But what is Cosplay I hear you ask? Well, it’s a bit more than just dressing up like you would for a student night out let me tell you! The word ‘cosplay’ itself is a contraction, meaning ‘Costume Roleplay’, and those who embark on this cultural celebration of characters are a in a bit deeper than you’d think.
Cosplay is the recreation of a character; most probably your favourite from current media, or a childhood hero, but it’s someone you probably want to emulate, whether it’s because you look like them and you can get other con-goers to do a double take, or you like the mentality behind their depiction, or you simply like the way they look. However, no matter who you choose to become dedicated Cosplayers go to a lot of trouble to make sure that the accuracy is top notch!
A good example here would be the of the character Harley Quinn, a favourite amongst the Cosplay community whether you’re new to it or seasoned. Now, Harley has been part of the DC universe for many a page and has quite the following, but as a Cosplayer choosing her as your subject there are a lot of things to consider beyond the colours red and black. Which version of her outfit are you going to recreate? Are you going to make it from scratch or buy similar items and adapt them? What does her hair look like in this version? Can you use your own hair? Do you need a wig? Is the wig the correct shade and does it tie up easily without showing the netting underneath? Do you need to dye the wig? What does her makeup look like? These are all perfect examples of the types of questions that Cosplayers go through just when beginning their Cosplay, but that’s not it! (P.S: Many residents of Gotham frequent Comic-Con!)
Once you've answered all those questions and stayed up until stupid o’clock in the morning scrolling through eBay looking for the perfect pair of gloves, you then have to start think about your attitude. Why is that important you ask? Let me set a scene, imagine walking around comic con and admiring all those around you in Cosplay and then you see her, she’s perfect, never before in your life have you seen someone so accurate, they look as though they’ve just walked out of the comics, you go over to them and politely ask for a photo so you have proof of this perfection but instead of adopting the cute-yet-crazy mannerisms of Harley she instead looks frumpy and awkward, not very Harley-esque, and it ruins the illusion a little no? Therefore attitude is key, if your character stands up straight with their hands on hips, then that’s what you do; if they cross their arms and adjust their glasses, then that’s what you do. Once you’re in that outfit you emulate the characters attitude, some people even go as far as to mimic the way they walk, the way they speak, or the way they gesticulate, it all adds to the illusion of becoming someone else.
However being the perfect mimic isn’t the only reason people Cosplay, in fact there are many more reasons as to ‘why’ people Cosplay to the point where accuracy isn’t the biggest factor (unless you’re competing in competitions and then it really is all about the accuracy as that’s what the scoring system is based on, but that’s a story for another day). I went to the Cosplay community and asked a few members, who come from all walks of life and have been Cosplaying for a variety of years, why they enjoy what they do and the overlying result was confidence. Cosplay gives people confidence in the way look and feel, it helps them make friends in the community, it encourages them to improve in their arts and crafts, it gives them the confidence to step away from themselves for a day and become someone else, it makes them try new and exciting things that they may not attempt otherwise. Cosplay is also a shield from all the negativity that life throws at us, it gives us an escape to be someone else, to have someone else's backstory for a day, you could be the Queen of Arendelle for a day, a Villain, a Hero, a kid, a boy, a cat, a Pokémon, anyone or anything you can think of, and believe me I’ve seen some weird and wonderful ones.
So that’s it? Be accurate and confidence will come along with it? Partly, but that’s not nearly half of the main reason why we get up at 5am to transform ourselves into someone else, the reason why we do this is simple. IT’S FUN! We enjoy what we do and how we get there and no we’re not asking you to come along on our journey but if you do there’s no telling who you might meet, where you might go, and what you might do! Cosplaying is an adventure in itself and if you get to be Batman whilst you do it then that’s even better!
Written by Siobhan Hill
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