Cosplay Costumes and their Origin
Cosplay or cosplaying technically refers to wearing costumes based on cartoon or anime characters as a form of expression and art. It is actually an abbreviation of the words “costume” and “playing”. There can be different interpretations, but the most famous one is the practice of animated character realistic imitations.
Over the years, the trend has evolved and amassed a good reputation. Nowadays, cosplay shops are set-up beside normal apparel stores as if they are casual necessities. Because it has a lot of applications, the demand for cosplay costumes has been steadily increasing as well. Being curious about cosplay is very normal for young and old people alike. There have been several speculations about who came up with the idea and how it happened, but there actually isn’t a specific answer.
Origins of the Idea
The main contributor to the idea of cosplay is the anime culture in Japan. Ever since animation has reached its peak popularity a few years back, the number of anime fanatics grew steadily. These people lead to the creation of a fan base that supports ordinary people who started advertising photos of themselves copying famous anime characters. A few months later, the number of exhibitionists grew and fans from all over the world followed and made the practice a trend.
Another contributor to the idea of using costumes is holiday tradition. The practice of wearing pointed hats and black capes have been around even before the start of the 19th century. Because of this, people from western origins didn’t have the hard time accepting cosplay trends and became serious idol contributors as well. Social gatherings would be the greatest contribution western people have in cosplay history.
When it comes to inspiration, the main contributor would be the animation industry. Various reading materials and video presentations have been released that garnered international attention throughout the years. The industry still continues to produce new cosplay inspirations until now.
General Types of Cosplay Costumes
As we all know, the list of anime characters from past to present is endless. For people who want to try cosplaying, it is most likely difficult to choose a character to portray. In order to be able to narrow down the search a bit, it would be helpful to learn the general classifications.
- Science Fiction Costumes. The outfits that belong in this category include robots, vehicles, machines, and scientific occupation uniforms such as astronauts. Most costumes require huge budgets since the materials required cover a wide range.
- Superhero Costumes. This literally means outfits that famous superheroes wear as a staple. The most popular inspirations for these are the Justice League.
- Fantasy Costumes. This is the most popular type of cosplay costume today since it covers a broad range of characters including fairies, angels, ghosts, and even monsters. Fairies are very popular to young girls while boys prefer monster themes.
- Occupation Costumes. The use of these types of costume is the easiest ones to spot around the neighborhood. Maid and butler uniforms are the most popular in the service industry, while nurse and school girl outfits work best for adult intentions.
