The WORLD of COSPLAY

Cosplay - short for costume play - in which people dress as characters from movies, comics, and video games has become a global sub-culture.  Dedicated cosplaying is especially prevalent in Asia, with Japan in the lead.  In fact, the term 'cosplay' is derived from the Japanese Kosu (costume) and Asobu (play). 

In cosplay it is not unusual to see gender switching or dress-up centered on sex appeal where choosing characters, known  for their attractiveness and/or reveling costumes. This is not Halloween dress-up but for real character role playing. In the extreme, cosplayers dress-up and stay in character full-time.

Most cosplayers create their own costumes and great pains are taken to ensure the authenticity of the outfit.  This taxing and expensive process also serves to unite cosplayers and is part of the culture.  Many cosplayers also engage in various forms of body modification.  Contact lenses to match the color of the imitated character's eyes, the copying of tattoos or special skin markings their characters have, hair dying, and even plastic surgery to reshape a nose etc.

The psychology of cosplaying is profound.  To express adoration for a character (real or animated) is the ultimate in fan expression. For example, in its nascent form, you see many sports fans wearing their favorite player's jersey - in Japan this is termed 'otaku' - and is considered a form of affection.  But cosplay at the max, is all about the notoriety the character bringing to the player as they play out their fantasy.

Be it a movie, TV show, video game, or anime character the purpose of cosplay is to show off your character - and cosplayers do just that. Cosplay is culturally universal, and show-off  events are held around the world.  The single largest event is the ComiKet convention, held in Japan each summer and winter.  It attracts hundreds of thousands of cosplayers from around the world.  The largest event, outside of Asia is the annual San Diego ComicCon, there are also cosplay conventions in the UK, France, LA, Toronto, and Australia.

From Sesame Street to Star Wars, cosplay characters represent a wide array of fantasy figures to be emulated.  For some, there is an inner need to mimic (and in extreme cases try to become) the movie stars they adore.