People about Cosplay...

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.

Let me make it simple for you.

These are some factors which make this fun-filled activity very fascinated.

1) It is Fun

We are all fed up of real life sometimes, the animated world always considered as utopia and we like to experience that Utopian life as the way it is – funny and playful. It is entertaining and enjoyable.

2) Fandom

You can express your love for the character which fascinates you. This is the best way to enjoy the fandom of a particular character that you really like it and want to hide your personality under the charm of whatever character.

3) Compliments

People like to be a center of attention. Getting compliment on your creativity or catching the eyes of your friends towards famous movie character is always flattering.

4) Creativity

We all like creativity, sometimes costumes are crafted by hand. The process includes sewing, cutting, using something completely different thing for entirely different purposes make you proud of cracking the unique idea that nobody ever think of.

Interesting question. If the word “cosplay” is referring to what is usually meant, then no, because the costumes in question are those of fictitious characters. There is no “culture” being appropriated. Not even if you wear a Japanese school uniform – because Ayanami Rei, or whoever, is not a Japanese girl, she’s a fictitious character and you are dressing like her.

There’s some interesting weirdnesses to explore though, even in this space. Some thoughtless racist fans were in the habit of making black cosplayers feel uncomfortable. The absurdity of this is almost galactic in proportion because if a black woman can’t dress like Sailor Moon because she’s not Japanese, then why would a white women be able to? She isn’t Japanese, either. And Sailor Moon is not Japanese, she’s fictitious. Obviously, critical thinking is not high on the list of people who are unpleasant to other people.

But the rising tide right now is that cosplay is for everyone and while I don’t myself cosplay, I support this. Dressing up as your favorite character is not cultural appropriation – it is a culture in and of itself. There are folks who cosplay Jane Austen characters and pirates and princesses. Cosplay has its own subculture aesthetic. Merely dressing up is for anyone, anytime, anywhere.

The world has adopted the word cosplay. It’s Wasei-eigo, which means the word was originally created by the Japanese using English as the roots. “Costume play” becomes “cosplay.” There is a world cosplay summit. So I don’t think you can argue that merely using the word is appropriation. Words for things spread. That’s how language works.

Calling offensive stereotype costumes “cosplay” is stretching the word uncomfortably outside what cosplay means, IMHO. Those costumes are meant to represent offensive stereotypes. It’s outside the culture of cosplay itself and is merely wearing a costume in bad taste.

So, I would say no, cosplay is not cultural appropriation, it is its own culture that is open to anyone, anywhere.