cosplay costumes can be simple or really complex. It is generally considered different from Halloween and Mardi Gras costume wear, as the intention is to replicate a specific character, rather than to reflect the culture and symbolism of a holiday event.
However, cosplay can include movie and tv characters, fanfic, anime, or original characters. This can include variations of characters, such as a steampunk spin on a recognizable character. It is pretty much all inclusive to anyone, no matter their gender or age.
Pintrest ideas for groups.
Many people will recognize cosplay from venues like Comicon and other conventions of the like, (think Star Trek conventions). A rapid growth in the number of people cosplaying as a hobby since the 1990s has made the phenomenon a significant aspect of popular culture. Social networks, websites, and other forms of media are centered on cosplay activities. Cosplay is very popular among all genders, and it is not unusual to see crossplay, also referred to as gender-bending.
I hope this has answered a few questions about cosplay. If you have additional questions, feel free to comment them below.
NOTE: I will be adding more posts about things like makeup, styles, crafts, etc.
Stay tuned!
