Cosplay

One thing I miss greatly is the dress-up parties that we had with our family at functions: Halloween, Birthday and New Year's parties.

Have you ever been to a dress-up party and really wanted to wear a character that you related to in some way or felt drawn to.

A character that gives you a feeling that you can take on the world.

I think if I look back at what I would love to dress up as it would be a gaming character.

I absolutely adore the way they look and the outfits that they wear.

World of Warcraft, Final fantasy and Guild wars, these are only the ones I have played there are thousands of stunning outfitted female characters out there on games I have not yet played.

What is cosplay?

Cosplay is short for costume play, where a person will dress up to portray a superhero, gaming, comic book or a movie character that they admire or are fans of.

They not only dressing up as these characters but immerse themselves fully into the character.

In some places in the world dressing up is a daily occurrence and not only for conventions.  They can also be found walking in the streets in their everyday lives.

Cosplayers can be of any age however under 18’s should not be dressing in inappropriate provocative clothing and rather stick to the more conservative costumes.

When did Cosplay start?

Cosplay started in the late 1930s however it only really took off in the ’90s sparked by Anime and Sci-Fi Movies.

Who invented cosplay?

In 1984 a Japanese reporter by the name of Nobuyuki Takahashi combined the two words costume and Play together, this occurred while he was attending the Worldcon in Los Angeles

Where will you find cosplay?

You will find cosplay at comic conventions such as San Diego Comic-Con and New York Comic-Con and Japan which is said to be the world capital of cosplaying.

But cosplay can be found all over the world at many different functions today.

Who can Cosplay?

Anyone can cosplay, it all depends on whether or not you are into dressing up and acting your part.

In fact, when you go to a dress-up/costume party you are pretty much cosplaying.

The difference is these specific cosplayers go to comic conventions all over the world to show off their outfits.

Some may buy outfits at shops but others will go out of there way to actually make their entire costume by hand themselves.

Why do cosplayers cosplay?

It’s something that they really enjoy and are passionate about, they love dressing up and playing the part of characters.

It’s how they have fun and some who are really getting noticed are making a living from it, just like you have a career, this is theirs.

And some will spend a lot of money on costumes and holidays in order to showcase their costumes.

Its also a bit of a confidence booster for some, by being someone that they respect and find strength in.

How much does a cosplayer make?

At the time of this blog, the top tier cosplayers could make anything between $70,000 and $125,000 a year.  Not too bad for playing dress-up.

But if you think of the amount of time and energy they put into creating these looks, and what the equipment costs are they actually making enough?

The four levels of Cosplay

There are four levels of cosplay, everyone has to start at the bottom and work there way up.

Novice, which is the first time entrants or newbies.

Journeyman, a winner of a novice contest in a big contest.

Master, a Journeyman winner.

Professional, people who are professionals of costume design or makeup would compete here.

Competitions

These are held at various comic conventions along with a party.

Here the cosplayers will showcase their outfits in front of an audience and judges where the winner can walk away with some good money.

These competitions can also be like an interview where they are performing in hopes of getting costume design jobs or even becoming gaming characters, actors or actresses, and much more.

Three of the Best Cosplayers in the world

This is not decided by me, but by the cosplay followers out there.

Jessica Ni gri

Born in Reno, Nevada started Cosplaying in 2009 and modelling in 2012.  She has been in movies, commercials, music videos and online games.  Jessica likes to dress up as video game characters, anime and even Pokemon and has a Net worth of $1 million.

Adrianne Curry

Born in Joliet, Illinois she is a first-ever America’s next top model who dresses up as video game, anime and comic book characters.  She not only dresses the part but portrays the character just as well. She announced on Facebook that she’s quitting Cosplay for good. Her net worth $500 thousand.

Meagan Marie

Born in Minnesota,  Meagan puts a lot into her look and costumes, she is not only stunning but plays her parts well. Meagan likes to play the rougher characters and is often bloodied and bruised.  Known for characters in Borderlands, Gears of War 3, Prince of Persia, and Lara Croft.

Negatives of being a cosplayer

Being shamed for there weight

Being sexually harassed

Getting bullied

Cosplayers need to be very social people and need to network a lot. They are always posting on social media and gaining more fans.

I am sure that their jobs are just as difficult as any of ours, trying to keep in shape and look good all the time.

Do you often wish that you could turn into some amazing character - You Not Alone

I  think realistically I want to become Super Mom/Wife.

Have to love Giphy.com they always have a Giphy to make me smile and to make my blog that little extra special.

I hope that you found this blog interesting and thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog, your support is truly appreciated.