Jamie Douglas

Cosplay is a portmanteau of costume and play. Unlike Halloween, participants don’t just dress up — they become their character, projecting various traits and acting out various scenes in which their chosen character participates. Even the most minute details are pivotal.

In a sense, cosplay is much like a Renaissance Festival in which paid actors and patrons alike dress up in renaissance costumes and act as if they are back in the medieval times while entire story lines are acted out between the various characters. This total submergence into the psyche of a character is classified as cosplay.

Costumes can be purchased from various distributors, or they can be handmade. The complexity of the costume depends largely on the character that the costume is based upon, as well as the amount of detail. Those who are especially meticulous focus on everything from the fabric choice right down to the stitching. Beyond the main costumes, some cosplayers choose to carry props, oftentimes constructed from cardboard, molding foam, or other crafting materials. Props could include but are not limited to swords, costume detailing, and jewelry. Due to the often-strange color and style of the cosplay subjects’ hair, many players even choose to wear wigs they style themselves.

Choosing a character for cosplay is a very personal process. Ian Lee, a fourth year Industrial Design major, said that it is based on “your interests, who you like.” It also can depend on what is popular at the time or even just “whoever they feel is the easiest.”

In the world of roleplaying with costumes, there are many terms to be understood. The first is LARPing, which stands for Live Action Role-Playing. Cosplayers are LARPers who wear costumes. A furry is someone who wears a full-body fur costume, often complete with a mascot head. Gijinka, an anime term, refers to wearing a costume that represents non-human characters, yet still isn’t classified as furry. For instance, if one wanted to resemble a Pokémon creature but did not want to be a furry, they could create a stylized and flattering outfit that represented the Pokémon.

Some cosplayers entirely immerse themselves in the character, even going so far as to change their life habits. For instance, one cosplayer on a forum talked about losing 40 pounds to more closely resemble his chosen character. Other players limit their involvement to the times they are actually wearing the costumes.

A common misconception about cosplay is that it is limited to anime. It also includes people who dress up as characters from Star Wars, Harry Potter, and other pop culture icons.

If one is interested in cosplay, the first step is to choose a character and genre of role-playing in which you would like to be involved. Once this is decided, various clubs exist on campus that participate in certain categories of cosplay; this campus, too, has its own subculture.

People participate in cosplay for a variety of reasons. Lee describes it as a “chance to show off skills,” since costume making is a very time-consuming and sometimes talent-intensive process. Cosplay is an opportunity to show off one’s hard work and craftsmanship. It’s also a chance to “dress up and be someone completely different,” as Lee describes, a fun escape from the average day. Lastly, cosplay is a way to show support for a favorite character; imitation, of course, is the highest form of flattery.