Merriam Webster defines cosplay as, “the activity or practice of dressing up as a character from a work of fiction (such as a comic book, video game, or television show)”. This hobby that has been around for over a century continues to evolve and grow rapidly. The concept of cosplay can be boiled down to the combination of community and self-expression.
One of the earliest sightings of cosplay was in 1908. William Fell and his wife dressed as characters from the cartoonist A.D Condo’s work Mr. Skygack, from Mars at a mask skating carnival (Plunket). Though back then cosplaying was not well-known, it was well received by the public. It is unknown the exact origin of cosplay but many are credited to its evolution. Individuals such as Myrtle
…show more content…
Conventions help hold the cosplay community together. At a convention fans of similar interest attend panels, reconnect with distant friends, meet celebrities, shop for various items as well as show off their best costumes. In 2013, New York City Comic Con broke their record for attendance at 167,000 (Forbes). Depending on the size of the convention anywhere between a few hundred to hundreds of thousands. And many cosplayers do not attend conventions. The cosplay community encompasses veteran craftsmen like Yaya Han, talented child cosplayers, as well as those who cosplay just for fun. But like any community, there are many underlying issues. These problems include: racism, sexism, consent, as well as beauty standards. Many people inside and outside of the cosplay community shame cosplayers for portraying characters that they don’t physically resemble. It is common for people of color in the cosplay community to be pointed out as being inaccurate. But in past years non-people of color have practiced blackface to make their portrayal look more accurate. In 2014, a German teen received backlash for her Michonne cosplay. Ryan Broderick of Buzzfeed News reported that she claimed, “her costume was meant as a tribute to the character and doesn't see it as any different from her other makeup …show more content…
Cosplay has allowed people from all walks of life to create works of art. Individuals learn how to design, sew, and construct full costumes to bring their favorite character to life. The costume making process can take time ranging from a few days to several years. Costumes can require a lot of sewing and crafting experience depending on the character. Cosplayers learn different skills that they might not otherwise have learned. Skills such as casting and molding, embroidering, wig styling and makeup work. For example: The cosplay duo, Cowbutt Crunchies focus on every detail of their costumes, ranging from prop fabrication to wig construction. A flawless costume can launch a casual cosplayer into internet fame.
Moreover, some cosplayers make costumes for others for money in a practice called commissioning. These gifted cosplayers have the skills and knowledge to know what a cosplayer needs and wants in a costume. Some prefer this to buying mass produced costumes from retailers in Asia. But the creativity behind cosplay goes beyond that of just creating a costume. There are many individuals who work behind the scenes such photographers. They are responsible for capturing such well-made costumes’
costumes, the actors and the way he has cut the script all add up to
Throughout the year hotels, convention centers, and other high capacity venues are transformed into a social haven and meeting ground for fellow Otakus and cosplay fans or cosplayers for short. The act of cosplay, the abbreviated form of “costume play”, is defined by Oxford Dictionary as “the practice of dressing up as a character from a movie, book, or video game, especially one from the Japanese genres of manga and anime”. However, there is much more to a cosplayer than this simple definition leads one to believe. To its most dedicated patrons, cosplay is an art form incorporating unlimited mediums, such as textile fabrication, woodworking, clay sculpting, resin casting, and even theatrical makeup. Some enthusiasts take cosplay far more seriously than a weekend social hobby. While some would be content with purchasing a commissioned piece or mass produced costume for their convention adventures others are not satisfied until they have handcrafted a masterpiece with 100% accuracy. These cosplayers will spend week or months and hundreds of dollars insure their costume is a perfect adaption of their selected character. Yet for some that is still not enough. There are those who will not be content until they have become the living embodiment of their chosen character. They become the method actors of cosplay, memorizing the characters personality, walk, quirks, and vocalics. Going even deeper into the realm of cosplay, there are still those who are so obsessed with becoming a character they will paint their skin, whether it be pink, grey, green, or any color in between. This is where a sensitive debate explodes. Coloring yourself grey or pink for your Marceline or Princess Bubblegum adventure time cosplays will ...
The source is “Dr. Michael Brody, a child psychiatrist and chair of the media committee for the american academy of child psychiatry told the daily beast that halloween costumes is like role-playing and it effect the way kids grow up.” citing this source boosts shire’s credibility by showing that she has provided expert opinions to support her claim. She also reference to her own personal experience of what she dress up when she were young and how she became a independent-minded feminist because of that to introduce and support the issue, which shows that she has a personal
From time immemorial, hell was an inspiration for the costumes used during Halloween. In the contemporary society, turning up for Halloween dressed up as a goblin, zombie or ghost is less likely to make a staunch follower of the event to receive sufficient appreciation. Popular culture has succeeded in replacing the underworld in terms of providing influential costumes for the event. The aspect of individuals from different races increasingly dominating pop culture is causing costume lovers to face a number of issues. The most dominant question has always been whether it is ethical to dress or appear dressed up like someone from a different race during Halloween. This factor largely bases on the costume an individual chooses, and the manner he or she ends up presenting the costume. It also depends on what the individual wearing the costume is representing or duplicating during the event. In view of all the complexities involved in choosing an appropriate dress code, it remains imperative to display keenness while settling on certain attire. Observing one’s dress code prevents an individual from making a racial gaffe that may occur when the person wears attire that derogates another race.
Bradley, Dr. Susan. “Cross-dressing in Children.” Parenting and Child Health. Children, Youth and Women’s Health Service, 02 Aug 2010. Web. 09 Nov 2010.
In the reflective essay “Secret Skin: An Essay in Unitard Theory”, Michael Chabon explores the origin of superhero costumes and discovers that these costumes are “secret skins” of the superheros, rather than a disguise that they wear to hide their identity. Their identities are revealed in their costumes, where their past and secrets are displayed on cloth. Chabon supports this theory by exploring and explaining the detail upon the costumes of our favorite superheroes. For example, Chabon explains how the “S” engraved in Superman’s costume is actually “the coat of arms of the ancient Kryptonian House of El, from which he descends” and not actually the “S” for the first letter of the word “Superman”. Furthermore, the spider on Spiderman’s
Everybody in theatre has their part to do in order for a play to be a smash-hit; If a certain department lacks or overlooks any important aspects the play will result in a flop. This means that everything from sound effects to costuming must be checked twice over. I want cover costuming because, it is single-handily the most stressful areas when orchestrating productions. For years, costumes were used in theatre, –masks being the first form of costume ever being dated- to show emotion or wore dresses and gowns to demonstrate who was the woman in the group, –in the earlier years only men were allowed to act- now (not only can every gender act) we carry costumes for every shape and size, enabled the “quick change” method, and a whole bunch of
This essay is one that seeks to discuss and educate you the reader about, “Whe Dem call Hot Dress ah jus excuse fi sho aff Dem badi.” In the contemporary trends of today (21st century), people become more and more independent and break out of their shells. Dress is defined as “an assemblage of modifications of the body and/or supplements to the body”, (Roach-Higgins & Eicher 1992).
This article by Judith Bowden is slightly different. This specific article is a biography about her days of costume designing. I found this article very useful because it is coming straight from a reliable source who knows the ins and outs of costume designing. In this article Bowden writes about how she collaborated with the rest of the filmmaking team. She stated, in order for her to be a good collaborated and designer she had to read the script before hand to get an idea sketched out and think visually about and gets ideas such as pictures, poems, quotes, that could possibly benefit her and her creativity. She also wrote about where she got her inspiration, she said that her inspiration came from all over and really depended on the genre
1. Meza, Jessica, and Acacia Echazarreta. "A Brief History of Skirts and Pants." A Brief History of Skirts and Pants. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2013.
Fashion takes on many different facets and concerns many subsets— a model sashaying down the runway in a gown encrusted in real gems, Lady Gaga’s infamous dress made of cuts of raw beef, a teenage girl obsessing over the season’s latest styles— it is all an expression of our minds and who we are or want to be, made tangible. It is a medium just like any other, for while artists wield brushes and paints, designers use thread and cloth to illustrate their vision. The artistry is none more so apparent than in the exclusive world of haute couture, a world of extravagance that caters to aesthetics, producing one-of-a-kind wearable masterpieces that are made to be admired rather than worn. It is without doubt, high fashion and its design is an art.
For hundreds of years, clothing has always been a way for people to express themselves and as the fashion trends continue to change it allows younger minds to open up and have fun creatively to express their personality’s through clothing. Clothing has a lot to say about who you are as an individual. It often depicts nonverbal communication in how it seems to speak without you having to.
The evolution of fashion is an essential work for everyone concerned with designs and costumes for different stages over the period of time. Clothing are a necessity also they are function. The change of garments depends on the weather and fabric
Laver, James. Costume and Fashion: A Concise History. New York, NY: Thames and Hudson Inc., 1985. Print
To begin with, I shall look at what fashion is; it is a currently popular style or practice involving clothing, footwear or accessories. It mostly refers to the current trends in looks and dressing style of a person (Cumming 234). In most cases, fashion is confusedly related to costumes; when a person talks of fashion they are seen to mean fashion in terms of textile. Fashion is seen to originate from the Western world and it is copied by other places. In this paper, we shall look at how fashion affects lifestyles and the group of people who are affected most. The paper further investigates how media is used to transmit fashion from one region to the other. Although it has been seen to affect people’s lives many people have different perspectives on fashion and dressing.