The term ‘Cosplay’ is a combination of the words “costume” and “play.” Cosplay is a performance art and a visual art in which participants wear costumes and accessories to dress up like a character from anime, video game, or other forms of visual media.
Why people love cosplay? What's the benefit behind cosplay?
People love to cosplay for many different reasons. Most of the cosplayers love cosplay because they learn many new skills such as how to cultivate long term friendships, how to sew, how to improving self-confidence, and so on.
Nowadays, there are still lots of children, students, and adults that get bullied, but for some people, cosplay is a way to escape from reality.
Cosplayers won't judge you for the way you look or how much makeup you wear or even what you are wearing. Cosplay has taught people to make friends with others who are not typically from the same apple tree.
This is a very diverse social group, from age to ethnicity. While this hobby can be rather expensive, a lot of cosplayers create there own weapons and costumes to save money and further their expression of their personality.
This hobby has taught people to persevere and never give up. There can sometimes be roadblocks. Maybe something doesn't turn out the way they wanted it to, but this process encourages them to stay persistent.
When people are shy and locked away, cosplay is a great way to step out of the box and open your personality to the world. Personally, I used to be very shy. I was scared to start conversations with people at my school then when I found cosplay, it was like a whole new world; people are very polite and considerate. They ask permission to take pictures, and they are extremely friendly and easy to get to know.
Do I have to be rich to do cosplay? How do cosplayers make money?
Absolutely NOT! Cosplayers can make their own clothing from their old clothes. People can also make a living out of cosplay. Cosplay is a combination of multiple jobs, and it involves makeup, photography, costumes, and accessories. If you are a cosplay professional, you will have many opportunities to attend exhibitions or photoshoots for advertising. While your platform grows, more people will want you to visit their conventions so you will be invited to help advertise the cosplay community and encourage people to buy things to help start their carrier in cosplay. There are several ways to make money from this carrier, including selling your custom costumes, wigs, and weapons and selling photos of your character impersonations. You can even make money off of getting invited to conventions and exhibitions.
Check out this video for more information!
What do I need to attend a exhibition?
You don't need lots of stuff to attend an exhibition. If you are attending a Comicon and have fun, you will only need tickets and your phone! If you are a cosplayer, you will need your wig, costume, accessories, and money to buy food and anime products. If you are a photographer, bring all of your camera accessories.
References
Albizu73. “Is Cosplay a Performance Art?” Speculative Tertulia, 31 Aug. 2018, www.ingmaralbizu.com/is-cosplay-a-performance-art/.
McIsaac, Molly. “What IS Cosplay and Why Do People Do It?” IFanboy, 7 Aug. 2013, ifanboy.com/articles/what-is-cosplay-and-why-do-people-do-it/.
