Cosplay, the thing you think about doing, but you don’t have the courage to do so. Yes, you know who you are. Now, there might be a few reasons for this.
You are too shy to actually cosplay
Your self esteem is low and are afraid that you won’t be able to pull of the character
You don’t have enough money to make/buy your cosplay
You are afraid that people will say horrible things about your cosplay.
"I cosplay because it makes me a stronger, more confident person and it has introduced me to some of the best people I know" - Mirakuru Cosplay
It can be any of these, but #2 and 4 might be the main reasons why. Look, many cosplayers usually get the same horrible things said to them almost every time. Some people tell cosplayers, "Are you a trap!?" or "Is that a boy or a girl?" or "You are too overweight to pull of that character!". There are more comments like these and I am not going to mention them all.
Now, when you look at cosplayers' facebook pages, and see some of these photos and comments it may make you think that cosplay is not for you.
The thing about cosplay is that it anyone can do it no matter how old you are, which Aunty Shirley has proved, race, body size, gender, and disability.
"I cosplay because I enjoy it and it let's me meet new, cool and awesome people!" - Skumbag Lego
While I am saying this, some people are saying in their heads, "You are wrong Aicila, only people that can portray the character correctly can cosplay." Now let me tell you why you are wrong.
Now, cosplay has been around for a long time, and to figure out where this mentality came from will be kind of hard to trace back. Although I can certainly say that it came from the Anime Community. Usually fans want to see people that can actually portray the character correctly because they feel like the character actually came to life.
There is this saying out there that says, "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should" when people see a cosplay that they do not like. Well, for the people that keep saying that what gives you the right to say that?
"I cosplay because it's a fun way to express what I love and it's also an easy way to make friends!" - Moon Phase
Bringing down people just because they want to do something or try something new like cosplay is wrong. It's like someone is telling you. "Oh, you would never be able to become a great artist, you should just stop while you are ahead."
You can say that, each community, Lolita, cosplay, ect., has their own rules, but the thing is when it comes to cosplaying there are no rules! The only rule to cosplay is to just have fun.
Cosplaying as your favorite character at a convention is honestly fun. You will meet some amazing people. People will go up to you and take pictures of youmaybe. Like I said people want cosplayers to portray the character correctly. But you sure will meet other fans of your character or show!
"I like Cosplay because it's a way to express yourself in so many ways, be creative on so many levels and you get to meet some awesome people.." - KaddiCosplay
Here is the thing that I do notice, now I may be wrong, but people do try to avoid taking pictures of cosplayers that they don't think are perfect. I will tell you this, don't let the fact that no one took a picture of you bring you down. You came out of your comfort zone and did something that you wanted to do! You should be proud.
Now I know people don't have time to actually sit down and make a cosplay because of work, or other things. So commissioning a cosplay from someone or buying it online is the only option for them. This isn't a bad thing at all. People will not judge you because you bought your cosplay instead of making it. (unlessyou lie that you made it, then that is a different story.)
I am just going to leave this here, a few words by Adella Yukikaze Creations about why she cosplays:
"While cosplay started out as a hobby for me initially, it ultimately evolved into a form of self expression as well as challenge. I love every opportunity I can get to step into the shoes of my favorite characters and let my imagination run amok, all the while pushing my craftsmanship to new boundaries that have yet to be reached in the past. I think for those reasons, cosplay stands as one inseparable element of my life, and you will see my presence in various conventions, local or otherwise, for the foreseeable future"
Here is the thing, if you want to cosplay as your favorite character, Just do it. You will not regret it. Do not let your friends or anyone talk you out of it and always, ignore the people that try to bring you down that tell you that you don't look nothing like the character.
