Welcome to the World of Cosplay!
I sit at the mound of fabric and foam, where my desk should be, and reminisce how I got myself into this crazy mess. Never before had I cared about attempting to sew or molding worbla, but here I am. And although it may seem like insanity to an outsider, I love it. I love that I joined the crazy but amazing world of cosplay. Years ago it had started for me, and I want to help any of those interested. It can be intimidating to begin cosplaying, but please, don’t be afraid to begin. Remember everyone starts somewhere, and you would only be missing out!
What is cosplay?
Cosplay is about dressing up as characters you love. There are many reasons why people cosplay, but a lot of the main reasons are to showcase their love of characters, to express their creativity, and most importantly, to have fun! The greatest thing about this is that anyone can do it. Personally, cosplay for me is a creative outlet and, as an artistic person, I enjoy learning all the different methods to make things, whether it be capes or armor.
How to cosplay?
There are several ways to get your cosplay together-crafting, buying, commissioning, and thrift stores. If you make it, don’t be afraid to learn new skills to implement in your cosplay. There are plenty of helpful tutorials online for learning new things, and you also have a whole community willing to help you! If you buy it, make sure you are buying it from a trustworthy seller because unfortunately there are scammers out there. With commissioning, look around and make sure you like the work in the commissioner’s portfolio, and bear in mind the price accounts for the materials and all the time they put into making the cosplay. Feel free to check out thrift stores-they can be quite resourceful! In the end, how you do it doesn’t matter as long as you enjoy it.
Who can cosplay?
To be a cosplayer, the list of requirements is short, and by that, I mean completely blank. It doesn’t matter your size, race, age, or any of that. And I’m not just rattling this off as the famous quote you always see. I strongly believe it and want everyone to know it. When I got into cosplay, I was worried about not fitting the character. A 5’1”, half-Hispanic cosplayer trying to be anime and video game characters? I was nervous…but now I realize that doesn’t matter. The important thing is representing the characters you love.
Where to cosplay?
You can look into conventions you’d be interested to attend online and ask around about some cons other cosplayers enjoy. At cons, you can meet other people who are fans of the same things. You can make some new friends, see cool cosplays, attend panels with some of your favorite celebrities, and buy plenty of merchandise to turn your house into the ultimate nerd cave!
CAUTION in Cosplay:
WARNING, it’s addictive. You might think you can just stop at any moment-but you more easily would be sucked in. You might be like me who thought that I could make 2 cosplays and switch between them for cons-which certainly isn’t a bad idea-but you might end up planning cosplays while sitting in the theater….and eventually have a closet full of cosplay.
What do you do now?
Well, now that you have a basic overview, what are you waiting for? Get out there and start cosplaying!
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