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To some， cosplaying is a hobby. To others， cosplaying is a lifestyle. Whether you have participated in cosplay or not， cosplay has become prevalent in today’s society. Ample time and labour is spent on creating these costumes， in order for individuals to participate in events that allow them to embody their favourite characters. To the uninformed， cosplay is the same as dressing up as a witch for Halloween. But for those who practice the art， cosplay is more than just dressing up—it is fully immersing oneself as a character and performing in front of hundreds of fans.
How did this phenomenon start？ When did cosplay grow from being ‘dress up for adults’ into something which has been accepted as a subculture and a representation of one’s fandom？
The history of cosplay
Initially dubbed as ‘costuming’， cosplay began in the late 1930s in North America. Back then， cosplay did not require participants to mimic a character’s appearance. Rather， they simply needed to dress appropriately for the genre， which is what Forrest J. Ackerman did in his futuristic costume when he attended a sci-fi convention. He was the first attendee to show up in costume， so in the following years， conventions began to look like masquerade balls， and prizes were given to whoever had the ‘best costume.’
In Japan， the manga series， Urusei Yatsura， and television series Mobile Suit Gundam， helped launch the movement， as Japanese college students eagerly dressed as their favourite characters for conventions. Borrowing the practice of masquerading from North America， fans would re-enact their favourite scenes， which added to the excitement， as they were able to display their adoration for the series.
It was not until 1984 that the term ‘cosplay’ was invented， combining the words ‘costume’ and ‘play’. This was coined by the Japanese reporter， Nobuyuki Takahashi， after he attended Worldcon in Los Angeles. When translating the word ‘masquerade’ to the Japanese audience， he thought that the word sounded ‘too old-fashioned’ and used ‘cosplay’ to describe the concept2.
Fast forward to today， a time when cosplay has created a subculture of its own. In North America， it is no longer odd to see people donned in costume at conventions. Cosplay is no longer limited to just sci-fi or anime， but has branched into other categories， such as superheroes， cartoon characters， video game characters， and more. Similarly， Japan has embodied cosplay as part of their pop culture， especially in districts such as Harajuku and Shibuya. Cosplayers3 in these areas dress up on a daily basis， so it is not odd to see someone stand out amongst all the civilians. What makes a good cosplay？
On August 2015， The BuzzFeed’s The Try Guys4 released a four-part series exploring the world of cosplay. In this series， the Try Guys learned how much effort goes into a costume before a convention.
1. Attention to detail
When preparing for a cosplay convention， it is important to plan ahead and take one’s time with the costume. Although on-lookers may not be able to tell the difference between two fabrics or wigs， they will notice if a costume does not look good. Avid fans will also notice if details are missing （such as a wristband）， hence multiple photos should be analyzed before making the costume. However， what catches the eye more than anything else is how the costume fits on the person. Therefore， cosplayers should tailor the costume so that it fits their body proportions， regardless if they have the same body type as the character.
Cosplay is also about the overall appearance. Makeup can help accentuate the look， especially if a character has special features， such as whiskers， elf ears， etc.
2. Creativity
As long as the character can be recognized， fans have creative freedom with their costumes. One of the most popular ways to change a character’s design is to do a gender swap. A gender swap changes the gender of the character and modifies the costume accordingly.
Another popular choice is to modify the costume to fit a different theme， such as steampunk5， Victorian6， lolita7， etc. This not only exudes creativity， but requires imagination， as there might not be a photo to use as reference. However， too many modifications risk onlookers not recognize the character， and it can be tiring to endlessly answer the question： “Who are you supposed to be？”
3. Confidence
Confidence helps a person stand out amongst those with the same costume. The way a person poses and interacts effects the experience， although it may initially feel awkward for first-time cosplayers. But confidence can be built， as long as the person is willing to put themselves out in public.
There is an abundance of support in the community for those who want to get into cosplay. People can take photos of their progress and ask for advice on how to construct a certain item / piece of clothing. There are fans who encourage other cosplayers and comment on their social media to appreciate their work. However， with any art form， there is always a risk， as others may not see the beauty or find it confusing. But because cosplay is a physical art form， there are more risks than onlookers simply not understanding the cosplayer’s costume.
How did this phenomenon start？ When did cosplay grow from being ‘dress up for adults’ into something which has been accepted as a subculture and a representation of one’s fandom？
The history of cosplay
Initially dubbed as ‘costuming’， cosplay began in the late 1930s in North America. Back then， cosplay did not require participants to mimic a character’s appearance. Rather， they simply needed to dress appropriately for the genre， which is what Forrest J. Ackerman did in his futuristic costume when he attended a sci-fi convention. He was the first attendee to show up in costume， so in the following years， conventions began to look like masquerade balls， and prizes were given to whoever had the ‘best costume.’
In Japan， the manga series， Urusei Yatsura， and television series Mobile Suit Gundam， helped launch the movement， as Japanese college students eagerly dressed as their favourite characters for conventions. Borrowing the practice of masquerading from North America， fans would re-enact their favourite scenes， which added to the excitement， as they were able to display their adoration for the series.
It was not until 1984 that the term ‘cosplay’ was invented， combining the words ‘costume’ and ‘play’. This was coined by the Japanese reporter， Nobuyuki Takahashi， after he attended Worldcon in Los Angeles. When translating the word ‘masquerade’ to the Japanese audience， he thought that the word sounded ‘too old-fashioned’ and used ‘cosplay’ to describe the concept2.
Fast forward to today， a time when cosplay has created a subculture of its own. In North America， it is no longer odd to see people donned in costume at conventions. Cosplay is no longer limited to just sci-fi or anime， but has branched into other categories， such as superheroes， cartoon characters， video game characters， and more. Similarly， Japan has embodied cosplay as part of their pop culture， especially in districts such as Harajuku and Shibuya. Cosplayers3 in these areas dress up on a daily basis， so it is not odd to see someone stand out amongst all the civilians. What makes a good cosplay？
On August 2015， The BuzzFeed’s The Try Guys4 released a four-part series exploring the world of cosplay. In this series， the Try Guys learned how much effort goes into a costume before a convention.
1. Attention to detail
When preparing for a cosplay convention， it is important to plan ahead and take one’s time with the costume. Although on-lookers may not be able to tell the difference between two fabrics or wigs， they will notice if a costume does not look good. Avid fans will also notice if details are missing （such as a wristband）， hence multiple photos should be analyzed before making the costume. However， what catches the eye more than anything else is how the costume fits on the person. Therefore， cosplayers should tailor the costume so that it fits their body proportions， regardless if they have the same body type as the character.
Cosplay is also about the overall appearance. Makeup can help accentuate the look， especially if a character has special features， such as whiskers， elf ears， etc.
2. Creativity
As long as the character can be recognized， fans have creative freedom with their costumes. One of the most popular ways to change a character’s design is to do a gender swap. A gender swap changes the gender of the character and modifies the costume accordingly.
Another popular choice is to modify the costume to fit a different theme， such as steampunk5， Victorian6， lolita7， etc. This not only exudes creativity， but requires imagination， as there might not be a photo to use as reference. However， too many modifications risk onlookers not recognize the character， and it can be tiring to endlessly answer the question： “Who are you supposed to be？”
3. Confidence
Confidence helps a person stand out amongst those with the same costume. The way a person poses and interacts effects the experience， although it may initially feel awkward for first-time cosplayers. But confidence can be built， as long as the person is willing to put themselves out in public.
There is an abundance of support in the community for those who want to get into cosplay. People can take photos of their progress and ask for advice on how to construct a certain item / piece of clothing. There are fans who encourage other cosplayers and comment on their social media to appreciate their work. However， with any art form， there is always a risk， as others may not see the beauty or find it confusing. But because cosplay is a physical art form， there are more risks than onlookers simply not understanding the cosplayer’s costume.