Contemporary Cosplay Culture
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We’re all familiar with Halloween. The day where the imaginary line connecting ghosts and entities thin, leaving us with no choice but to blend in or get taken away to a land of no return. Or so you’re told.
Nowadays, Halloween is seen by a fair bit of society as a time to cosplay - the art of wearing costumes and dressing up to resemble your favorite character in a piece of media. It’s far beyond a hobby some people occasionally dip their toes in for one day of the year, cosplaying is a culture. However, it’s one most people don’t know much about, so let’s delve into what cosplaying is, and open up the gate to a colorful Wellspring Halloween.
Resemblance is Key…Or Not.
Credits: keegan (@cegancosplay) on X
A common misconception about cosplaying is that you need to perfectly replicate every last detail of the character. Whether it be a stray hair clip, perhaps a specific bag shape, it seems necessary to copy whatever is on the original design so that you can actually cosplay. But that’s quite the opposite.
Certain communities of media and fandoms leave character design up to interpretation, that is to say the artists decided to keep character fashion simple. From there, the human brain subconsciously runs free with what you yourself think some character should look like based off of their personality, story, or job. Cosplaying is an opportunity for many to show off their interpretation of a design, because art is never inherently set in stone.
The Art of Making Art: Together With Others
It’s easy to lump in cosplaying with dressing up. Throw on a costume set from Co.op Mart, fix up your hair, and you’ll probably pass off as “having dressed up”. Cosplaying isn’t so simple.
Credits: Pinterest
Through a mix of different materials, levels of experience, and even accessibility, making a cosplay takes time with effort. How to sew, how to 3D print, even something as simple as cutting cardboard takes understanding and learning to know exactly what to do. First attempts won’t be easy, finding suitable clothing or having to learn how to sew, making props out of recyclables, all while referencing the source design itself. Wigs and unconventional clothing or accessories will be hard to get used to, it’s not the easiest or neatest thing to do in the world.
But that’s what makes cosplaying fun. Sitting on the floor surrounded by scraps and tools to turn into a character you love, whilst building and tinkering away at a mannequin or prop. Then, as you are surrounded by people who love the media or cosplay as much as you do, you would feel a sense of familiarity. Cosplaying builds confidence, challenges “normal” self-expression, and shows what makes us human: the urge to tell a story through passion and love.
