In our modern lives, which in part, are founded on hours of web-based procrastination; cosplay is a term we read more and more. But do you actually know what it means?
Well of course you do, it’s built right into the name! Costume +role play = cosplay. Right?
Yeah, that’s kind of it. But does that mean it’s limited to the realms of live action role play? Or is that another beast entirely? What does that make Halloween? What about when folks put stupid clothes on their dogs?
It seems to be that as soon as someone wears clothes that are a little out of the ordinary, people get confused. But the truth is that, the dividing lines between the categories and sub categories aren’t just blurry to those of us that habitually stick to jeans and a tee. I myself am one of the jeans and tee crowd.
But in my line of work as a model and my overlapping geeky interests, it’s a pool I regularly dip my toe in.
According to Wikipedia, cosplay is “a type of performance art in which participants don clothes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea.”
By that logic, any type of costume play could be acceptable. So yes that does include people forcing their pit bulls into Pikachu onesies, but arguably only if the pit bull is super into Pokémon. And yes, it does include those people (women AND men) that just love an excuse to dress like a strip-o-gram.
Whatever the incarnation of a costume, it has a place in the broad and expanding spectrum.
The main differences from theme parties or Halloween, is that it can be done on any or every day of the year and that the party is only optional for additional merriment making. The primary dissimilarity to live action roll play is that when taking part, behaving like your character of choice isn’t always essential. The one area of common ground here is the costume itself, which is taken super seriously by both the n00bs and snobs. It is what you might call ‘the heart’ of cosplay.
For many participants, an outfit can take months to research and piece together. I mean, you can’t just walk into any old costume store to buy your Hylian shield replica! Some ‘hard-core’ cosplayers might even sniff at the idea of buying components of a costume and insist on making each scrap themselves.
It can certainly be quite the elitist’s game.
I myself have in fact made a rough Hylian shield (as seen above, and I can only apologise to Farore, Din and Nayru for this crime against the triforce) out of an old printer box and papier-mâché. This was more out of poverty and boredom due to lack of broadband funds however, rather any kind of puritanical motives. Actually buying the far more superior replica would have taken up most, if not ALL of the portion of my paycheque allocated to video games. A portion which, retrospectively, probably should have been assigned to my rent or food…
I would love to boast ownership of an official Sword of Gryffindor, or Eddard Stark’s Ice blade! But as reasonable as $145 may be for a beautiful piece of stainless steel and leather craftsmanship, that’s money people like me need to maintain their cat food and microwave meals for one lifestyle.
Trawling the web, it’s easy to find a store that will sell you whatever you need in the props department. And if you can’t find it, more than likely there will be someone else that can make it for you. The market for custom props and outfits is absolutely huge and as the items are usually fairly rare, the prices can be proportionally high. That isn’t to say you should steer clear of buying entirely. Just be sure to do your research to avoid being ripped off and shop within your means.
Making your own props and costumes is sometimes the most fun part of cosplay, even if you’re terrible at it. Making a total mess, getting frustrated and throwing the unfinished article out of a window is a good outlet for your creative or destructive energies. You may even be surprised at how well your other skills transfer over to costume making. And who knows your favourite character’s getup better than you do? You can totally do it! How hard can it be?
If it’s your first time making a costume, you can always find a way to break down the outfit into fewer items. Like instead of having a complete set of real medieval body armor, you can wear something that simply suggests that theme. How about jewellery that looks a little like chainmail, metallic painted elbow pads, a home-made breast plate and other metal accessories (we can talk about how to make stuff like this another time.)
When making your ornaments, there is always an easier and more obtainable material to use than whatever the authentic alternative may be. An old printer box and papier-mâché is much easier to manipulate than Deku timber and Hylian steel for example. You can make pretty much ANYTHING out of chicken wire, tissue paper and glue. Then once you’ve nailed the basics, you can move on to working with other tougher materials.
Whatever it is you’re working with, sewing fabrics, moulding latex prosthetics, carving wooden swords; someone somewhere has already made a Youtube tutorial for it. As with most things in this day and age, you can find something online to teach yourself the fundamentals.
Whether you are one of the cosplaying elite or you just like fooling around with face paint, what it all comes down to is ‘heart.’ Put plenty in and it will show in your overall design, regardless of how close to the original it looks. Your originality will shine through the more you project yourself into the final ensemble.
And how ever your costume turns out, it should always be fun, even if it is a little uncomfortable sometimes.
So wear it with pride no matter where you got it from, be it a store, a junk yard or even the garbage bag.
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| Putting The Cos in Cosplay |
