People about Cosplay...

Cosplay is a fun way for fans of shows/movies to express themselves through their appearance. It also tests their creativity, and they get to meet people who share the same interests as them if they choose to go to cosplay conventions.

In my opinion, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with cosplay. I don’t see why people insult cosplayers simply because they think it’s a waste of time, or that it’s just plain silly. All they have to do is keep their mouths shut and not say anything rude. And complaining about cosplayers who haven’t managed to look exactly like the character they’re displaying as is stupid. They’ve put in so much effort to do something that they love, and here the a$$holes are, dissing them for enjoying themselves.

I’m not even a cosplayer, but I believe that they deserve to have a good time.

Putting aside for the moment that the tone of the question doesn’t imply the most open of minds, cosplay is – simply – acting. Do you consider Mel Gibson, Ken Branagh, David Tennant, Cumberbatch, et. al. immature for wanting to dress up and act as Hamlet? Cosplay is a similar – if not identical – mindset: people, inspired by characters, possessing the right combination of talent, bravery and self-awareness, performing as said character for an audience. Whether it’s a convention stage or a Broadway stage makes no difference. The person who portrays Deadpool or Master Chief is very much spiritual kin to the person who plays King Lear or Hamlet. It’s wrong to praise one and denigrate the other based on the source of their inspiration, for to declare which works are “great” and which are not is subjective or worse. Still, even if most consider it blasphemy to compare Marvel to Shakespeare, the motivation to portray characters from either realm is identical and the healthy mindset WON’T criticize this, realizing that whatever it doesn’t “get” is not automatically inferior or invalid.

PS: Ironically you will find, if you but ask, that most cosplayers as children were very successful Trick or Treaters, as Halloween is quite often the “bug” that bites them for their subsequent motivation.

You absolutely do not have to make your own costume to cosplay! Made or bought, cosplay is cosplay. Cosplay is more than making an outfit. It can include makeup, wig styling, and prop making too, besides sewing the costume. Some people, like me, style their own wigs and do their own makeup, but can’t sew or craft. Some people simply wear the costume and don’t make any of it, and that’s fine too. This cosplay elitism needs to stop, of course it isn’t wrong to buy a costume. As long as you’re having fun, you’re doing it right.