Why do we Cosplay?

    Why do we Cosplay?

Escapism is “the tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities, especially by seeking entertainment or engaging in fantasy.” To be a cosplayer you must know that you are wavering over a thin line of social norm versus psychological norm. In the cosplay world, what is normal varies from what none cosplayers sees as normal. This is because of the societal values that linger within the cosplay community and its lasting effect of what is morally and what is psychologically unfit. In other words, what it takes to fit into one group, maybe different from what it takes to fit into another group. But as a whole, we all possess one trait that holds us together, our imagination.

Imagine! “Using your imagination makes it possible to experience any and everything just by forming the mental images of it in your mind. Everyone – regardless of age possesses the ability to imagine. Though some people have developed it into an art form.” Take Jackie Chan, one of the greatest movie action heroes of all time; he explained in one of his biographies that the reason why he got into acting was because he couldn’t be a hero in real life, so he could act like a hero in films. Cosplayers fit into that realm of developing your imagination into an art form in a society that accepts them for it. Hayao Miyazaki a contributor to many Asian animation films and mangas states:

“What I think the various fan subcultures do is provide a space for community. They allow people of diverse background and experience to form bonds around a common interest. They let people know that they are not alone in their likes and their passions. Fan subcultures provide the sense of belonging that used to be common among most American communities and families prior to the 1980s. Today kids are raised by daycares and public schools. Parents are too busy working and building careers to devote significant time for family building and family life. Kids are just one of the many entries on the day planner. . . . Fan subcultures help to provide a space for community where people can come and be accepted for who they are. In a society as fragmented as America has become, fan subcultures can provide an oasis for the weary soul.” Napier, S. J., 2006

                                           The 3 main reasons why people cosplay.

1. Because it’s fun to pretend to be a character that they you have some form of adoration to.

2. Because you like the attention from people, and enjoy the idea of people looking at you. This in itself has a lot of negative connotations which I will explore later on in the blog.

3. Lastly because you like the craft behind the idea of cosplay outfits and character designs.

References:

Sites.psu.edu.

In-text: (Sites.psu.edu, 2014)

Bibliography: Sites.psu.edu. 2014. [online] Available at: http://sites.psu.edu/reshmajblog/wp-content/uploads/sites/885/2013/04/spongebob-imagination-300x219.jpg [Accessed: 3 Apr 2014].

Napier, S. J.

From Impressionism to anime

In-text: (Napier, 2007)

Bibliography: Napier, S. J. 2007. From Impressionism to anime. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Cindysense.com.

#1 Reason Why You Must Use Your Imagination

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Oxforddictionaries.com.

escapism: definition of escapism in Oxford dictionary (American English) (US)

In-text: (Oxforddictionaries.com, 2014)

Bibliography: Oxforddictionaries.com. 2014. escapism: definition of escapism in Oxford dictionary (American English) (US). [online] Available at: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/escapism [Accessed: 3 Apr 2014].

Upload.wikimedia.org.

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Cosplay? A Brief history of Cosplay Origins

                                                              

What is Cosplay?

A Brief history of its origin

Alot of people upon witnessing cosplayers for the first time, they seem to always ask the same question. Now this may not be true for everyone, but for the majority of cosplayers, this is the typical question we hear from non cosplayers all the time? This  is a normal scenario cosplayers face.

Scenario

NonCosplayer: What are you doing?

Me: Oh, I am cosplaying dark rose mam.

NonCosplayer: Cosplay? What is cosplay?

Let's stop it right there ladies and gentlemen, and maybe even aliens. Now, alot of cosplayers do not know how to respond correctly in a situation like this in particular. No folks, what we give is the vaguest definition of cosplay possible. I have done it before too, and left people more confused about cosplay then they were before. The real definition of cosplay according to dictionary.com is “ the practice of dressing up as a character from a movie, book, or video game, esp. one from the Japanese genres of manga and anime.”Some people, when they think of cosplay they think of cartoons specifically Asian cartoons. But a lot of cosplayers do not know that Americans originated cosplay and were actually the first to do it, let me explain.
Cosplay can be broken into two parts cos short for costume and play which is the act or participation of an activity. Costume play has been around in America since the early 20th century. “The first World Science Fiction Convention was held over the 4th of July weekend in New York City. It was later nicknamed Nycon 1 by Forest Ackerman.” And the world first cosplay was a tiny little Martian named Skygack it provides the picture of the character and article.

Years past and conventions and cosplay was deemed unpopular and hidden until “the genesis of Costume-Con as we know it today took place at the 1981 World Science Fiction Convention in Denver. This convention turned out to be something of a landmark for science fiction costumers.” This was the event that put costume playing back in the public eye, and from there cosplay raised in popularity increased and media coverage increased as well. Today we have televisions series based on the particular art form, as well as countless conventions, internet sites and even music videos.

References:

Fanac.org.

NYcon 1 - 1939 WorldCon - Year Index

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Costume-ConNections - The Genesis and Evolution of Costume-Con

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Was Mr. Skygack the First Alien Character in Comics?

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The Long List of Worldcons

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The World of Cosplay Ethics

Cosplayers suffer from harsh discrimination within their very own community. Some of which include discrimination of skin color, of gender, of weight, of sexual preferences, and of most importantly… physical disabilities. It is not that cosplayers are intentionally being insensitive towards people with certain attributes, it’s mostly because some cosplayers base what they see as "good" cosplay on a certain criteria. Unfortunately this criteria could be based on standards that only a selected few can meet. Come and explore the taboos of cosplay and preventative ways to keep the cosplay community from becoming more morally corrupted with

       Cosplay Ethics

This blog explores problems in the cosplay communities that a lot of other websites discuss within threads, but brings it all in one place for your convenience. These problems include:

I. Discrimination of people with

                   1. Physical Disabilities or Impairments,
          2. Of certain Races and Phenotypes,
          3.  Of certain Weight,
          4. And of certain Sexual Orientations and Genders.

II.  Copyright infringement and cosplay contests.

III. Sexual harassment and invasion of privacy of 

                                cosplayers.

IV. Fandoms

V. The Brief and amazing world of conventions

                      and much more.

This blog will also feature interviews from cosplayers as well as other people affiliated within the realm of the cosplay and animation community. This blog will expose harsh websites who have threads dedicated to the mockery of cosplays they deem unfit or a fail. But most importantly this blog will be a fun, and informative journey into the creative and crazy world of cosplay. Because at the end of the day, cosplaying is all about having fun, and being who you want to be. Whether they are a human,  a time lord, a namekian, a Klingon, the ice king, a box, or whatever they feel like being that day. It’s all in the name of fun.