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{{Short description|Type of performance art}}
'''Cosplay''' (コスプレ ''kosupure''), a contraction (or ]) of the English words "costume" and "play", is a ] ] centered on dressing as characters from ], ], ], and ], and, less commonly, Japanese live action ] shows, Japanese ], or ] bands. However, in some circles, "cosplay" has been expanded to mean simply wearing a costume.
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
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] in ]]]
] in ] 2014, representing a ] character, the superheroine ] (]) and ] ] (])]]
'''Cosplay''', a ] of "costume play", is an activity and ] in which participants called '''cosplayers''' wear ]s and ] to represent a specific ].<ref name="What Would Godzilla Say?"/> Cosplayers often interact to create a ], and a broader use of the term "cosplay" applies to any costumed ] in venues apart from the stage. Any entity that lends itself to dramatic interpretation may be taken up as a subject. Favorite sources include ], ], ], ], ], ] ], ] and in some cases, original characters.


Cosplay grew out of the practice of fan costuming at ]s, beginning with ]'s "futuristicostumes" created for the ] held in ] in 1939.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Meet the Woman Who Invented Cosplay |url=https://www.racked.com/2016/5/9/11451408/cosplay-inventor-morojo-myrtle-r-douglas |access-date=2023-03-07 |website=www.racked.com |date=9 May 2016 |language=en |archive-date=24 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231024223516/https://www.racked.com/2016/5/9/11451408/cosplay-inventor-morojo-myrtle-r-douglas |url-status=live }}</ref> The Japanese term {{Nihongo|"cosplay"|コスプレ|kosupure}} was coined in 1984. A rapid growth in the number of people cosplaying as a ] since the 1990s has made the phenomenon a significant aspect of ] in ], as well as in other parts of East Asia and in the Western world. Cosplay events are common features of ]s, and today there are many dedicated conventions and competitions, as well as ]s, websites, and other forms of media centered on cosplay activities. Cosplay is very popular among all genders, and it is not unusual to see ], also referred to as gender-bending.
In Japan, "cosplay" as a hobby is usually an end unto itself. Likeminded people gather to see other costumes, show off their own elaborate handmade creations, take lots of pictures, and possibly participate in best costume contests.


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The most specific anecdote about the origin of the word "cosplay" was that Nov Takahashi (from a Japanese studio called Studio Hard) coined the term "cosplay" as a contraction of the English-language words "costume play" while he was attending the 1984 Los Angeles ] ]. He was so impressed by the hall and masquerade costuming there that he reported about it frequently in Japanese ] magazines. This ultimately triggered Japanese cosplay. This point is debatable, however, as the word fits in with a common ]: combining the first two syllables of one word with the first two syllables of a second word (or, more precisely, the first two ] of each). Other examples of this include '']'' (ポケモン, short for ポケットモンスター, or "Pocket Monster") and ''puroresu'' (プロレス, short for プロレスリング, or "].").


==Cosplay venues== ==Etymology==
The term "cosplay" is a Japanese ] of the English terms ] and play.<ref name="What Would Godzilla Say?"/> The term was coined by {{ill|Nobuyuki Takahashi|ja|高橋信之 (出版プロデューサー)}} of Studio Hard<ref name="yeinjee"/> after he attended the ] (]) in Los Angeles<ref name="yah140724">{{cite news |first=Adam K. |last=Raymond |publisher=] |title=75 Years Of Capes and Face Paint: A History of Cosplay |url=https://www.yahoo.com/movies/75-years-of-capes-and-face-paint-a-history-of-cosplay-92666923267.html |date=24 July 2014 |access-date=2 August 2014 |archive-date=21 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170821094505/https://www.yahoo.com/movies/75-years-of-capes-and-face-paint-a-history-of-cosplay-92666923267.html |url-status=live }}</ref><!--see talk: 1983 WorldCon was in Baltimore MD not in LA!--> and saw costumed fans, which he later wrote about in an article for the Japanese magazine ''{{ill|My Anime|ja|マイアニメ}}''.<ref name="yeinjee"/> Takahashi decided to coin a new word rather than use the existing translation of the English term "masquerade" because that translates into Japanese as "]", which did not match his experience of the Worldcon.<ref name="Kincaid">{{cite web|date=16 October 2016|url=http://www.japanpowered.com/otaku-culture/the-history-of-cosplay|title=The History of Cosplay|work=Japan Powered|first=Chris|last=Kincaid|access-date=12 April 2017|archive-date=13 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413071320/http://www.japanpowered.com/otaku-culture/the-history-of-cosplay|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Winge">{{cite book|title=Emerging Worlds of Anime and Manga|volume=1|chapter=Costuming the Imagination|first=Theresa|last=Winge|editor-first=Frenchy|editor-last=Lunning|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|year=2006|isbn=9780816649457|pages=|chapter-url-access=registration|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/mechademia1emerg0000unse/page/65}}</ref> The coinage reflects a common ] in which the first two ] of a pair of words are used to form an independent compound: 'costume' becomes ''kosu'' (コス) and 'play' becomes ''pure'' (プレ).
], ] cosplay as ], ] and ] of ].]]
]'']]
]''.]]
Cosplay can be seen at public events such as video game shows, as well as at dedicated cosplay parties at ]s or ]s. It is not unusual for Japanese teenagers to gather with like-minded friends in places like Tokyo's ] district to engage in cosplay. Since ], ]'s ] district has contained a large number of cosplay ]s, catering to devoted anime and cosplay fans. The waitresses at such cafes dress as game or anime characters; ] costumes are particularly popular.


==History==
Possibly the single largest and most famous event attended by cosplayers is the semiannual ] market, ]. This event, held in summer and winter, attracts hundreds of thousands of ] ] and many thousands of cosplayers who congregate on the roof of the exhibition center, often in unbearably hot or cold conditions.


===Pre-20th century===
At cosplay events, cosplayers are often referred to as ''players''. Those who photograph ''players'' are called ''cameko'', short for "Camera Kozo" or "Camera Boy". The ''cameko'' give prints of their photos to the ''players'' as gifts. Tensions between ''players'' and ''cameko'' have increased due to perceived ]-like behaviour among some obsessive males who push female cosplayers to exchange personal email addresses or do private photo sessions. One result of this has been a partial ban on photography at Comiket.
{{main|Masquerade ball|Halloween|Costume party}}
Masquerade balls were a feature of the ] season in the 15th century, and involved increasingly elaborate allegorical ], pageants, and triumphal processions celebrating marriages and other dynastic events of late medieval court life. They were extended into costumed public festivities in ] during the 16th century ], generally elaborate dances held for members of the upper classes, which were particularly popular in ].


In April 1877, ] sent out almost 700 invitations for an elaborate costume ball, where several of the guests showed up dressed as characters from Verne's novels.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nTlyEAAAQBAJ&dq=April+2,+1877+Jules+Verne+costume+ball&pg=PA12|title=Cosplay: A History: The Builders, Fans, and Makers Who Bring Your Favorite Stories to Life|first=Andrew|last=Liptak|date=28 June 2022|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=9781534455825|via=Google Books|access-date=21 April 2023|archive-date=23 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423235302/https://books.google.com/books?id=nTlyEAAAQBAJ&dq=April+2,+1877+Jules+Verne+costume+ball&pg=PA12|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Cosplay trends==
A recent trend at Japanese cosplay events is an increase in the popularity of non-Japanese ] and ] movie characters, perhaps due to the international success of such ]s as '']'' and '']''. Characters from the '']'' films have a particularly high number of female fans in Japan, with female cosplayers playing either male or female characters, with ] an extremely popular choice.


Costume parties (American English) or fancy dress parties (British English) were popular from the 19th century onwards. Costuming guides of the period, such as Samuel Miller's ''Male Character Costumes'' (1884)<ref>{{cite book|title=Male Character Costumes|first=Samuel|last=Miller|url=https://archive.org/details/male_character_costumes|year=1884}}</ref> or Ardern Holt's '']'' (1887),<ref>{{cite book|title=Fancy Dresses Described|url=https://archive.org/details/fancydressesdesc00holtrich|last=Holt|first=Ardern|year=1887}}</ref> feature mostly generic costumes, whether that be period costumes, national costumes, objects or abstract concepts such as "Autumn" or "Night". Most specific costumes described therein are for historical figures although some are sourced from fiction, like '']'' or ] characters.
The act of cosplaying as characters of the opposite sex is called "]" (] cosplay). A small niche group in this field are '']'', a subset of '']'' cosplayers. Usually male, they wear bodysuits and masks to fully transform into female characters.


By March 1891, a literal call by one Herbert Tibbits for what would today be described as "cosplayers" was advertised for an event held from 5–10 March that year at the ] in London, for the so-named '']'' based on ] and its characters, published two decades earlier.<ref>{{cite web |title='The Coming Race' and 'Vril-Ya' Bazaar and Fete, in joint aid of The West End Hospital, and the School of Massage and Electricity |url=https://memories.royalalberthall.com/content/coming-race-and-vril-ya-bazaar-and-fete-joint-aid-west-end-hospital-and-school-massage-and-1 |website=Royal Albert Hall |date=27 August 2019 |access-date=29 March 2021 |archive-date=12 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412195504/https://memories.royalalberthall.com/content/coming-race-and-vril-ya-bazaar-and-fete-joint-aid-west-end-hospital-and-school-massage-and-1 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Another recent trend in cosplay is a blurring of the distinction between costumes based on characters from games and anime, and "original" costumes based upon a general theme or existing fashions. In particular, the Tokyo teen-fashion trend of ] has attracted some cosplayers who might not have the inclination (or possibly courage) to wear such distinctive clothes around town, but who would like to dress in such a manner on some occasions.


===Fan costuming===
==International cosplay==
]'' – an early modern costuming or cosplay outfit, Washington state, 1912<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cosplay.kotaku.com/cosplay-is-over-100-years-old-1777013405|title=Cosplay Is Over 100 Years Old|first=Luke|last=Plunkett|date=16 May 2016|website=kotaku.com|access-date=26 October 2017|archive-date=6 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506032711/https://cosplay.kotaku.com/cosplay-is-over-100-years-old-1777013405|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cracked.com/article_20873_6-nerd-culture-stereotypes-that-are-way-older-than-you-think.html|title=6 Nerd Culture Stereotypes That Are Way Older Than You Think|work=Cracked|date=8 April 2014|quote=At a masked ball in Monroe, Washington, in 1912, August Olson's impressive homemade Skygack costume, complete with notebook, won him first prize and a place on the front page of the local paper.|access-date=12 March 2017|archive-date=2 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602184045/https://www.cracked.com/article_20873_6-nerd-culture-stereotypes-that-are-way-older-than-you-think.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Undercover Character: Diving Deep into the World of Cosplay|url=http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/entertainment/weekly-surge/article23585248.html|work=Myrtle Beach Sun|author=Derrick Bracey|date=11 June 2015|at=The Past, Present and Future of Cosplay|access-date=12 March 2017|archive-date=21 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921195155/http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/entertainment/weekly-surge/article23585248.html|url-status=live}}</ref>]]
All aspects of cosplay have spread across the world, joining with ] at ] ]s in ] and ]. It is also a common sight at ] conventions. Cosplayers at anime conventions in North America often find themselves on the receiving ends of ]s, a type of high-powered hug.


]'s science fiction ] character ] (a Martian ethnographer who comically misunderstands many Earthly affairs) is arguably the first fictional character that people emulated by wearing costumes, as in 1908 Mr. and Mrs. William Fell of ], are reported to have attended a masquerade at a skating rink wearing Mr. Skygack and Miss Dillpickles costumes. Later, in 1910, an unnamed woman won first prize at masquerade ball in ], wearing another Skygack costume.<ref name="io9 19 September 2013">{{cite news|last=Miller|first=Ron|title=Was Mr. Skygack the First Alien Character in Comics?|url=http://io9.com/was-mr-skygack-the-first-alien-character-in-comics-453576089|access-date=20 September 2013|newspaper=]|date=19 September 2013|archive-date=11 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911032138/http://io9.com/was-mr-skygack-the-first-alien-character-in-comics-453576089|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="AshcraftPlunkett">{{cite book|title=Cosplay World|pages=6–11|first1=Brian|last1=Ashcraft|first2=Luke|last2=Plunkett|publisher=Prestel Publishing|year=2014|isbn=9783791349251}}</ref>
Cosplay in the ] and Europe differs from Japanese cosplay culture in some ways. Cosplay concerning '']'', '']'', ], and historical re-enactments (i.e. Civil War battles), especially at ] conventions, are far more popular in the West than they are in Japan. Alternatively, some costumes that might be seen as in bad taste in the west (such as ] uniforms from certain comics or games) may be seen at events in Japan.


The first people to wear costumes to attend a convention were science fiction fans ] and Myrtle R. Douglas, known in fandom as ]. They attended the 1939 ] (Nycon or 1st ]) in the Caravan Hall, New York, US dressed in "futuristicostumes", including green cape and breeches, based on the ] artwork of ] and the 1936 film '']'', designed and created by Douglas.<ref name="AshcraftPlunkett" /><ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.jophan.org/mimosa/m29/kyle.htm |journal=] |first=David |last=Kyle |author-link=David Kyle |title=Caravan to the Stars |number=29 |date=December 2002 |access-date=16 November 2012 |archive-date=1 May 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040501201447/http://www.jophan.org/mimosa/m29/kyle.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Culp|first=Jennifer|title=Meet the Woman Who Invented Cosplay|url=http://www.racked.com/2016/5/9/11451408/cosplay-inventor-morojo-myrtle-r-douglas|access-date=11 May 2016|newspaper=]|date=9 May 2016|archive-date=24 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231024223516/https://www.racked.com/2016/5/9/11451408/cosplay-inventor-morojo-myrtle-r-douglas|url-status=live}}</ref>
Western cosplayers are stereotypically lampooned as being overweight or otherwise unsuited to the characters they attempt to portray. An issue with cosplaying anime and manga characters is that these characters generally do not have bodily proportions that can easily be mimicked by many typical cosplayers (i.e. gargantuan muscles or giant breasts), and there is debate among fans about how important or not this element is when cosplaying.
] and ] at the ] in "futuricostumes" designed and sewn by Morojo]]
Ackerman later stated that he thought everyone was supposed to wear a costume at a science fiction convention, although only he and Douglas did.<ref name="Painter">{{cite book |title=Forry: The Life of Forrest J Ackerman |first=Deborah |last=Painter |pages=37–39 |publisher=McFarland |year=2010 | isbn=9780786448845}}</ref>


Fan costuming caught on, however, and the ] (1940) had both an unofficial masquerade held in Douglas' room and an official masquerade as part of the programme.<ref name="yah140724" /><ref name="Rich">{{cite book|title=C.M. Kornbluth: The Life and Works of a Science Fiction Visionary|first=Mark|last=Rich|page=69|publisher=McFarland|year=2009|isbn=9780786457113}}</ref><ref name="Resnick">{{cite book|title=Always a Fan|first=Mike|last=Resnick|chapter=Worldcon Masquerades|pages=106–110|publisher=Wildside Press|year=2015|isbn=9781434448149}}</ref> ] won the masquerade wearing a ] costume created by ], while ] received second place with a Bar Senestro costume (from the novel '']'' by ] and ]).<ref name="Rich" /> Other costumed attendees included guest of honor ] as ] (from ]'s series of short stories) and both Ackerman and Douglas wearing their futuristicostumes again.<ref name="Painter" /><ref name="Rich" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Textile Technoculture Creations and the Early Days of Women's Cosplay |url=https://www.ladyscience.com/features/textile-technoculture-creations-and-the-early-days-of-womens-cosplay |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=Lady Science |date=14 August 2019 |language=en-US |archive-date=25 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230825042430/https://www.ladyscience.com/features/textile-technoculture-creations-and-the-early-days-of-womens-cosplay |url-status=dead }}</ref> Masquerades and costume balls continued to be part of ] tradition thereafter.<ref name="Resnick" /> Early Worldcon masquerade balls featured a band, dancing, food and drinks. Contestants either walked across a stage or a cleared area of the dance floor.<ref name="Resnick" />
In ], the trend mirrors the American and European in that the subject costumes may be selected from sources other than Manga or Anime. Sources include western comics, computer games, science fiction/fantasy movies and TV shows, animation shorts or features, period drama, novels - any source that provides vivid and graphic inspiration of a character and their costume. Usually the term "Cosplay" is not used to cover historical recreation as the focus is on representational accuracy, not historical accuracy.


Ackerman wore a "Hunchbackerman of Notre Dame" costume to the ] (1941), which included a mask designed and created by ], but soon stopped wearing costumes to conventions.<ref name="Painter" /> Douglas wore an Akka costume (from ]'s novel '']''), the mask again made by Harryhausen, to the 3rd Worldcon and a Snake Mother costume (another Merritt costume, from '']'') to the ] (1946).<ref>{{cite book|title=I Remember Morojo|first=Forrest J|last=Ackerman|url=http://ww.efanzines.com/Morojo/|year=1965|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208034705/http://ww.efanzines.com/Morojo/|archive-date=8 February 2017}}</ref> Terminology was yet unsettled; the 1944 edition of ]'s ''Fancyclopedia'' used the term '''costume party'''.<ref name="Fancyclopedia">{{cite book |last1=Speer |first1=John Bristol |author-link1=Jack Speer |title=Fancyclopedia |date=1944 |publisher=Forrest J Ackerman |location=Los Angeles |page=21 |edition=1st}}</ref>
In general, Australian Cosplay is most commonly seen in the larger population centres such as the capital cities and major regional centres, as these have the population base to support the diversity among fringe interests. The display of the costumes is not limited to conventions, although it is not unusual for dedicated Cosplayers to travel extensively throughout Australia following the convention trail during the year. In addition to the social convening at conventions, many smaller social groupings exist, hosting their own local events.{{ref|Byron}}


]]]
==Cosplay in North America==
Rules governing costumes became established in response to specific costumes and costuming trends. The first nude contestant at a Worldcon masquerade was in 1952; but the height of this trend was in the 1970s and early 1980s, with a few every year.<ref name="Resnick" /> This eventually led to "No Costume is No Costume" rule, which banned full nudity, although partial nudity was still allowed as long as it was a legitimate representation of the character.<ref name="AshcraftPlunkett" /> ] describes the best of the nude costumes as Kris Lundi wearing a ] costume to the ] (1974) (she received an honorable mention in the competition).<ref name="Resnick" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.costume.org/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=90298|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208034201/http://www.costume.org/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=90298|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 February 2017|title=Kris Lundi aka Animal X as a Harpy, Discon II, 1974|work=International Costumers' Guild, Inc.|date=5 June 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://fanac.org/photohtm.php?worldcon/Discon/w74m024|title=Discon II – 1974 WorldCon Masquerades and Costumes|work=The Fanac Fan History Project|date=8 November 2007|access-date=7 February 2017|archive-date=29 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230429145038/https://fanac.org/photohtm.php?worldcon/Discon/w74m024|url-status=live}}</ref> Another costume that instigated a rule change was an attendee at the ] (1962) whose blaster prop fired a jet of real flame; which led to fire being banned.<ref name="Resnick" /> At the ] (1972), artist ] wore a costume composed largely of peanut butter to represent his own ] character called "The Turd". The peanut butter rubbed off, doing damage to soft furnishings and other peoples' costumes, and then began to go rancid under the heat of the lighting. Food, odious, and messy substances were banned as costume elements after that event.<ref name="Resnick" /><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.jophan.org/mimosa/m25/resnick.htm|title=Worldcon Memories (part 4)|first=Mike|last=Resnick|journal=Mimosa|number=25|date=April 2000|access-date=12 April 2017|archive-date=1 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601182249/http://www.jophan.org/mimosa/m25/resnick.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://file770.com/?p=11769|work=File 770|title=Scott Shaw! Deuce of Deuces|date=26 February 2013|access-date=12 April 2017|archive-date=26 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170626040040/http://file770.com/?p=11769|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.costume.org/gallery2/v/bruce_mai/Worldcons/worldcon30/WOR1969_01_016_001.jpg.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151013220846/http://www.costume.org/gallery2/v/bruce_mai/Worldcons/worldcon30/WOR1969_01_016_001.jpg.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 October 2015|title=Scott Shaw as The Turd, LACon I, 1972|work=International Costumers' Guild, Inc.|date=16 September 2011}}</ref>
Convention activity in the United States and Canada has become a much larger and much more popular trend within the past decade. Larger conventions such as ] and ] have become renowned internationally. With the added public attention coming from such popular animated cartoons imported from Japan (see ]) including Dragonball Z, Inuyasha, and now the ever-popular Naruto, cosplayers and the anime world have peeked their heads into the world of mainstream pop-culture, on at least a relatively underground scale. More and more convention goers cosplay as their favorite characters from their favorite animes, and thus, the cosplay and anime subcultures have been able to have enough influence to further the creation of ] to accommodate for the increasing number of cosplayers.


Costuming spread with the ]s and the interaction of ]. The earliest known instance of costuming at a convention in the United Kingdom was at the ] (1953) but this was only as part of a play. However, members of the Liverpool Science Fantasy Society attended the 1st Cytricon (1955), in ], wearing costumes and continued to do so in subsequent years.<ref name="Hansen1">{{cite web|url=http://www.fiawol.org.uk/fanstuff/then%20archive/cosplay/cos01.htm|work=THEN: The Archive|title=Early Cosplay: 1930s to 1950s|first=Rob|last=Hansen|access-date=28 April 2017|archive-date=19 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230819233413/https://fiawol.org.uk//fanstuff/THEN%20Archive/cosplay/cos01.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The ] (1957) brought the first official convention masquerade to the UK.<ref name="Hansen1" /> The 1960 ] in London may have been the first British-based convention to hold an official fancy dress party as part of its programme.<ref name="Hansen2">{{cite web|url=http://www.fiawol.org.uk/fanstuff/then%20archive/cosplay/cos02.htm|work=THEN: The Archive|title=Early Cosplay: 1960s|first=Rob|last=Hansen|access-date=28 April 2017|archive-date=19 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230819233359/https://fiawol.org.uk//fanstuff/then%20archive/cosplay/cos02.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
Conventions in America often include both Cosplay and Costume contests. The Cosplay or "Masq." is a skit contest done in cosplay costume. This can range from a single person quoting a character's famous line (i.e: Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop: "Bang") to a 10-member cast singing and dancing to the theme of Sailor Moon while in proper attire.
The joint winners were Ethel Lindsay and Ina Shorrock as two of the titular witches from the novel '']'' by ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fiawol.org.uk/fanstuff/then%20archive/1960con/60con2.htm|editor-first=Rob|editor-last=Hansen|work=THEN: The Archive|title=The 1960 Eastercon|access-date=28 April 2017|archive-date=28 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230428123045/https://fiawol.org.uk//fanstuff/then%20archive/1960con/60con2.htm|url-status=live}} Based on {{cite journal|title=I Was the Treasurer for the London Con to End All Cons|first=Archie|last=Mercer|journal=Cactus|issue=5|date=May 1960}}
The costume contest is often a test of skill, design, and audience reaction. The contestants are judged either before hand or on stage and then walk across said stage while the audience cheers.
and {{cite journal|title=Inchmery Fan Diary|first=Harold Peter|last=Sanderson|journal=Aporrheta|issue=17|date=June 1960}}</ref>
Winners of both contests often receive prizes such as gift cards, trophies, and anime DVDs.


''Star Trek'' conventions began in 1969 and major conventions began in 1972 and they have featured cosplay throughout.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fanlore.org/Star_Trek_Conventions|title=Star Trek Conventions – Fanlore|access-date=16 September 2019|archive-date=1 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601103834/https://fanlore.org/Star_Trek_Conventions|url-status=live}}</ref>
Competition has lead to the development of many cosplay groups that plan for conventions months in advance.


In Japan, costuming at conventions was a fan activity from at least the 1970s, especially after the launch of the ] convention in December 1975.<ref name="AshcraftPlunkett" /> Costuming at this time was known as {{Nihongo||仮装|kasō}}.<ref name="AshcraftPlunkett" /> The first documented case of costuming at a fan event in Japan was at ] (1978), in ], at which future science fiction critic ] wore a costume based on the cover art for ]' novel '']''.<ref group="Notes">Mari Kotani's costume has sometimes been misreported as a Triton costume (from the manga '']'') due to its visual similarity and because Kotani was known as a member of the TRITON fan club.</ref><ref name="Ohwada">{{cite web|title=Interview: Mari Kotani, Pioneer of Japanese Cosplay – Origins|work=An Introduction to Japanese Subcultures|first1=Toshiyuki|last1=Ohwada|first2=Mari|last2=Kotani|url=https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/intro-to-japanese-subculture/0/steps/23609|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170502163635/https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/intro-to-japanese-subculture/0/steps/23609|archive-date=2 May 2017|access-date=2 May 2017|quote=This is an important part, so I'd like to spell it out clearly. In short, you, Ms. Mari, a member of the sci-fi anime fan club TRITON, attended a sci-fi convention at a sleepover-style facility, where you dressed up as a sci-fi character that appeared on the cover of Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Fighting Man of Mars.
==Trivia==
}}</ref><ref name="out of hand">{{cite book|year=2004|first=Rachel|last=Thorn|author-link=Rachel Thorn|chapter=Girls And Women Getting Out Of Hand: The Pleasure And Politics Of Japan's Amateur Comics Community|title=Fanning the Flames: Fans and Consumer Culture in Contemporary Japan|editor-first=William W.|editor-last=Kelly|publisher=]|isbn=9780791460320|page=175}}</ref> In an interview Kotani states that there were about twenty costumed attendees at the convention's costume party—made up of members of her '']'' fan club and {{Nihongo|Kansai Entertainers|関西芸人|Kansai Geinin}}, antecedent of the ] anime studio—with most attendees in ordinary clothing.<ref name="Ohwada" /> One of the Kansai group, an unnamed friend of ], wore an impromptu ] costume (from the film '']'') made from one of the host-hotel's rolls of toilet paper.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Notenki Memoirs|first=Yasuhiro|last=Takeda|publisher=ADV Manga|year=2005|isbn=9781413902341}}</ref> Costume contests became a permanent part of the ] conventions from Tokon VII in 1980.
]
* Former ] President ] dressed up as the fictional character '']'' of the ''anime'' series ]. See . See also


Possibly the first costume contest held at a ] was at the ] held at ] in New York in August 1965.<ref name="Schelly">{{cite journal|journal=]|issue=83|date=7 November 2012|publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing|title=Found! 'New' Photos from the 1965 New York Comicon! (part 2)|first=Bill|last=Schelly|pages=69–70|volume=3}}</ref> ], future editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics but then just transitioning from a ] editor to a professional comic book writer, attended in a ] costume.<ref name="Schelly" />
Australian notes sourced from: *Kirstin McLean (2004). . Retrieved October 20, 2005.


The first Masquerade Ball held at ] was in 1974 during the convention's 6th event. Voice actress ] was the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/herocomplex/la-et-hc-comic-con-san-diego-timeline-htmlstory.html|work=]|title=Timeline—Downey Jr. dances, Arnold surprises, Spider-Man rushes the stage: Every year of Comic-Con in one giant timeline|date=8 July 2015|first1=Tracy|last1=Brown|first2=David|last2=Lewis|first3=Jevon|last3=Phillips|first4=Meredith|last4=Woerner|access-date=6 April 2017|archive-date=27 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230727162526/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/herocomplex/la-et-hc-comic-con-san-diego-timeline-htmlstory.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Future ] ] won first place wearing a ] costume.<ref>{{cite web|date=11 March 2012|first1=Richard|last1=Vasseur|first2=Brinke|last2=Stevens|title=Brinke Stevens Interview|work=Jazma|url=http://forums.jazmaonline.com/post.asp?method=Reply&TOPIC_ID=4225&FORUM_ID=21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170407055204/http://forums.jazmaonline.com/post.asp?method=Reply&TOPIC_ID=4225&FORUM_ID=21|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 April 2017|access-date=6 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://theggtmc.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/brinke-stevens-interview.html|date=28 April 2012|title=The Brinke Stevens Interview|first1=Justin|last1=Bozung|first2=Brinke|last2=Stevens|work=The Gentleman's Blog to Midnight Cinema|access-date=20 April 2017|archive-date=18 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170518081652/http://theggtmc.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/brinke-stevens-interview.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Ackerman (who was the creator of Vampirella) was in attendance and posed with Stevens for photographs. They became friends and, according to Stevens "Forry and his wife, Wendayne, soon became like my god parents."<ref name="Collum2004">{{cite book|title=Assault of the Killer B's|first=Jason Paul|last=Collum|year=2004|isbn=9780786480418|publisher=McFarland|page=24}}</ref> Photographer Dan Golden saw a photograph of Stevens in the Vampirella costume while visiting Ackerman's house, leading to him hiring her for a non-speaking role in her first student film, ''Zyzak is King'' (1980), and later photographing her for the cover of the first issue of '']'' (1992).<ref name="Collum2004" /> Stevens attributes these events to launching her acting career.<ref name="Collum2004" />
==Notes==
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#{{note|Byron}} {{Citenewsauthor | surname=McLean | given=Kirstin | title=Screaming Lord Byron resources | date=2004 | org=Screaming Lord Byron | url=http://www.screaminglordbyron.com/html/resources.html}} Retrieved October 20, 2005.


As early as a year after the 1975 release of '']'', audience members began dressing as characters from the movie and role-playing (although the initial incentive for dressing-up was free admission) in often highly accurate costumes.<ref name=SamuelsMov>{{cite book |title=Midnight Movies |first=Stuart |last=Samuels |page=11 |publisher=Collier Books |year=1983 |isbn=002081450X}}</ref><ref name=Siegel>{{cite web|last=Siegel|first=Robert|title=Making The Rocky Horror Picture Show|url=http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=7605|publisher=Blu-ray.com|access-date=27 March 2014|archive-date=12 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412022720/https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=7605|url-status=live}}</ref>
<!--READ ME!! PLEASE DO NOT JUST ADD NEW NOTES AT THE BOTTOM. See the instructions above on ordering. -->

Costume-Con, a conference dedicated to costuming, was first held in January 1983.<ref name="CostumeCon">{{cite web|url=http://www.costume-con.org/about-us/the-genesis-and-evolution-of-costume-con/|title=The Genesis and Evolution of Costume-Con|work=costume-con.org|first1=Karen|last1=Schnaubelt|first2=Betsy R.|last2=Marks|date=14 July 2016|access-date=11 April 2017|archive-date=29 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230429164230/http://www.costume-con.org/about-us/the-genesis-and-evolution-of-costume-con/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Science Fiction Culture|first=Camille|last=Bacon-Smith|author-link=Camille Bacon-Smith|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|year=2000|isbn=9780812215304|page=56}}</ref> The International Costumers Guild, Inc., originally known as the Greater Columbia Fantasy Costumer's Guild, was launched after the 3rd Costume-Con (1985) as a parent organization and to support costuming.<ref name="CostumeCon" />

===Cosplay===
] and ] from '']'' during Tracon 2013 event at the ] in ], ]]]

Costuming had been a fan activity in Japan from the 1970s, and it became much more popular in the wake of Takahashi's report. The new term did not catch on immediately, however. It was a year or two after the article was published before it was in common use among fans at conventions.<ref name="AshcraftPlunkett" /> It was in the 1990s, after exposure on television and in magazines, that the term and practice of cosplaying became common knowledge in Japan.<ref name="AshcraftPlunkett" />

The first cosplay cafés appeared in the ] area of Tokyo in the late 1990s.<ref name="yah140724" /><ref name="Galbraith">{{cite journal|url=http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue25/galbraith.htm|title=Maid in Japan: An Ethnographic Account of Alternative Intimacy|first=Patrick W.|last=Galbraith|journal=Intersections: Gender and Sexuality in Asia and the Pacific|issue=25|date=February 2011|access-date=25 April 2017|archive-date=2 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302235335/http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue25/galbraith.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> A temporary ] was set up at the Tokyo Character Collection event in August 1998 to promote the video game '']'' (1997).<ref name="Galbraith" /> An occasional Pia Carrot Restaurant was held at the shop Gamers in Akihabara in the years up to 2000.<ref name="Galbraith" /> Being linked to specific intellectual properties limited the lifespan of these cafés, which was solved by using generic maids, leading to the first permanent establishment, Cure Maid Café, which opened in March 2001.<ref name="Galbraith" />

The first ] was held on 12 October 2003 at the Rose Court Hotel in Nagoya, Japan, with five cosplayers invited from Germany, France and Italy. There was no contest until 2005, when the World Cosplay Championship began. The first winners were the Italian team of {{interlanguage link|Giorgia Vecchini|it}}, ] and Emilia Fata Livia.

Worldcon masquerade attendance peaked in the 1980s and started to fall thereafter. This trend was reversed when the concept of cosplay was re-imported from Japan.

==Practice of cosplay==
Cosplay costumes vary greatly and can range from simple themed clothing to highly detailed costumes. It is generally considered different from ] and ] costume wear, as the intention is to replicate a specific character, rather than to reflect the culture and symbolism of a holiday event. As such, when in costume, some cosplayers often seek to adopt the affect, mannerisms, and ] of the characters they portray (with "out of character" breaks). The characters chosen to be cosplayed may be sourced from any movie, TV series, book, comic book, video game, music band, anime, or manga. Some cosplayers even choose to cosplay an ] of their own design or a fusion of different genres (e.g., a ] version of a character), and it is a part of the ethos of cosplay that anybody can be anything, as with ], ], or ], a cosplayer playing a character of another ethnicity, or a ] portraying ].<ref name="Hijabi Captain America">{{Cite web |url=http://themarvelreport.com/2016/08/cosplayer-spotlight-hijabi-hooligan-cosplay/ |title=Cosplayer Spotlight on Hijabi Hooligan Cosplay |last=Richter |first=Shawn |date=5 August 2016 |website=The Marvel Report |access-date=26 September 2017 |archive-date=30 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030015637/http://themarvelreport.com/2016/08/cosplayer-spotlight-hijabi-hooligan-cosplay/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="The Muslim cosplayer who uses the hijab in her outfits">{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/magazine-41400973/the-muslim-cosplayer-who-uses-the-hijab-in-her-outfits |title=The Muslim cosplayer who uses the hijab in her outfits |date=26 September 2017 |website=BBC |access-date=26 September 2017 |archive-date=26 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526160314/https://www.bbc.com/news/av/magazine-41400973/the-muslim-cosplayer-who-uses-the-hijab-in-her-outfits |url-status=live }}</ref> {{clear right}}

===Costumes===
] at the ] 3, 2019]]
] cosplaying ], a main character of '']'']]
]'' series cosplayers at Nippombashi Street Festa 2014]]

Cosplayers obtain their apparel through many different methods. Manufacturers produce and sell packaged outfits for use in cosplay, with varying levels of quality. These costumes are often sold online, but also can be purchased from dealers at conventions. Japanese manufacturers of cosplay costumes reported a profit of 35&nbsp;billion yen in 2008.<ref name="Hayden2012">{{cite book|author=Craig Hayden|title=The Rhetoric of Soft Power: Public Diplomacy in Global Contexts|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vPYTvqf6fzsC&pg=PA115|year=2012|publisher=Lexington Books|isbn=978-0-7391-4258-5|page=115}}</ref> A number of individuals also work on commission, creating custom costumes, ], or wigs designed and fitted to the individual. Other cosplayers, who prefer to create their own costumes, still provide a market for individual elements, and various ]s, such as unstyled ]s, hair dye, cloth and sewing notions, ], ], ], and prop weapons.

Cosplay represents an act of ]. Cosplay has been closely linked to the ],<ref>{{cite journal|title = Stranger than fiction: Fan identity in cosplay|url = http://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/view/246/230|journal = Transformative Works and Cultures|year = 2011|doi = 10.3983/twc.2011.0246|access-date = 23 November 2015|language = en|last1 = Lamerichs|first1 = Nicolle|volume = 7|doi-access = free|archive-date = 11 December 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201211135552/https://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/view/246/230|url-status = live}}</ref> yet cosplayers' ability to perform is limited by their physical features. The accuracy of a cosplay is judged based on the ability to accurately represent a character through the body, and individual cosplayers frequently are faced by their own "bodily limits"<ref>{{cite web|title = Intersections: Cosplay, Lolita and Gender in Japan and Australia: An Introduction|url = http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue32/galbraith_intro.htm|website = intersections.anu.edu.au|access-date = 23 October 2015|archive-date = 20 July 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200720113351/http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue32/galbraith_intro.htm|url-status = live}}</ref> such as level of attractiveness, body size, and disability<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/14709-Cosplaying-With-A-Disability-Is-Awesome |title=Cosplaying With A Disability Is Awesome &#124; Cosplay Dossier &#124; The Escapist |website=Escapistmagazine.com |date=29 September 2015 |access-date=6 February 2016 |archive-date=30 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930175008/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/14709-Cosplaying-With-A-Disability-Is-Awesome |url-status=dead }}</ref> that often restrict and confine how accurate the cosplay is perceived to be. Authenticity is measured by a cosplayer's individual ability to translate on-screen manifestation to the cosplay itself. Some have argued that cosplay can never be a true representation of the character; instead, it can only be read through the body, and that true embodiment of a character is judged based on nearness to the original character form.<ref>{{cite journal|title = Toward new horizons: Cosplay (re)imagined through the superhero genre, authenticity, and transformation|url = http://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/view/613/502|journal = Transformative Works and Cultures|year = 2015|doi = 10.3983/twc.2015.0613|access-date = 23 November 2015|language = en|last1 = Kirkpatrick|first1 = Ellen|volume = 18|doi-access = free|archive-date = 25 November 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201125062421/https://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/view/613/502|url-status = live}}</ref> Cosplaying can also help some of those with self-esteem problems.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/14746-Power-Girl-and-Ivy-Cosplay-Boost-Self-Esteem |title=Power Girl and Ivy Cosplay Boost Self Esteem &#124; Cosplay Dossier &#124; The Escapist |website=Escapistmagazine.com |date=6 October 2015 |access-date=6 February 2016 |archive-date=7 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151007142344/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/14746-Power-Girl-and-Ivy-Cosplay-Boost-Self-Esteem |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/15005-Cosplay-and-The-Benefits-of-Bravery |title=Cosplay and The Benefits of Bravery &#124; Cosplay Dossier &#124; The Escapist |website=Escapistmagazine.com |date=17 November 2015 |access-date=6 February 2016 |archive-date=18 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118142849/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/15005-Cosplay-and-The-Benefits-of-Bravery |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Many cosplayers create their own outfits, referencing images of the characters in the process. In the creation of the outfits, much time is given to detail and qualities, thus the skill of a cosplayer may be measured by how difficult the details of the outfit are and how well they have been replicated. Because of the difficulty of replicating some details and materials, cosplayers often educate themselves in crafting specialties such as ], ], ], ], ], ], and other uses of materials in the effort to render the look and texture of a costume accurately.<ref name="Cosplay Costumes at LoveToKnow Costumes"/> Cosplayers often wear wigs in conjunction with their outfit to further improve the resemblance to the character. This is especially necessary for anime and manga or video-game characters who often have unnaturally colored and uniquely styled hair. Simpler outfits may be compensated for their lack of complexity by paying attention to material choice and overall high quality.

To look more like the characters they are portraying, cosplayers might also engage in various forms of ]. Cosplayers may opt to change their skin color utilizing make-up to more simulate the race of the character they are adopting.<ref>{{cite web|title = Blacked Out: Discussing cosplay and 'blackface'|url = http://nerdreactor.com/2015/09/29/blacked-out-discussing-cosplay-black-face/|website = Nerd Reactor|date = 29 September 2015|access-date = 22 October 2015|archive-date = 6 December 2017|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171206170230/http://nerdreactor.com/2015/09/29/blacked-out-discussing-cosplay-black-face/|url-status = dead}}</ref> ] that match the color of their character's eyes are a common form of this, especially in the case of characters with particularly unique eyes as part of their trademark look. Contact lenses that make the pupil look enlarged to visually echo the large eyes of anime and manga characters are also used.<ref name="Japanese Circle Lens - A Secret Trick for Anime Cosplayers"/> Another form of body modification in which cosplayers engage is to copy any tattoos or special markings their character might have. ]s, ], body paint, and in rare cases, permanent tattoos, are all methods used by cosplayers to achieve the desired look. Permanent and temporary ], spray-in ], and specialized extreme styling products are all used by some cosplayers whose natural hair can achieve the desired hairstyle. It is also commonplace for them to shave off their eyebrows to gain a more accurate look.

Some anime and video game characters have weapons or other accessories that are hard to replicate, and conventions have strict rules regarding those weapons, but most cosplayers engage in some combination of methods to obtain all the items necessary for their costumes; for example, they may commission a prop weapon, sew their own clothing, buy character jewelry from a cosplay accessory manufacturer, or buy a pair of off-the-rack shoes, and modify them to match the desired look.

===Presentation===
] ] reenacting the famous cover of the ] album '']'' (1969) during their London visit in 2010]]
]'') during the Manga convention ''Paris Manga 2012'' at a zebra crossing in ].]]

Cosplay may be presented in a number of ways and places. A subset of cosplay culture is centered on ], with cosplayers specifically choosing characters known for their attractiveness or revealing costumes. However, wearing a revealing costume can be a sensitive issue while appearing in public.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kotaku.com/5900134/skimpy-outfit-gets-lollipop-chainsaw-cosplayer-asked-to-leave-pax |title=Skimpy Outfit Gets Lollipop Chainsaw Cosplayer Asked to Change Or Leave PAX Show Floor |date=8 April 2012 |publisher=Kotaku.com |access-date=17 November 2013 |archive-date=15 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015233908/http://kotaku.com/5900134/skimpy-outfit-gets-lollipop-chainsaw-cosplayer-asked-to-leave-pax |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Azliah |first=Nurul |url=https://sg.news.yahoo.com/woman-calls-police-over-cosplayer-s-%E2%80%98underboob--at-anime-festival-100256199.html |title=Woman calls police over cosplayer's 'underboob' at anime festival |date=15 November 2013 |publisher=My.entertainment.yahoo.com |access-date=17 November 2013 |archive-date=15 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015150722/https://sg.news.yahoo.com/woman-calls-police-over-cosplayer-s-%E2%80%98underboob--at-anime-festival-100256199.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2016/jun/25/cammy-cosplayer-forced-cover-ceo-not-tournament-staff/ |title=Cammy cosplayer forced to cover up at CEO, but not by tournament staff |website=Eventhubs.com |date=25 June 2016 |access-date=26 June 2016 |archive-date=29 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230429050011/https://www.eventhubs.com/news/2016/jun/25/cammy-cosplayer-forced-cover-ceo-not-tournament-staff/ |url-status=live }}</ref> People appearing naked at American ] conventions during the 1970s were so common, a "no costume is no costume" rule was introduced.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://io9.com/5895773/a-treasure-trove-of-cosplay-from-the-swinging-1970s-nsfw |title=A Treasure Trove of Cosplay from the Swinging 1970s ]<ref>{{cite web|title=Convention Policies|url=http://www.phoenixcomicon.com/page/4|website=Phoenix Comicon|access-date=8 October 2014|archive-date=23 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423231425/http://www.phoenixcomicon.com/page/4|url-status=live}}</ref> (now known as ]) and ],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://prime.paxsite.com/safety-and-security |title=PAX Prime – Seattle, WA Aug 28–31, 2015 |publisher=Prime.paxsite.com |access-date=4 June 2015 |archive-date=18 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150618172346/http://prime.paxsite.com/safety-and-security |url-status=dead }}</ref> have also issued rules upon which they reserve the right to ask attendees to leave or change their costumes if deemed to be inappropriate to a family-friendly environment or something of a similar nature.

====Conventions====
] 84 in 2013]]

The most popular form of presenting a cosplay publicly is by wearing it to a ]. Multiple conventions dedicated to anime and manga, comics, TV shows, video games, science fiction, and fantasy may be found all around the world. Cosplay-centered conventions include ] in the Philippines and ] in Singapore.

The single largest event featuring cosplay is the semiannual '']'' market, Comic Market (]), held in Japan during summer and winter. Comiket attracts hundreds of thousands of manga and anime fans, where thousands of cosplayers congregate on the roof of the exhibition center. In North America, the highest-attended ]s featuring cosplayers are ] and ] held in the United States, and the ] ] in Toronto, ] held in Washington, D.C. and ] held in Los Angeles. Europe's largest event is ] held in Paris, while the ] and the ] are the most notable in the UK. ] is Australia's biggest event.

] conventions have featured cosplay for many decades. These include , a UK convention, and , a US convention.

In different comic fairs, "Thematic Areas" are set up where cosplayers can take photos in an environment that follows that of the game or animation product from which they are taken. Sometimes the cosplayers are part of the area, playing the role of staff with the task of entertaining the other visitors. Some examples are the thematic areas dedicated to Star Wars or to Fallout. The areas are set up by not for profit associations of fans, but in some major fairs it is possible to visit areas set up directly by the developers of the video games or the producers of the anime.

====Photography====
] cosplayer for a ] studio photoshoot at Space City Con 2014 in the United States]]

The appearance of cosplayers at public events makes them a popular draw for photographers.<ref name=entertainmentscene360/> As this became apparent in the late 1980s, a new variant of cosplay developed in which cosplayers attended events mainly for the purpose of ]ing their characters for still photography rather than engaging in continuous role play. Rules of etiquette were developed to minimize awkward situations involving boundaries. Cosplayers pose for photographers and photographers do not press them for personal contact information or private sessions, follow them out of the area, or take photos without permission. The rules allow the collaborative relationship between photographers and cosplayers to continue with the least inconvenience to each other.<ref name="out of hand"/>

Some cosplayers choose to have a professional photographer take high quality images of them in their costumes posing as the character. Cosplayers and photographers frequently exhibit their work online and sometimes sell their images.<ref name=entertainmentscene360/>

===Competitions===
] contest dressed as a character from '']'']]

As the popularity of cosplay has grown, many conventions have come to feature a contest surrounding cosplay that may be the main feature of the convention. Contestants present their cosplay, and often to be judged for an award, the cosplay must be self-made. The contestants may choose to perform a skit, which may consist of a short performed script or dance with optional accompanying audio, video, or images shown on a screen overhead. Other contestants may simply choose to pose as their characters. Often, contestants are briefly interviewed on stage by a ]. The audience is given a chance to take photos of the cosplayers. Cosplayers may compete solo or in a group. Awards are presented, and these awards may vary greatly. Generally, a best cosplayer award, a best group award, and runner-up prizes are given. Awards may also go to the best skit and a number of cosplay skill subcategories, such as master tailor, master weapon-maker, master armorer, and so forth.

The most well-known cosplay contest event is the ], selecting cosplayers from 40 countries to compete in the final round in ], Japan. Some other international events include European Cosplay Gathering (finals taking place at Japan Expo in Paris),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.european-cosplay-gathering.com/ |title=The Best european cosplayers meet at Japan Expo for the Finals |publisher=European Cosplay Gathering |access-date=22 March 2014 |archive-date=25 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170225201600/http://www.european-cosplay-gathering.com/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> EuroCosplay (finals taking place at London MCM Comic Con),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mcmcomiccon.com/london/attractions/eurocosplay/ |title=EuroCosplay Championships &#124; London Comic Con |publisher=Mcmcomiccon.com |date=26 October 2013 |access-date=22 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180101033204/http://www.mcmcomiccon.com/london/attractions/eurocosplay/ |archive-date=1 January 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the Nordic Cosplay Championship (finals taking place at NärCon in ], Sweden).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ncc.narcon.se/ |title=NCC – The Nordic Cosplay Championship |publisher=Ncc.narcon.se |access-date=22 March 2014 |archive-date=30 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130070255/https://ncc.narcon.se/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{clear}}

====Common cosplay judging criteria====
This table contains a list of the most common cosplay competition judging criteria, as seen from World Cosplay Summit,<ref name="worldcosplaysummit" /> ],<ref name="cypruscomiccon" /> and ReplayFX.<ref name="replayfx" />
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Criteria !! Description !! Example
|-
| Accuracy || Resemblance to the original character in terms of appearance. ||
* Hair color/styling
* Make-up
* Costume
* Props
* Stage props
|-
| Craftsmanship || Quality and details of the costume and props. ||
* How well the costume is made
* Maneuverability/functionality of the costume
* Quality of materials
* Level of detail
* Amount of effort
* Percentage of costume that is handmade
* Technique
|-
| Presentation || Likeliness in terms of character portrayal and performance. ||
* Acting
* Posture
* Movement
* Talking with iconic phrases and tones of the character
* Facial expressions
* Interaction with other characters
* Faithfulness to the story
|-
| Audience Impact || Stage presence and connection with the audience. ||
* Eye contact
* Making full usage of the stage space
* Engaging with the audience
|}

===Gender issues===
Portraying a character of the opposite sex is called ]. The practicality of crossplay and cross-dress stems in part from the abundance in manga of male characters with delicate and somewhat androgynous features. Such characters, known as {{lang|ja-latn|]}} (lit. "pretty boy"),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/15085-What-Is-Crossplay-And-What-Does-It-Say-About-Gender |title=What Is Crossplay And What Does It Say About Gender &#124; Cosplay Dossier &#124; The Escapist |website=Escapistmagazine.com |date=1 December 2015 |access-date=6 February 2016 |archive-date=6 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160206225615/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/15085-What-Is-Crossplay-And-What-Does-It-Say-About-Gender |url-status=dead }}</ref> are Asian equivalent of the elfin boy archetype represented in Western tradition by figures such as ] and ].<ref name="retrieved"/>

] by a ]er from ]]]

Male to female cosplayers may experience issues when trying to portray a female character because it is hard to maintain the sexualized femininity of a character. Male cosplayers may also be subjected to discrimination,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/15277-Gender-Discrimination-Against-Male-Cosplayers |title=Gender Discrimination Against Male Cosplayers &#124; Cosplay Dossier &#124; The Escapist |website=Escapistmagazine.com |date=14 January 2016 |access-date=6 February 2016 |archive-date=7 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160207001544/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/15277-Gender-Discrimination-Against-Male-Cosplayers |url-status=dead }}</ref> including homophobic comments and being touched without permission. This affects men possibly even more often than it affects women, despite inappropriate contact already being a problem for women who cosplay,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/14863-Metal-Gear-s-Quiet-and-Cosplay-s-Free-Speech |title=Metal Gear's Quiet and Cosplay's Free Speech &#124; Cosplay Dossier &#124; The Escapist |website=Escapistmagazine.com |date=27 October 2015 |access-date=6 February 2016 |archive-date=7 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160207003925/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/14863-Metal-Gear-s-Quiet-and-Cosplay-s-Free-Speech |url-status=dead }}</ref> as is "]".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/14907-Cosplay-and-the-Normie-Stare |title=Cosplay and the Normie Stare &#124; Cosplay Dossier &#124; The Escapist |website=Escapistmagazine.com |date=3 November 2015 |access-date=6 February 2016 |archive-date=13 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113042442/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/14907-Cosplay-and-the-Normie-Stare |url-status=dead }}</ref>

'']'' players, a niche group in the realm of cosplay, are often male cosplayers who use ] and stylized masks to represent female ] characters. These cosplayers completely hide their real features so the original appearance of their characters may be reproduced as literally as possible, and to display all the abstractions and stylizations such as oversized eyes and tiny mouths often seen in Japanese cartoon art.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rietveldacademie.nl/files/download/Scriptieprijs/Florian_Jomain.pdf |title=Surrender : Image Contamination of Networked Bodies |author=Florian Jomain |website=Rietveldacademie.nl |access-date=6 February 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223162019/http://www.rietveldacademie.nl/files/download/Scriptieprijs/Florian_Jomain.pdf |archive-date=23 December 2015 }}</ref> This does not mean that only males perform ''animegao'' or that masks are only female.

=== Harassment issues ===
]
"Cosplay Is Not Consent", a movement started in 2013 by Rochelle Keyhan, Erin Filson, and Anna Kegler, brought attention to the issue of ] in the ] attending cosplay community.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.phillymag.com/news/2014/07/28/geeks-for-consent-comic-con-sexual-harassment/|title=Philly Women Battle Sexual Harassment at Comic-Con|date=28 July 2014|website=Philadelphia Magazine|language=en-US|access-date=28 January 2019|archive-date=29 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230429151100/https://www.phillymag.com/news/2014/07/28/geeks-for-consent-comic-con-sexual-harassment/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/news/a14976/geeks-for-consent/|title=Women Are Being Sexually Harassed at Comic-Con—but One of Them Is Making It Stop|last=Trageser|first=Claire|date=6 July 2015|website=Marie Claire|language=en-US|access-date=28 January 2019|archive-date=28 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528005111/https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/news/a14976/geeks-for-consent/|url-status=live}}</ref> Harassment of cosplayers include photography without permission, verbal abuse, touching, and groping. Harassment is not limited to women in provocative outfits as male cosplayers talked about being bullied for not fitting certain costume and characters.

Starting in 2014, ] placed large signs at the entrance stating that "Cosplay is Not Consent". Attendees were reminded to ask permission for photos and respect the person's right to say no.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mashable.com/2014/10/15/new-york-comic-con-harassment/|title=Cosplay Is Not Consent: The People Fighting Sexual Harassment at Comic Con|last=Romano|first=Andrea|website=Mashable|date=15 October 2014|language=en|access-date=28 January 2019|archive-date=25 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125205957/https://mashable.com/2014/10/15/new-york-comic-con-harassment/|url-status=live}}</ref> The movement against sexual harassment against cosplayers has continued to gain momentum and awareness since being publicized. Traditional mainstream news media like '']'' and '']'' have reported on the topic, bringing awareness of sexual harassment to those outside of the cosplay community.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/07/16/comic-con-2018-the-movement-to-protect-cosplayers-from-harassment-in-a-metoo-world/|title=Comic-Con 2018: The movement to protect cosplayers from harassment in a #MeToo world|date=16 July 2018|website=The Mercury News|language=en-US|access-date=28 January 2019|archive-date=30 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230630035608/https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/07/16/comic-con-2018-the-movement-to-protect-cosplayers-from-harassment-in-a-metoo-world/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/socal/weekend/news/tn-wknd-et-0712-cosplay-harassment-20150712-story.html|title=At comic cons, some jokers get away with harassment|last=Woolsey|first=Brittany|website=]|date=12 July 2015|access-date=28 January 2019|archive-date=28 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230428140446/https://www.latimes.com/socal/weekend/news/tn-wknd-et-0712-cosplay-harassment-20150712-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Ethnicity issues===
As cosplay has entered more mainstream media, ethnicity becomes a controversial point. Cosplayers of different skin color than the character are often ridiculed for not being 'accurate' or 'faithful'.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ore |first1=Jonathan |title='Cosplay is for everyone': How these cosplayers are combating online hate with reimagined looks |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/hong-kong-counter-protests-vasek-pospisil-cosplaying-while-black-ao3-gets-a-hugo-how-to-free-dive-and-more-1.5256258/cosplay-is-for-everyone-how-these-cosplayers-are-combating-online-hate-with-reimagined-looks-1.5256267 |website=CBC Radio |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=26 November 2019 |archive-date=27 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427144630/https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/hong-kong-counter-protests-vasek-pospisil-cosplaying-while-black-ao3-gets-a-hugo-how-to-free-dive-and-more-1.5256258/cosplay-is-for-everyone-how-these-cosplayers-are-combating-online-hate-with-reimagined-looks-1.5256267 |url-status=live }}</ref> Many cosplayers feel as if anyone can cosplay any character, but it becomes complicated when cosplayers are not respectful of the character's ethnicity.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Strapagiel |first1=Lauren |title=This Twitch Streamer Was Suspended For A Blackface Cosplay |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/laurenstrapagiel/twitch-karupups-suspended-blackface-cosplay-apex |website=Buzzfeed News |date=17 April 2019 |publisher=BuzzFeed |access-date=26 November 2019 |archive-date=24 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230524064344/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/laurenstrapagiel/twitch-karupups-suspended-blackface-cosplay-apex |url-status=live }}</ref> These views against non-white cosplayers within the community have been attributed to the lack of representation in the industry and in media.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Franklin |first=Emilyann |date=2022-11-21 |title=Discrimination In Cosplay Is Influenced By The Lack Of Representation In Media |url=https://seattlemedium.com/discrimination-in-cosplay-is-influenced-by-the-lack-of-representation-in-media/ |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=] |language=en-US |archive-date=17 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231017085629/https://seattlemedium.com/discrimination-in-cosplay-is-influenced-by-the-lack-of-representation-in-media/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Issues such as ], ], and ] are still controversial since a large part of the cosplay community see these as separate problems, or simply an acceptable part of cosplay.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}}

===Cosplay models===
{{See also|Promotional model}}
Cosplay has influenced the advertising industry, in which cosplayers are often used for event work previously assigned to agency models.<ref name=entertainmentscene360>{{cite web|url=http://www.entertainmentscene360.com/index.php/cosplay-models-real-life-japanime-characters-38228/ |title=Cosplay Models Real Life Japanime Characters by Cynthia Leigh |publisher=Entertainment Scene 360 |date=11 March 2007 |access-date=16 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517122218/http://www.entertainmentscene360.com/index.php/cosplay-models-real-life-japanime-characters-38228/ |archive-date=17 May 2014 }}</ref> Some cosplayers have thus transformed their hobby into profitable, professional careers.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cosplaynewsnetwork.com/fox-news-report-sexy-cosplayers-can-make-200000-a-year/|title=Fox News Report: Sexy Cosplayers Can Make $200,000 A Year|date=1 August 2017|work=Cosplay News Network|access-date=10 October 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=2 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230502123652/https://cosplaynewsnetwork.com/fox-news-report-sexy-cosplayers-can-make-200000-a-year/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="BollingSmith2014"/><ref>{{cite web |last=Lingle |first=Samuel |url=http://www.dailydot.com/entertainment/cosplay-crystal-graziano-costumes-red-5-studios/ |title=Costume designer turns play into work with cosplay |publisher=Dailydot.com |date=1 February 2012 |access-date=16 May 2014 |archive-date=3 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603173151/http://www.dailydot.com/entertainment/cosplay-crystal-graziano-costumes-red-5-studios/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Japan's entertainment industry has been home to the professional cosplayers since the rise of Comiket and ].<ref name=entertainmentscene360/> The phenomenon is most apparent in Japan but exists to some degree in other countries as well. Professional cosplayers who profit from their art may experience problems related to ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/14500-What-Does-A-Professional-Cosplayer-Do |title=What Does A Professional Cosplayer Do &#124; Cosplay Dossier &#124; The Escapist |website=Escapistmagazine.com |date=25 August 2015 |access-date=6 February 2016 |archive-date=6 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160206233752/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/14500-What-Does-A-Professional-Cosplayer-Do |url-status=dead }}</ref>

A cosplay model, also known as a cosplay idol, cosplays costumes for anime and manga or video game companies. Good cosplayers are viewed as fictional characters in the flesh, in much the same way that film actors come to be identified in the public mind with specific roles. Cosplayers have modeled for print magazines like ''Cosmode'' and a successful cosplay model can become the ] for companies like ]. Some cosplay models can achieve significant recognition. While there are many significant cosplay models, ] was described as having emerged "as a well-recognized figure both within and outside cosplay circuits".<ref name="BollingSmith2014">{{cite book|author1=Ben Bolling|author2=Matthew J. Smith|title=It Happens at Comic-Con: Ethnographic Essays on a Pop Culture Phenomenon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u7jPAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA36|date=12 February 2014|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-7694-7|page=36}}</ref> ], used her recognition in cosplay to gain other opportunities such as voice acting and her own documentary on ]. ] used her fanbase to take her cosplay from a hobby to a successful business venture, sparking debate through the cosplay community whether cosplayers should be allowed to fund and profit from their work.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nerdreactor.com/2013/05/30/is-fundraising-a-cosplay-outfit-wrong/ |title=Is fundraising a cosplay outfit wrong; Nerd Reactor |website=nerdreactor.com |date=30 May 2013 |access-date=8 May 2022 |archive-date=5 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221205112041/https://nerdreactor.com/2013/05/30/is-fundraising-a-cosplay-outfit-wrong/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://nerdreactor.com/2015/05/11/cosplayer-ani-mia-cosplay-crowdfund/ |title=Cosplayer Ani-Mia sheds light on the dark side of cosplay crowdfunding |website=nerdreactor.com |date=11 May 2015 |access-date=8 May 2022 |archive-date=5 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221205112151/https://nerdreactor.com/2015/05/11/cosplayer-ani-mia-cosplay-crowdfund/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In the 2000s, cosplayers started to push the boundaries of cosplay into eroticism paving the way to "erocosplay".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://kotaku.com/how-japanese-cosplay-is-moving-closer-to-porn-5844981 |title=How Japanese Cosplay Is Moving Closer to Porn |last=Ashcraft |first=Brian |date=2011-09-29 |website=] |publisher= |access-date=2023-01-20 |quote=During the late 1990s and around the turn of the century, with cosplay cafes popping up in Akihabara and with "image clubs" (places of prostitution where the girls dress up in outfits to create an "image") increasingly popular, erotic cosplayers began to take their initial steps. By around 2003 or 2004, cosplayers were wearing increasingly sexy outfits. The increase of skin seems to directly relate to both the explosion of the internet and the increase in quality of digital photography. |archive-date=13 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230813014633/https://kotaku.com/how-japanese-cosplay-is-moving-closer-to-porn-5844981 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2022/06/29/cosplay-onlyfans/ |title=51 Sexiest Cosplay Onlyfans Models You Need To See |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2022-06-29 |website=] |publisher= |access-date=2023-01-20 |quote=Apparently there’s a term for what these sexy full nude and explicit cosplayers are doing, and it’s called ‘erocosplay’, a fusion between the words Erotic and Cosplay we’re assuming. |archive-date=7 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607053706/https://www.villagevoice.com/2022/06/29/cosplay-onlyfans/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The advent of social media coupled with crowdfuding platforms like ] and ] have allowed cosplay models to turn cosplay into profitable full-time careers.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.insider.com/cosplayers-reaping-thousands-from-onlyfans-content-twitch-streams-and-merchandise-2021-9 |title=Cosplayers — once relegated to the niche world of comic conventions — have transformed themselves into brand influencers, and are raking in thousands, and sometimes millions, in the process |last=Teh |first=Cheryl |date=2021-10-01 |website=] |publisher= |access-date=2023-01-20 |quote= |archive-date=20 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240220054013/https://www.businessinsider.com/cosplayers-reaping-thousands-from-onlyfans-content-twitch-streams-and-merchandise-2021-9 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Cosplay by country or region==

===Cosplay in Japan===
]) which passes over the ] south of ], ], at the ] gate is a famous gathering place for cosplayers. Pictured, a group of people dressed as ] style musicians in 2006.]]
] in the ] exhibition area of the fanzine sale at ]]]
Cosplayers in Japan used to refer to themselves as {{Nihongo|''reiyā''|レイヤー||}}, pronounced "layer". Currently in Japan, cosplayers are more commonly called {{Nihongo|''kosupure''|コスプレ||}}, pronounced "ko-su-pray", as ''reiyā'' is more often used to describe layers (i.e. hair, clothes, etc.).<ref name="Japanese Dictionary"/> Words like cute (''kawaii'' (可愛い)) and cool (''kakko ī'' (かっこ いい)) were often used to describe these changes,{{explain|reason=what "changes"?|date=January 2021}} expressions that were tied with notions of femininity and masculinity.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Skov|first1=Lisa|title=Women, Media and Consumption in Japan|last2=Moeran|first2=Brian|publisher=University of Hawai'i Press|year=1995|location=Honolulu|pages=220–54}}</ref> Those who photograph players are called ''cameko'', short for ''camera kozō'' or ''camera boy''. Originally, the cameko gave prints of their photos to players as gifts. Increased interest in cosplay events, both on the part of photographers and cosplayers willing to model for them, has led to formalization of procedures at events such as Comiket. Photography takes place within a designated area removed from the exhibit hall. In Japan, costumes are generally not welcome outside of conventions or other designated areas.<ref name="Kincaid" /><ref name="Winge" />

Since 1998, Tokyo's ] district contains a number of ]s, catering to devoted anime and cosplay fans, where the waitresses at such cafés dress as video game or anime characters; ]s are particularly popular. In Japan, Tokyo's ] district is the favorite informal gathering place to engage in cosplay in public. Events in Akihabara also draw many cosplayers.

{{Nihongo|''Ishoku-hada''|異色肌||}} is a form of Japanese cosplay where the players use ] to make their skin color match that of the character they are playing. This allows them to represent ] or video game characters with non-human skin colors.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ashcraft|first1=Brian|title=Body Paint Makes For Colorful Japanese Fashion|url=https://kotaku.com/body-paint-makes-for-colorful-japanese-fashion-1796510000|access-date=27 December 2017|work=Kotaku|archive-date=24 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221024050857/https://kotaku.com/body-paint-makes-for-colorful-japanese-fashion-1796510000|url-status=live}}</ref>

A 2014 survey for the Comic Market convention in Japan noted that approximately 75% of cosplayers attending the event are female.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.comiket.co.jp/info-a/WhatIsEng201401.pdf|title=What is Comic Market? A presentation by the Comic Market Committee January, 2008|website=comiket.co.jp|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-date=28 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328063710/https://www.comiket.co.jp/info-a/WhatIsEng201401.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Cosplay in other Asian countries===
]'', at Toys & Comic Fair 2023 ], Indonesia]]
]'' cosplay of ] and ] from '']'' at 2nd ] Shuijing Guochao Games Carnival, 2023]]
Cosplay is common in many East Asian countries. For example, it is a major part of the ] conventions taking place regularly in South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://artanddeal.in/cms/?p=854|title=Art & Deal Magazine " Photo Essay|date=17 January 2013 |access-date=20 October 2014|archive-date=21 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721035251/http://artanddeal.in/cms/?p=854|url-status=live}}</ref> Historically, the practice of dressing up as characters from works of fiction can be traced as far as the 17th century late ] China.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gordsellar.com/2015/05/20/late-ming-cosplay/ |title=The Cosplayers of the Late Ming Dynasty |publisher=Gordsellar.com |date=20 May 2015 |access-date=4 June 2015 |archive-date=19 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230419162120/https://www.gordsellar.com/2015/05/20/late-ming-cosplay/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Cosplay in Western countries===
] (from ]'s '']'') and the ] (from Burton's '']'') at the 2013 London Comic Con. The two film characters are portrayed by ].]]
Western cosplay's origins are based primarily in science fiction and fantasy ]s. It is also more common for Western cosplayers to recreate characters from live-action series than it is for Japanese cosplayers. Western costumers also include subcultures of hobbyists who participate in ]s, ]s, and ]s. Competition at science fiction conventions typically include the masquerade (where costumes are presented on stage and judged formally) and hall costumes<ref>{{cite web |url=https://animesho.com/product-category/apparel-cosplay/cosplay/ |title=Costumes from Asia |date=October 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161031211813/https://animesho.com/product-category/apparel-cosplay/cosplay/ |archive-date=31 October 2016 }}{{cite web|url=http://1994.worldcon.org/depts/masquerade/info.html |title=ConAdian Masquerade rules |date=September 1994 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054747/http://1994.worldcon.org/depts/masquerade/info.html |archive-date=21 September 2013 }}</ref>

The increasing popularity of Japanese animation outside of Asia during the late 2000s led to an increase in American and other Western cosplayers who portray manga and anime characters. Anime conventions have become more numerous in the West in the previous decade, now competing with science fiction, comic book and historical conferences in attendance. At these gatherings, cosplayers, like their Japanese counterparts, meet to show off their work, be photographed, and compete in costume contests.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cosplaynewsnetwork.com/comic-con-cosplay/|title=Comic Con Cosplay {{!}} Why We Go To NYCC|date=26 September 2018|work=Cosplay News Network|access-date=10 October 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=15 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115183837/https://cosplaynewsnetwork.com/comic-con-cosplay/|url-status=live}}</ref> Convention attendees also just as often dress up as Western comic book or animated characters, or as characters from movies and video games.

Differences in taste still exist across cultures: some costumes that are worn without hesitation by Japanese cosplayers tend to be avoided by Western cosplayers, such as outfits that ]. Some Western cosplayers have also encountered questions of legitimacy when playing characters of canonically different racial backgrounds,<ref>{{cite web|title = Questions of Race and Cosplay|url = http://cosplay.kotaku.com/of-race-relations-doctor-who-and-cosplay-1569687290/1569955690|website = Kotaku Cosplay|access-date = 22 October 2015|language = en-US|archive-date = 22 December 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151222114036/http://cosplay.kotaku.com/of-race-relations-doctor-who-and-cosplay-1569687290/1569955690|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = The Controversy of Skin Color in Cosplay: Racism or Not?|url = http://du.uloop.com/news/view.php/58865/opinion-controversial-cosplayers-are-not-racist|website = Uloop|access-date = 22 October 2015|archive-date = 7 April 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210407232911/https://du.uloop.com/news/view.php/58865/opinion-controversial-cosplayers-are-not-racist|url-status = live}}</ref> and people can be insensitive to cosplayers playing as characters who are canonically of other skin color.<ref>{{cite web |author=T |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/14782-Ghostbusters-Cosplay-is-Great-Because-its-Normal |title=Ghostbusters Cosplay is Great Because its Normal &#124; Cosplay Dossier &#124; The Escapist |website=Escapistmagazine.com |date=13 October 2015 |access-date=6 February 2016 |archive-date=7 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160207002325/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/14782-Ghostbusters-Cosplay-is-Great-Because-its-Normal |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/15050-Five-Ways-of-Taking-The-Hurt-Out-of-Online-Cosplay-Haters |title=Five Ways of Taking The Hurt Out of Online Cosplay Haters &#124; Cosplay Dossier &#124; The Escapist |website=Escapistmagazine.com |date=24 November 2015 |access-date=6 February 2016 |archive-date=7 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160207000727/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/15050-Five-Ways-of-Taking-The-Hurt-Out-of-Online-Cosplay-Haters |url-status=dead }}</ref> Western cosplayers of anime characters may also be subjected to particular mockery.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/14365-Understanding-Anime-Cosplay |title=Understanding Anime Cosplay &#124; Cosplay Dossier &#124; The Escapist |website=Escapistmagazine.com |date=28 July 2015 |access-date=6 February 2016 |archive-date=7 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160207004312/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/14365-Understanding-Anime-Cosplay |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In contrast to Japan, the wearing of costumes in public is more accepted in the UK, Ireland, US, Canada and other western countries. These countries have a longer tradition of ] costumes, fan costuming and other such activities. As a result, for example, costumed convention attendees can often be seen at local restaurants and eateries, beyond the boundaries of the convention or event.<ref name="Kincaid" /><ref name="Winge" />

==Media==
{{Costume}}

===Magazines and books===
Japan is home to two especially popular cosplay magazines, '']'' (コスモード) and ]' ''Dengeki Layers'' (電撃Layers).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://layers.dengeki.com/ |title=AMW|アスキー・メディアワークス 公式ホームページ |publisher=Layers.dengeki.com |access-date=10 June 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616183121/http://layers.dengeki.com/ |archive-date=16 June 2012 }}</ref> ''Cosmode'' has the largest share in the market and an English-language digital edition.<ref name="A Costume & Style Magazine for the Eccentric - About COSMODE"/> Another magazine, aimed at a broader, worldwide audience is ''CosplayGen''.<ref name="Cosplay Gen"/> In the United States, ''Cosplay Culture'' began publication in February 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cosplayculture.com/ |title=Cosplay Culture |access-date=17 July 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721033045/http://www.cosplayculture.com/ |archive-date=21 July 2015 }}</ref> Other magazines include ''CosplayZine'' featuring cosplayers from all over the world since October 2015,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cosplayzine.com/|title=CosplayZine|access-date=20 October 2014|archive-date=10 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610104320/https://www.cosplayzine.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> and ''Cosplay Realm Magazine'' which was started in April 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cosplayrealmmagazine.com/|title=Cosplay Realm Magazine|access-date=17 November 2020|archive-date=28 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230628024616/https://www.cosplayrealmmagazine.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> There are many books on the subject of cosplay as well.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/cosplay |title=Popular Cosplay Books |website=Goodreads.com |date=13 May 2015 |access-date=6 February 2016 |archive-date=19 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230419162120/https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/cosplay |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Documentaries and reality shows===
*''Cosplay Encyclopedia'', a 1996 film about Japanese cosplay released by Japan Media Supply. It was released in subtitled VHS by Anime Works in 1999,<ref>{{cite web |author=ANIMEfringe |url=http://www.animefringe.com/magazine/00.03/reviews/cosplayenc.php3 |title=Reviews – CosPlay Encyclopedia |publisher=ANIMEfringe.com |access-date=10 June 2015 |archive-date=23 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423231433/http://www.animefringe.com/magazine/00.03/reviews/cosplayenc.php3 |url-status=live }}</ref> eventually being released onto DVD in 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4146036/|title=Cosplay Encyclopedia (2002)|date=7 March 2000|publisher=IMDb.com|access-date=10 June 2015|archive-date=3 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503150713/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4146036/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*'']'', a 2004 film about otaku subculture, features extensive footage of cosplayers.
*''Akihabara Geeks'', a 2005 Japanese short film.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2137700/|title=Nippon no genba: Akihabara toshinose no monogatari (2005)|date=27 December 2005|publisher=IMDb.com|access-date=10 June 2015|archive-date=28 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230428204555/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2137700/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*''Animania: The Documentary''<ref name="firefox"/> is a 2007 film that explores the cosplay cultural phenomenon in North America, following four cosplayers from various ethnicities as they prepare to compete at ], Canada's largest anime convention.
*''Conventional Dress'' is a short documentary about cosplay at ] made by Celia Pearce and her students in 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://vimeo.com/channels/64217 |title=Emergent Game Group on Vimeo |publisher=Vimeo.com |date=12 October 2009 |access-date=10 June 2015 |archive-date=28 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230428165510/https://vimeo.com/channels/64217 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*''Cosplayers: The Movie'', released in 2009 by Martell Brothers Studios for free viewing on ]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=sdW-Ov6cUaI |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/sdW-Ov6cUaI| archive-date=11 December 2021 |url-status=live|title=Cosplayers UK The Movie – (Full Length HD Movie) |publisher=YouTube.com |date=29 October 2014 |access-date=10 June 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and ],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.crunchyroll.com/cosplayers-the-movie |title=Cosplayers: The Movie Full episodes streaming online for free |publisher=Crunchyroll.com |access-date=10 June 2015 |archive-date=31 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831011529/https://www.crunchyroll.com/cosplayers-the-movie |url-status=live }}</ref> explores the anime subculture in North America with footage from anime conventions and interviews with fans, voice actors and artists.
*"I'm a Fanboy", a 2009 episode of the ] series '']'', focusing on fandom and cosplay.<ref name="animenewsnetwork"/>
*'']'', a 2011 ] series that featured an episode on cosplay and cosplayers from the perspective of an insider.
*'']'', a 2011 film about four attendees of San Diego Comic-Con, including a cosplayer.
*''America's Greatest Otaku'', a 2011 TV series where contenders included cosplayers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://americasgreatestotaku.com/page/about-americas-greatest-otaku |title=About America's Greatest Otaku – America's Greatest Otaku |publisher=Americasgreatestotaku.com |date=24 February 2011 |access-date=7 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213115620/http://americasgreatestotaku.com/page/about-americas-greatest-otaku |archive-date=13 December 2013 }}</ref>
*''Cosplayers UK: The Movie'', a 2011 film following a small selection of cosplayers at the London MCM Expo.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2139761/|title=Cosplayers UK: The Movie (2011)|date=30 October 2011|publisher=IMDb.com|access-date=10 June 2015|archive-date=27 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427145551/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2139761/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*''My Other Me: A Film About Cosplayers'', chronicling a year in the life of three different cosplayers: a veteran cosplayer who launched a career from cosplay, a young 14-year-old first-timer, and a transgender man who found himself through cosplay. It was released in 2013 and was a featured segment on '']''.<ref name="elecplay"/>
*'']'', a ] on cosplay that premiered in 2013 on the ] network. It follows nine cosplayers as they create their costumes, travel to conventions and compete in contests.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.syfy.com/heroesofcosplay |title=Heroes of Cosplay |publisher=Syfy |access-date=27 September 2013 |archive-date=4 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004224816/http://www.syfy.com/heroesofcosplay |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*"24 Hours With A Comic Con Character", a segment from ] following around a known cosplayer while she prepared for and attended ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://money.cnn.com/interactive/pf/24-hours-with-a-comicon-character/ |title=24 Hours With A Comic Con Character |publisher=CNN |access-date=22 October 2014 |archive-date=7 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607084728/https://money.cnn.com/interactive/pf/24-hours-with-a-comicon-character |url-status=live }}</ref>
*''WTF is Cosplay?'', a reality show that premiered in 2015 on the ] network. It follows six cosplayers throughout their day-to-day lives and what cosplay means to them.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.channel4.com/programmes/wtf-is-cosplay/episode-guide |title=WTF is Cosplay? |publisher=Channel 4 |access-date=16 July 2015 |archive-date=24 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171124152509/http://www.channel4.com/programmes/wtf-is-cosplay/episode-guide |url-status=live }}</ref>
*'']'', a competition ] that premiered in 2014 on ]. It is a cosplay design competition show where contestants were tasked to create a costumes based on theme and time constraints.
*'']'', a competition ] on cosplay that premiered in 2017 on the ] network.
*'','' a 90 minutes documentary that follows cosplayers during preparation and conventions in Canada, Japan and Romania. Includes a visit of Akihabara (Japan), a geek Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans and a historic overview explaining the origin of cosplay.

===Other media===
*'']'', a 2002 anime miniseries.
*'']'', a Japanese TV variety show that includes the Cosplay Bus Tour series segment.
*''Super Cosplay War Ultra'', a 2004 freeware fighting game.
*A large number of erotic and pornographic films featuring cosplaying actresses; many of such films come from the Japanese company ].<ref>{{cite web |author=Brian Ashcraft |url=http://kotaku.com/5902602/japanese-porn-is-overdosing-on-video-games-and-anime/ |title=Japanese Porn Is Overdosing on Video Games and Anime |date=17 April 2012 |publisher=Kotaku.com |access-date=16 June 2014 |archive-date=6 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140606113625/http://kotaku.com/5902602/japanese-porn-is-overdosing-on-video-games-and-anime/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Cosplay groups and organizations==
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==See also== ==See also==
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==External links== ==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=Notes}}
===Community sites===
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* (Also, the site gives the fans a heads up on the U.S acting career. And how they can make a name for themselves in the voice acting community).
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===Cosplayers=== ==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
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<ref name="What Would Godzilla Say?">{{cite news|last=Stuever|first=Hank|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/feed/a49427-2000feb14.htm|title=What Would Godzilla Say?|newspaper=]|date=14 February 2000|access-date=3 January 2008|archive-date=29 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929112032/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/feed/a49427-2000feb14.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="yeinjee">{{cite web |url=http://yeinjee.com/tag/nobuyuki-nov-takahashi/ |title=Nobuyuki (Nov) Takahashi " YeinJee's Asian Blog: The Origin of the word cosplay |publisher=Yeinjee.com |date=3 July 2008 |access-date=3 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120705013049/http://yeinjee.com/tag/nobuyuki-nov-takahashi/ |archive-date=5 July 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
<ref name="Cosplay Costumes at LoveToKnow Costumes">{{cite web |last=White |first=Sarah |url=http://costumes.lovetoknow.com/Cosplay_Costumes |title=Cosplay Costumes at LoveToKnow Costumes |publisher=Costumes.lovetoknow.com |access-date=3 October 2011 |archive-date=30 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070630034210/http://costumes.lovetoknow.com/Cosplay_Costumes |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="Japanese Circle Lens - A Secret Trick for Anime Cosplayers">{{cite web |author=Sharnea Morris |url=http://www.mookychick.co.uk/alternative-fashion/japanese-fashion-styles/japanese-circle-lens.php |title=Japanese Circle Lens – A Secret Trick for Anime Cosplayers |publisher=mookychick.co.uk |date=26 March 2009 |access-date=3 January 2012 |archive-date=10 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510163506/http://www.mookychick.co.uk/alternative-fashion/japanese-fashion-styles/japanese-circle-lens.php |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="retrieved">Benesh-Liu, P. (October 2007). ANIME COSPLAY IN AMERICA. Ornament, 31(1), 44–49. Retrieved 12 October 2008, from Academic Search Complete database.</ref>
<ref name="Japanese Dictionary">{{cite web|last=Breen|first=Jim|title=Japanese Dictionary|url=http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi-bin/wwwjdic.cgi?1C|access-date=1 January 2012|location=(search for "cosplay" in English or "reiyā" in romangi)|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103191356/http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi-bin/wwwjdic.cgi?1C|archive-date=3 January 2015}}</ref>
<ref name="A Costume & Style Magazine for the Eccentric - About COSMODE">{{cite web|url=http://www.cosmodeonline.com/blog/about/ |title=A Costume & Style Magazine for the Eccentric – About COSMODE |publisher=COSMODE Online |access-date=3 October 2011 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003140622/http://www.cosmodeonline.com/blog/about/ |archive-date=3 October 2011 }}</ref>
<ref name="Cosplay Gen">{{cite web |url=http://www.cosplaygen.com/ |title=Cosplay Gen |publisher=Cosplay Gen |access-date=3 October 2011 |archive-date=27 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230627082247/https://www.cosplaygen.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="firefox">{{cite web|author=Published |url=http://firefox.org/news/articles/1349/1/Canadian-showing-of-quotAnimaniaquot-documentary-about-anime-phenomenon/Page1.html |title=Canadian showing of "Animania" documentary about anime phenomenon |publisher=Firefox.org |date=29 March 2008 |access-date=21 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304121748/http://firefox.org/news/articles/1349/1/Canadian-showing-of-quotAnimaniaquot-documentary-about-anime-phenomenon/Page1.html |archive-date=4 March 2016 }}</ref>
<ref name="animenewsnetwork">{{cite news |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2008-11-18/anime-expo-and-mtv-cast-for-true-life |title=Anime Expo® and MTV Cast for True Life |work=Anime News Network |access-date=3 October 2011 |archive-date=13 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231013055616/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2008-11-18/anime-expo-and-mtv-cast-for-true-life |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="elecplay">{{cite web |url=http://www.elecplay.com/all/my-other-me-a-film-about-cosplayers/ |title=News: My Other Me: A Film About Cosplayers |publisher=Elecplay.com |access-date=6 November 2012 |archive-date=8 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111108233553/http://www.elecplay.com/all/my-other-me-a-film-about-cosplayers/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="worldcosplaysummit">{{cite web |url=http://www.worldcosplaysummit.jp/en/about/craftsmanship_judging_regulations.html |title=World Cosplay Summit Championship Craftsmanship judging regulations |publisher=World Cosplay Summit |access-date=12 October 2016 |archive-date=12 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012183704/http://www.worldcosplaysummit.jp/en/about/craftsmanship_judging_regulations.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
<ref name="cypruscomiccon">{{cite web |url=http://cypruscomiccon.org/cosplay-contest-judging-criteria/ |title=COSPLAY CONTEST JUDGING CRITERIA |date=28 August 2015 |publisher=Cyprus Comic Con |access-date=12 October 2016 |archive-date=27 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327132618/https://cypruscomiccon.org/cosplay-contest-judging-criteria/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="replayfx">{{cite web |url=http://replayfx.org/competitions/cosplay/cosplay-contest-rules/ |title=ReplayFX Cosplay Contest |publisher=Replay FX |access-date=12 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012230750/http://replayfx.org/competitions/cosplay/cosplay-contest-rules/ |archive-date=12 October 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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Latest revision as of 07:55, 22 December 2024

Type of performance art

Cosplayers at Yukicon 2014, a fan convention in Finland
Three cosplayers at the Comic Con in Long Beach 2014, representing a Star Trek character, the superheroine Wonder Woman (DC Universe) and supervillain Loki (Marvel Universe)

Cosplay, a blend word of "costume play", is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture, and a broader use of the term "cosplay" applies to any costumed role-playing in venues apart from the stage. Any entity that lends itself to dramatic interpretation may be taken up as a subject. Favorite sources include anime, cartoons, comic books, manga, television series, rock music performances, video games and in some cases, original characters.

Cosplay grew out of the practice of fan costuming at science fiction conventions, beginning with Morojo's "futuristicostumes" created for the 1st World Science Fiction Convention held in New York City in 1939. The Japanese term "cosplay" (コスプレ, kosupure) was coined in 1984. A rapid growth in the number of people cosplaying as a hobby since the 1990s has made the phenomenon a significant aspect of popular culture in Japan, as well as in other parts of East Asia and in the Western world. Cosplay events are common features of fan conventions, and today there are many dedicated conventions and competitions, as well as social networks, websites, and other forms of media centered on cosplay activities. Cosplay is very popular among all genders, and it is not unusual to see crossplay, also referred to as gender-bending.

Etymology

The term "cosplay" is a Japanese blend word of the English terms costume and play. The term was coined by Nobuyuki Takahashi [ja] of Studio Hard after he attended the 1984 World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) in Los Angeles and saw costumed fans, which he later wrote about in an article for the Japanese magazine My Anime [ja]. Takahashi decided to coin a new word rather than use the existing translation of the English term "masquerade" because that translates into Japanese as "an aristocratic costume party", which did not match his experience of the Worldcon. The coinage reflects a common Japanese method of abbreviation in which the first two moras of a pair of words are used to form an independent compound: 'costume' becomes kosu (コス) and 'play' becomes pure (プレ).

History

Pre-20th century

Main articles: Masquerade ball, Halloween, and Costume party

Masquerade balls were a feature of the Carnival season in the 15th century, and involved increasingly elaborate allegorical Royal Entries, pageants, and triumphal processions celebrating marriages and other dynastic events of late medieval court life. They were extended into costumed public festivities in Italy during the 16th century Renaissance, generally elaborate dances held for members of the upper classes, which were particularly popular in Venice.

In April 1877, Jules Verne sent out almost 700 invitations for an elaborate costume ball, where several of the guests showed up dressed as characters from Verne's novels.

Costume parties (American English) or fancy dress parties (British English) were popular from the 19th century onwards. Costuming guides of the period, such as Samuel Miller's Male Character Costumes (1884) or Ardern Holt's Fancy Dresses Described (1887), feature mostly generic costumes, whether that be period costumes, national costumes, objects or abstract concepts such as "Autumn" or "Night". Most specific costumes described therein are for historical figures although some are sourced from fiction, like The Three Musketeers or Shakespeare characters.

By March 1891, a literal call by one Herbert Tibbits for what would today be described as "cosplayers" was advertised for an event held from 5–10 March that year at the Royal Albert Hall in London, for the so-named Vril-Ya Bazaar and Fete based on a science fiction novel and its characters, published two decades earlier.

Fan costuming

A Mr. Skygack – an early modern costuming or cosplay outfit, Washington state, 1912

A.D. Condo's science fiction comic strip character Mr. Skygack, from Mars (a Martian ethnographer who comically misunderstands many Earthly affairs) is arguably the first fictional character that people emulated by wearing costumes, as in 1908 Mr. and Mrs. William Fell of Cincinnati, Ohio, are reported to have attended a masquerade at a skating rink wearing Mr. Skygack and Miss Dillpickles costumes. Later, in 1910, an unnamed woman won first prize at masquerade ball in Tacoma, Washington, wearing another Skygack costume.

The first people to wear costumes to attend a convention were science fiction fans Forrest J Ackerman and Myrtle R. Douglas, known in fandom as Morojo. They attended the 1939 1st World Science Fiction Convention (Nycon or 1st Worldcon) in the Caravan Hall, New York, US dressed in "futuristicostumes", including green cape and breeches, based on the pulp magazine artwork of Frank R. Paul and the 1936 film Things to Come, designed and created by Douglas.

Forrest J Ackerman and Morojo at the 1st World Science Fiction Convention in "futuricostumes" designed and sewn by Morojo

Ackerman later stated that he thought everyone was supposed to wear a costume at a science fiction convention, although only he and Douglas did.

Fan costuming caught on, however, and the 2nd Worldcon (1940) had both an unofficial masquerade held in Douglas' room and an official masquerade as part of the programme. David Kyle won the masquerade wearing a Ming the Merciless costume created by Leslie Perri, while Robert A. W. Lowndes received second place with a Bar Senestro costume (from the novel The Blind Spot by Austin Hall and Homer Eon Flint). Other costumed attendees included guest of honor E. E. Smith as Northwest Smith (from C. L. Moore's series of short stories) and both Ackerman and Douglas wearing their futuristicostumes again. Masquerades and costume balls continued to be part of World Science Fiction Convention tradition thereafter. Early Worldcon masquerade balls featured a band, dancing, food and drinks. Contestants either walked across a stage or a cleared area of the dance floor.

Ackerman wore a "Hunchbackerman of Notre Dame" costume to the 3rd Worldcon (1941), which included a mask designed and created by Ray Harryhausen, but soon stopped wearing costumes to conventions. Douglas wore an Akka costume (from A. Merritt's novel The Moon Pool), the mask again made by Harryhausen, to the 3rd Worldcon and a Snake Mother costume (another Merritt costume, from The Snake Mother) to the 4th Worldcon (1946). Terminology was yet unsettled; the 1944 edition of Jack Speer's Fancyclopedia used the term costume party.

Photograph of five people standing together in costume
Costuming at the 1982 San Diego Comic-Con

Rules governing costumes became established in response to specific costumes and costuming trends. The first nude contestant at a Worldcon masquerade was in 1952; but the height of this trend was in the 1970s and early 1980s, with a few every year. This eventually led to "No Costume is No Costume" rule, which banned full nudity, although partial nudity was still allowed as long as it was a legitimate representation of the character. Mike Resnick describes the best of the nude costumes as Kris Lundi wearing a harpy costume to the 32nd Worldcon (1974) (she received an honorable mention in the competition). Another costume that instigated a rule change was an attendee at the 20th Worldcon (1962) whose blaster prop fired a jet of real flame; which led to fire being banned. At the 30th WorldCon (1972), artist Scott Shaw wore a costume composed largely of peanut butter to represent his own underground comix character called "The Turd". The peanut butter rubbed off, doing damage to soft furnishings and other peoples' costumes, and then began to go rancid under the heat of the lighting. Food, odious, and messy substances were banned as costume elements after that event.

Costuming spread with the science fiction conventions and the interaction of fandom. The earliest known instance of costuming at a convention in the United Kingdom was at the London Science Fiction Convention (1953) but this was only as part of a play. However, members of the Liverpool Science Fantasy Society attended the 1st Cytricon (1955), in Kettering, wearing costumes and continued to do so in subsequent years. The 15th Worldcon (1957) brought the first official convention masquerade to the UK. The 1960 Eastercon in London may have been the first British-based convention to hold an official fancy dress party as part of its programme. The joint winners were Ethel Lindsay and Ina Shorrock as two of the titular witches from the novel The Witches of Karres by James H. Schmitz.

Star Trek conventions began in 1969 and major conventions began in 1972 and they have featured cosplay throughout.

In Japan, costuming at conventions was a fan activity from at least the 1970s, especially after the launch of the Comiket convention in December 1975. Costuming at this time was known as kasō (仮装). The first documented case of costuming at a fan event in Japan was at Ashinocon (1978), in Hakone, at which future science fiction critic Mari Kotani wore a costume based on the cover art for Edgar Rice Burroughs' novel A Fighting Man of Mars. In an interview Kotani states that there were about twenty costumed attendees at the convention's costume party—made up of members of her Triton of the Sea fan club and Kansai Entertainers (関西芸人, Kansai Geinin), antecedent of the Gainax anime studio—with most attendees in ordinary clothing. One of the Kansai group, an unnamed friend of Yasuhiro Takeda, wore an impromptu Tusken Raider costume (from the film Star Wars) made from one of the host-hotel's rolls of toilet paper. Costume contests became a permanent part of the Nihon SF Taikai conventions from Tokon VII in 1980.

Possibly the first costume contest held at a comic book convention was at the 1st Academy Con held at Broadway Central Hotel in New York in August 1965. Roy Thomas, future editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics but then just transitioning from a fanzine editor to a professional comic book writer, attended in a Plastic Man costume.

The first Masquerade Ball held at San Diego Comic-Con was in 1974 during the convention's 6th event. Voice actress June Foray was the master of ceremonies. Future scream queen Brinke Stevens won first place wearing a Vampirella costume. Ackerman (who was the creator of Vampirella) was in attendance and posed with Stevens for photographs. They became friends and, according to Stevens "Forry and his wife, Wendayne, soon became like my god parents." Photographer Dan Golden saw a photograph of Stevens in the Vampirella costume while visiting Ackerman's house, leading to him hiring her for a non-speaking role in her first student film, Zyzak is King (1980), and later photographing her for the cover of the first issue of Femme Fatales (1992). Stevens attributes these events to launching her acting career.

As early as a year after the 1975 release of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, audience members began dressing as characters from the movie and role-playing (although the initial incentive for dressing-up was free admission) in often highly accurate costumes.

Costume-Con, a conference dedicated to costuming, was first held in January 1983. The International Costumers Guild, Inc., originally known as the Greater Columbia Fantasy Costumer's Guild, was launched after the 3rd Costume-Con (1985) as a parent organization and to support costuming.

Cosplay

Madoka Kaname and Kyubey from Puella Magi Madoka Magica during Tracon 2013 event at the Tampere Hall in Tampere, Finland

Costuming had been a fan activity in Japan from the 1970s, and it became much more popular in the wake of Takahashi's report. The new term did not catch on immediately, however. It was a year or two after the article was published before it was in common use among fans at conventions. It was in the 1990s, after exposure on television and in magazines, that the term and practice of cosplaying became common knowledge in Japan.

The first cosplay cafés appeared in the Akihabara area of Tokyo in the late 1990s. A temporary maid café was set up at the Tokyo Character Collection event in August 1998 to promote the video game Welcome to Pia Carrot 2 (1997). An occasional Pia Carrot Restaurant was held at the shop Gamers in Akihabara in the years up to 2000. Being linked to specific intellectual properties limited the lifespan of these cafés, which was solved by using generic maids, leading to the first permanent establishment, Cure Maid Café, which opened in March 2001.

The first World Cosplay Summit was held on 12 October 2003 at the Rose Court Hotel in Nagoya, Japan, with five cosplayers invited from Germany, France and Italy. There was no contest until 2005, when the World Cosplay Championship began. The first winners were the Italian team of Giorgia Vecchini [it], Francesca Dani and Emilia Fata Livia.

Worldcon masquerade attendance peaked in the 1980s and started to fall thereafter. This trend was reversed when the concept of cosplay was re-imported from Japan.

Practice of cosplay

Cosplay costumes vary greatly and can range from simple themed clothing to highly detailed costumes. It is generally considered different from Halloween and Mardi Gras costume wear, as the intention is to replicate a specific character, rather than to reflect the culture and symbolism of a holiday event. As such, when in costume, some cosplayers often seek to adopt the affect, mannerisms, and body language of the characters they portray (with "out of character" breaks). The characters chosen to be cosplayed may be sourced from any movie, TV series, book, comic book, video game, music band, anime, or manga. Some cosplayers even choose to cosplay an original character of their own design or a fusion of different genres (e.g., a steampunk version of a character), and it is a part of the ethos of cosplay that anybody can be anything, as with genderbending, crossplay, or drag, a cosplayer playing a character of another ethnicity, or a hijabi portraying Captain America.

Costumes

Cosplayer of Aya Shameimaru from Touhou Project at the Hakurei Shrine Reitaisai in Taiwan 3, 2019
A model cosplaying Ciri, a main character of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Monogatari series cosplayers at Nippombashi Street Festa 2014

Cosplayers obtain their apparel through many different methods. Manufacturers produce and sell packaged outfits for use in cosplay, with varying levels of quality. These costumes are often sold online, but also can be purchased from dealers at conventions. Japanese manufacturers of cosplay costumes reported a profit of 35 billion yen in 2008. A number of individuals also work on commission, creating custom costumes, props, or wigs designed and fitted to the individual. Other cosplayers, who prefer to create their own costumes, still provide a market for individual elements, and various raw materials, such as unstyled wigs, hair dye, cloth and sewing notions, liquid latex, body paint, costume jewelry, and prop weapons.

Cosplay represents an act of embodiment. Cosplay has been closely linked to the presentation of self, yet cosplayers' ability to perform is limited by their physical features. The accuracy of a cosplay is judged based on the ability to accurately represent a character through the body, and individual cosplayers frequently are faced by their own "bodily limits" such as level of attractiveness, body size, and disability that often restrict and confine how accurate the cosplay is perceived to be. Authenticity is measured by a cosplayer's individual ability to translate on-screen manifestation to the cosplay itself. Some have argued that cosplay can never be a true representation of the character; instead, it can only be read through the body, and that true embodiment of a character is judged based on nearness to the original character form. Cosplaying can also help some of those with self-esteem problems.

Many cosplayers create their own outfits, referencing images of the characters in the process. In the creation of the outfits, much time is given to detail and qualities, thus the skill of a cosplayer may be measured by how difficult the details of the outfit are and how well they have been replicated. Because of the difficulty of replicating some details and materials, cosplayers often educate themselves in crafting specialties such as textiles, sculpture, face paint, fiberglass, fashion design, woodworking, and other uses of materials in the effort to render the look and texture of a costume accurately. Cosplayers often wear wigs in conjunction with their outfit to further improve the resemblance to the character. This is especially necessary for anime and manga or video-game characters who often have unnaturally colored and uniquely styled hair. Simpler outfits may be compensated for their lack of complexity by paying attention to material choice and overall high quality.

To look more like the characters they are portraying, cosplayers might also engage in various forms of body modification. Cosplayers may opt to change their skin color utilizing make-up to more simulate the race of the character they are adopting. Contact lenses that match the color of their character's eyes are a common form of this, especially in the case of characters with particularly unique eyes as part of their trademark look. Contact lenses that make the pupil look enlarged to visually echo the large eyes of anime and manga characters are also used. Another form of body modification in which cosplayers engage is to copy any tattoos or special markings their character might have. Temporary tattoos, permanent marker, body paint, and in rare cases, permanent tattoos, are all methods used by cosplayers to achieve the desired look. Permanent and temporary hair dye, spray-in hair coloring, and specialized extreme styling products are all used by some cosplayers whose natural hair can achieve the desired hairstyle. It is also commonplace for them to shave off their eyebrows to gain a more accurate look.

Some anime and video game characters have weapons or other accessories that are hard to replicate, and conventions have strict rules regarding those weapons, but most cosplayers engage in some combination of methods to obtain all the items necessary for their costumes; for example, they may commission a prop weapon, sew their own clothing, buy character jewelry from a cosplay accessory manufacturer, or buy a pair of off-the-rack shoes, and modify them to match the desired look.

Presentation

The four voice actresses of the Japanese manga/media franchise Milky Holmes reenacting the famous cover of the Beatles album Abbey Road (1969) during their London visit in 2010
In 2011, four cosplayers imitate the above scene (a meme) during the Manga convention Paris Manga 2012 at a zebra crossing in Paris.

Cosplay may be presented in a number of ways and places. A subset of cosplay culture is centered on sex appeal, with cosplayers specifically choosing characters known for their attractiveness or revealing costumes. However, wearing a revealing costume can be a sensitive issue while appearing in public. People appearing naked at American science fiction fandom conventions during the 1970s were so common, a "no costume is no costume" rule was introduced. Some conventions throughout the United States, such as Phoenix Comicon (now known as Phoenix Fan Fusion) and Penny Arcade Expo, have also issued rules upon which they reserve the right to ask attendees to leave or change their costumes if deemed to be inappropriate to a family-friendly environment or something of a similar nature.

Conventions

A crowd including many cosplayers at Comiket 84 in 2013

The most popular form of presenting a cosplay publicly is by wearing it to a fan convention. Multiple conventions dedicated to anime and manga, comics, TV shows, video games, science fiction, and fantasy may be found all around the world. Cosplay-centered conventions include Cosplay Mania in the Philippines and EOY Cosplay Festival in Singapore.

The single largest event featuring cosplay is the semiannual doujinshi market, Comic Market (Comiket), held in Japan during summer and winter. Comiket attracts hundreds of thousands of manga and anime fans, where thousands of cosplayers congregate on the roof of the exhibition center. In North America, the highest-attended fan conventions featuring cosplayers are San Diego Comic-Con and New York Comic Con held in the United States, and the anime-specific Anime North in Toronto, Otakon held in Washington, D.C. and Anime Expo held in Los Angeles. Europe's largest event is Japan Expo held in Paris, while the London MCM Expo and the London Super Comic Convention are the most notable in the UK. Supanova Pop Culture Expo is Australia's biggest event.

Star Trek conventions have featured cosplay for many decades. These include Destination Star Trek, a UK convention, and Star Trek Las Vegas, a US convention.

In different comic fairs, "Thematic Areas" are set up where cosplayers can take photos in an environment that follows that of the game or animation product from which they are taken. Sometimes the cosplayers are part of the area, playing the role of staff with the task of entertaining the other visitors. Some examples are the thematic areas dedicated to Star Wars or to Fallout. The areas are set up by not for profit associations of fans, but in some major fairs it is possible to visit areas set up directly by the developers of the video games or the producers of the anime.

Photography

Professional photographers working with Mileena cosplayer for a chroma key studio photoshoot at Space City Con 2014 in the United States

The appearance of cosplayers at public events makes them a popular draw for photographers. As this became apparent in the late 1980s, a new variant of cosplay developed in which cosplayers attended events mainly for the purpose of modeling their characters for still photography rather than engaging in continuous role play. Rules of etiquette were developed to minimize awkward situations involving boundaries. Cosplayers pose for photographers and photographers do not press them for personal contact information or private sessions, follow them out of the area, or take photos without permission. The rules allow the collaborative relationship between photographers and cosplayers to continue with the least inconvenience to each other.

Some cosplayers choose to have a professional photographer take high quality images of them in their costumes posing as the character. Cosplayers and photographers frequently exhibit their work online and sometimes sell their images.

Competitions

A cosplayer at the 2011 Animation-Comic-Game Hong Kong contest dressed as a character from Gantz

As the popularity of cosplay has grown, many conventions have come to feature a contest surrounding cosplay that may be the main feature of the convention. Contestants present their cosplay, and often to be judged for an award, the cosplay must be self-made. The contestants may choose to perform a skit, which may consist of a short performed script or dance with optional accompanying audio, video, or images shown on a screen overhead. Other contestants may simply choose to pose as their characters. Often, contestants are briefly interviewed on stage by a master of ceremonies. The audience is given a chance to take photos of the cosplayers. Cosplayers may compete solo or in a group. Awards are presented, and these awards may vary greatly. Generally, a best cosplayer award, a best group award, and runner-up prizes are given. Awards may also go to the best skit and a number of cosplay skill subcategories, such as master tailor, master weapon-maker, master armorer, and so forth.

The most well-known cosplay contest event is the World Cosplay Summit, selecting cosplayers from 40 countries to compete in the final round in Nagoya, Japan. Some other international events include European Cosplay Gathering (finals taking place at Japan Expo in Paris), EuroCosplay (finals taking place at London MCM Comic Con), and the Nordic Cosplay Championship (finals taking place at NärCon in Linköping, Sweden).

Common cosplay judging criteria

This table contains a list of the most common cosplay competition judging criteria, as seen from World Cosplay Summit, Cyprus Comic Con, and ReplayFX.

Criteria Description Example
Accuracy Resemblance to the original character in terms of appearance.
  • Hair color/styling
  • Make-up
  • Costume
  • Props
  • Stage props
Craftsmanship Quality and details of the costume and props.
  • How well the costume is made
  • Maneuverability/functionality of the costume
  • Quality of materials
  • Level of detail
  • Amount of effort
  • Percentage of costume that is handmade
  • Technique
Presentation Likeliness in terms of character portrayal and performance.
  • Acting
  • Posture
  • Movement
  • Talking with iconic phrases and tones of the character
  • Facial expressions
  • Interaction with other characters
  • Faithfulness to the story
Audience Impact Stage presence and connection with the audience.
  • Eye contact
  • Making full usage of the stage space
  • Engaging with the audience

Gender issues

Portraying a character of the opposite sex is called crossplay. The practicality of crossplay and cross-dress stems in part from the abundance in manga of male characters with delicate and somewhat androgynous features. Such characters, known as bishōnen (lit. "pretty boy"), are Asian equivalent of the elfin boy archetype represented in Western tradition by figures such as Peter Pan and Ariel.

Aria H. Kanzaki from Aria the Scarlet Ammo by a crossplayer from New Zealand

Male to female cosplayers may experience issues when trying to portray a female character because it is hard to maintain the sexualized femininity of a character. Male cosplayers may also be subjected to discrimination, including homophobic comments and being touched without permission. This affects men possibly even more often than it affects women, despite inappropriate contact already being a problem for women who cosplay, as is "slut-shaming".

Animegao kigurumi players, a niche group in the realm of cosplay, are often male cosplayers who use zentai and stylized masks to represent female anime characters. These cosplayers completely hide their real features so the original appearance of their characters may be reproduced as literally as possible, and to display all the abstractions and stylizations such as oversized eyes and tiny mouths often seen in Japanese cartoon art. This does not mean that only males perform animegao or that masks are only female.

Harassment issues

Tall black standing sign with the phrase "Cosplay Is Not Consent" in large lettering, alongside New York Comic Con branding and further explanatory text in smaller lettering.
"Cosplay Is Not Consent" sign at the 2014 New York Comic Con

"Cosplay Is Not Consent", a movement started in 2013 by Rochelle Keyhan, Erin Filson, and Anna Kegler, brought attention to the issue of sexual harassment in the convention attending cosplay community. Harassment of cosplayers include photography without permission, verbal abuse, touching, and groping. Harassment is not limited to women in provocative outfits as male cosplayers talked about being bullied for not fitting certain costume and characters.

Starting in 2014, New York Comic Con placed large signs at the entrance stating that "Cosplay is Not Consent". Attendees were reminded to ask permission for photos and respect the person's right to say no. The movement against sexual harassment against cosplayers has continued to gain momentum and awareness since being publicized. Traditional mainstream news media like The Mercury News and Los Angeles Times have reported on the topic, bringing awareness of sexual harassment to those outside of the cosplay community.

Ethnicity issues

As cosplay has entered more mainstream media, ethnicity becomes a controversial point. Cosplayers of different skin color than the character are often ridiculed for not being 'accurate' or 'faithful'. Many cosplayers feel as if anyone can cosplay any character, but it becomes complicated when cosplayers are not respectful of the character's ethnicity. These views against non-white cosplayers within the community have been attributed to the lack of representation in the industry and in media. Issues such as blackface, brownface, and yellowface are still controversial since a large part of the cosplay community see these as separate problems, or simply an acceptable part of cosplay.

Cosplay models

See also: Promotional model

Cosplay has influenced the advertising industry, in which cosplayers are often used for event work previously assigned to agency models. Some cosplayers have thus transformed their hobby into profitable, professional careers. Japan's entertainment industry has been home to the professional cosplayers since the rise of Comiket and Tokyo Game Show. The phenomenon is most apparent in Japan but exists to some degree in other countries as well. Professional cosplayers who profit from their art may experience problems related to copyright infringement.

A cosplay model, also known as a cosplay idol, cosplays costumes for anime and manga or video game companies. Good cosplayers are viewed as fictional characters in the flesh, in much the same way that film actors come to be identified in the public mind with specific roles. Cosplayers have modeled for print magazines like Cosmode and a successful cosplay model can become the brand ambassador for companies like Cospa. Some cosplay models can achieve significant recognition. While there are many significant cosplay models, Yaya Han was described as having emerged "as a well-recognized figure both within and outside cosplay circuits". Jessica Nigri, used her recognition in cosplay to gain other opportunities such as voice acting and her own documentary on Rooster Teeth. Liz Katz used her fanbase to take her cosplay from a hobby to a successful business venture, sparking debate through the cosplay community whether cosplayers should be allowed to fund and profit from their work.

In the 2000s, cosplayers started to push the boundaries of cosplay into eroticism paving the way to "erocosplay". The advent of social media coupled with crowdfuding platforms like Patreon and OnlyFans have allowed cosplay models to turn cosplay into profitable full-time careers.

Cosplay by country or region

Cosplay in Japan

The Jingūbashi (Jingu Bridge) which passes over the Yamanote Line south of Harajuku Station, Tokyo, at the Meiji Shrine gate is a famous gathering place for cosplayers. Pictured, a group of people dressed as visual kei style musicians in 2006.
Women cosplaying as Girls und Panzer in the itasha exhibition area of the fanzine sale at Tokyo Big Sight

Cosplayers in Japan used to refer to themselves as reiyā (レイヤー), pronounced "layer". Currently in Japan, cosplayers are more commonly called kosupure (コスプレ), pronounced "ko-su-pray", as reiyā is more often used to describe layers (i.e. hair, clothes, etc.). Words like cute (kawaii (可愛い)) and cool (kakko ī (かっこ いい)) were often used to describe these changes, expressions that were tied with notions of femininity and masculinity. Those who photograph players are called cameko, short for camera kozō or camera boy. Originally, the cameko gave prints of their photos to players as gifts. Increased interest in cosplay events, both on the part of photographers and cosplayers willing to model for them, has led to formalization of procedures at events such as Comiket. Photography takes place within a designated area removed from the exhibit hall. In Japan, costumes are generally not welcome outside of conventions or other designated areas.

Since 1998, Tokyo's Akihabara district contains a number of cosplay restaurants, catering to devoted anime and cosplay fans, where the waitresses at such cafés dress as video game or anime characters; maid cafés are particularly popular. In Japan, Tokyo's Harajuku district is the favorite informal gathering place to engage in cosplay in public. Events in Akihabara also draw many cosplayers.

Ishoku-hada (異色肌) is a form of Japanese cosplay where the players use body paint to make their skin color match that of the character they are playing. This allows them to represent anime or video game characters with non-human skin colors.

A 2014 survey for the Comic Market convention in Japan noted that approximately 75% of cosplayers attending the event are female.

Cosplay in other Asian countries

Bronya Zaychik, one of the main protagonists of Honkai Impact 3rd, at Toys & Comic Fair 2023 Jakarta, Indonesia
Yuri cosplay of Raiden Ei and Yae Miko from Genshin Impact at 2nd Nanjing Shuijing Guochao Games Carnival, 2023

Cosplay is common in many East Asian countries. For example, it is a major part of the Comic World conventions taking place regularly in South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Historically, the practice of dressing up as characters from works of fiction can be traced as far as the 17th century late Ming dynasty China.

Cosplay in Western countries

Willy Wonka (from Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and the Mad Hatter (from Burton's Alice in Wonderland) at the 2013 London Comic Con. The two film characters are portrayed by Johnny Depp.

Western cosplay's origins are based primarily in science fiction and fantasy fandoms. It is also more common for Western cosplayers to recreate characters from live-action series than it is for Japanese cosplayers. Western costumers also include subcultures of hobbyists who participate in Renaissance faires, live action role-playing games, and historical reenactments. Competition at science fiction conventions typically include the masquerade (where costumes are presented on stage and judged formally) and hall costumes

The increasing popularity of Japanese animation outside of Asia during the late 2000s led to an increase in American and other Western cosplayers who portray manga and anime characters. Anime conventions have become more numerous in the West in the previous decade, now competing with science fiction, comic book and historical conferences in attendance. At these gatherings, cosplayers, like their Japanese counterparts, meet to show off their work, be photographed, and compete in costume contests. Convention attendees also just as often dress up as Western comic book or animated characters, or as characters from movies and video games.

Differences in taste still exist across cultures: some costumes that are worn without hesitation by Japanese cosplayers tend to be avoided by Western cosplayers, such as outfits that evoke Nazi uniforms. Some Western cosplayers have also encountered questions of legitimacy when playing characters of canonically different racial backgrounds, and people can be insensitive to cosplayers playing as characters who are canonically of other skin color. Western cosplayers of anime characters may also be subjected to particular mockery.

In contrast to Japan, the wearing of costumes in public is more accepted in the UK, Ireland, US, Canada and other western countries. These countries have a longer tradition of Halloween costumes, fan costuming and other such activities. As a result, for example, costumed convention attendees can often be seen at local restaurants and eateries, beyond the boundaries of the convention or event.

Media

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Costume
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Design
Elements and methods
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Organizations
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People
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Magazines and books

Japan is home to two especially popular cosplay magazines, Cosmode (コスモード) and ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Layers (電撃Layers). Cosmode has the largest share in the market and an English-language digital edition. Another magazine, aimed at a broader, worldwide audience is CosplayGen. In the United States, Cosplay Culture began publication in February 2015. Other magazines include CosplayZine featuring cosplayers from all over the world since October 2015, and Cosplay Realm Magazine which was started in April 2017. There are many books on the subject of cosplay as well.

Documentaries and reality shows

  • Cosplay Encyclopedia, a 1996 film about Japanese cosplay released by Japan Media Supply. It was released in subtitled VHS by Anime Works in 1999, eventually being released onto DVD in 2002.
  • Otaku Unite!, a 2004 film about otaku subculture, features extensive footage of cosplayers.
  • Akihabara Geeks, a 2005 Japanese short film.
  • Animania: The Documentary is a 2007 film that explores the cosplay cultural phenomenon in North America, following four cosplayers from various ethnicities as they prepare to compete at Anime North, Canada's largest anime convention.
  • Conventional Dress is a short documentary about cosplay at Dragon Con made by Celia Pearce and her students in 2008.
  • Cosplayers: The Movie, released in 2009 by Martell Brothers Studios for free viewing on YouTube and Crunchyroll, explores the anime subculture in North America with footage from anime conventions and interviews with fans, voice actors and artists.
  • "I'm a Fanboy", a 2009 episode of the MTV series True Life, focusing on fandom and cosplay.
  • Fanboy Confessional, a 2011 Space Channel series that featured an episode on cosplay and cosplayers from the perspective of an insider.
  • Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope, a 2011 film about four attendees of San Diego Comic-Con, including a cosplayer.
  • America's Greatest Otaku, a 2011 TV series where contenders included cosplayers.
  • Cosplayers UK: The Movie, a 2011 film following a small selection of cosplayers at the London MCM Expo.
  • My Other Me: A Film About Cosplayers, chronicling a year in the life of three different cosplayers: a veteran cosplayer who launched a career from cosplay, a young 14-year-old first-timer, and a transgender man who found himself through cosplay. It was released in 2013 and was a featured segment on The Electric Playground.
  • Heroes of Cosplay, a reality show on cosplay that premiered in 2013 on the Syfy network. It follows nine cosplayers as they create their costumes, travel to conventions and compete in contests.
  • "24 Hours With A Comic Con Character", a segment from CNNMoney following around a known cosplayer while she prepared for and attended New York Comic Con.
  • WTF is Cosplay?, a reality show that premiered in 2015 on the Channel 4 network. It follows six cosplayers throughout their day-to-day lives and what cosplay means to them.
  • Call to Cosplay, a competition reality show that premiered in 2014 on Myx TV. It is a cosplay design competition show where contestants were tasked to create a costumes based on theme and time constraints.
  • Cosplay Melee, a competition reality show on cosplay that premiered in 2017 on the Syfy network.
  • Cosplay Culture, a 90 minutes documentary that follows cosplayers during preparation and conventions in Canada, Japan and Romania. Includes a visit of Akihabara (Japan), a geek Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans and a historic overview explaining the origin of cosplay.

Other media

  • Cosplay Complex, a 2002 anime miniseries.
  • Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!!, a Japanese TV variety show that includes the Cosplay Bus Tour series segment.
  • Super Cosplay War Ultra, a 2004 freeware fighting game.
  • A large number of erotic and pornographic films featuring cosplaying actresses; many of such films come from the Japanese company TMA.

Cosplay groups and organizations

See also

Notes

  1. Mari Kotani's costume has sometimes been misreported as a Triton costume (from the manga Triton of the Sea) due to its visual similarity and because Kotani was known as a member of the TRITON fan club.

References

  1. ^ Stuever, Hank (14 February 2000). "What Would Godzilla Say?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2008.
  2. "Meet the Woman Who Invented Cosplay". www.racked.com. 9 May 2016. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  3. ^ "Nobuyuki (Nov) Takahashi " YeinJee's Asian Blog: The Origin of the word cosplay". Yeinjee.com. 3 July 2008. Archived from the original on 5 July 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  4. ^ Raymond, Adam K. (24 July 2014). "75 Years Of Capes and Face Paint: A History of Cosplay". Yahoo! Movies. Archived from the original on 21 August 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  5. ^ Kincaid, Chris (16 October 2016). "The History of Cosplay". Japan Powered. Archived from the original on 13 April 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
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