What Does Cosplay Means | Cosplaypowers
Channel: Cosplay Powers
Date: 12/02/2021

What Does Cosplay Means | Cosplaypowers

What does Cosplay mean? The question you might be wondering.
Join our "Cosplay Connect" discord group: https://discord.gg/PGNexxY

Cosplay is the act of dressing up as a character or concept. People who do it regularly are called ‘cosplayers’. Cosplayers may also go above and beyond copying their character’s outfits – they might even ‘role-play’ as characters, copying their mannerisms and gestures. 
_
0:00:15 What is Cosplay
0:02:53 The History of Cosplay
_
Let us know in the comments if you would like for us to make a follow up video on any of these points below:

When And Where Did Cosplay Start?

Although the term was coined in the 1980s, the practice of cosplaying has its roots in early 15th century carnivals where people dressed up as objects, concepts, famous historical figures, or popular characters from fiction or stage plays. 

Cosplay as we know it today (or fan costuming) started at the 1st World Science Fiction Convention. Contemporary cosplay follows in this tradition and is often done at comic or pop culture conventions, like at San Diego Comic-Con.

How Does Cosplay Work?

One of the aims of cosplay is to portray a character. You can do this ‘accurately’ by copying a character’s exact look, down to the details. You can also put your own creative spin on it! Cosplayers achieve their looks through a mixture of costumes, wigs, accessories, and props. 

How Old Is The Average Cosplayer?

There are cosplayers of all ages! A lot of people start out cosplaying when they’re young, but you’ll also find older people (some with families of their own) attending cosplay events and dressing up.

Can Both Men And Women Cosplay?

Cosplay is open to people of all genders, orientations, and expressions. You’ll even find cosplayers ‘cross-dressing’ or ‘gender-swapping’ where they dress up as a character of the opposite sex.

Is Cosplay Misogynistic?

One of the criticisms lodged at cosplay is that some people take it into the over-sexualized territory. These cosplayers get accused of ‘objectifying’ themselves or dressing up as the ‘hot’ version of a character just for clicks and likes. Cosplay isn’t inherently misogynist, but if you’re uncomfortable with sexy cosplays, stick to standard versions of non-sexy characters.

Is Cosplay Racist?

Another issue within the cosplay community is the debate on cosplaying a character of a different race. People of all backgrounds can cosplay, so it does happen very frequently that their favorite character might not be of the same ethnicity. As long as you cosplay with respect (and avoid black/brownface), it’s okay to cosplay a character of different skin color or nationality.

When And Where Can I Find Cosplay Events?

The great news is that there are cosplay events all over the world – even in countries where you least expect it. Most pop culture conventions like comic-con, video game cons, and more are open to cosplayers. In Australia, Oz Comic-Con, Supanova, and PAX Australia are just a handful of events you can check out. Some even have cosplay competitions where the best cosplays get a prize!

Other kinds of cosplay events include live action-role playing events, historical reenactments, Renaissance faires, D&D game sessions, and the like.

How Much Does It Cost To Cosplay?

Cosplay is generally an expensive hobby since you need to shell out for costumes, wigs, and more. But if you’re resourceful and a bit handy, you can save a lot of money by making your own outfits and props. You can also do something called ‘closet cosplay’ which is using clothes you already own to recreate a character’s costume or do a ‘casual’ version.

In Which, Cultures/Countries Is Cosplay More Popular?

Cosplay is popular all over the world, but it’s most popular in the United States, South Korea, and China. However, no one quite does it like the Japanese, where cosplay isn’t just a hobby – it’s part of the culture. This is not surprising, especially since anime is one of the most popular sources of cosplay inspiration.

Did we leave anything out? Let us know :)

Join our "Cosplay Connect" discord group: https://discord.gg/PGNexxY
Top Father's Day Gift! https://kit.co/Essencecartoon/top-father-s-day-gifts
The Ultimate Social Media Filming Kit https://kit.co/Essencecartoon/the-ultimate-social-media-filming-kit Top Amazon Deals!!! https://kit.co/Essencecartoon/amazon-day-top-deals