Cosplaying requires time, effort and skill. Becoming any character from movies, games, comic books, manga or anime takes great dedication, research and handiwork from its practitioner – Cutiepiesensei Cosplay (aka Jasmine James) has amassed an enormous social media following due to her stunning costumes; most recently she created an eye-catching silver age Wonder Woman which she says proved particularly difficult.
“I absolutely adore putting everything together and witnessing its completion,” she says, “it’s truly rewarding experience!”
Cosplay, also known as performance art, is an ever-increasing trend with individuals donning costumes resembling characters from TV shows, films, video games or comic books for fun. Although cosplay has been around for decades, its popularity is continuing to surge as people can show off their talents while meeting like-minded people – some cosplayers even use cosplay as an outlet for creativity or mental health issues.
Some individuals choose cosplay to express themselves or support a cause, while others cosplay as characters from movies, books or shows that resonate with them personally; the cosplay community is diverse and offers many styles and levels of skill; however there remain those within its ranks who try to discredit people for their choices or simply dislike cosplay as a hobby altogether.
Victoria Johnson, journalist and host of the Sailor Moon Fan Club podcast, reports an increase in Black cosplayers within the industry. She attributes the trend’s rise to multiple factors including more Black characters appearing in film, TV and video games; cosplayers often incorporate natural features into their costumes like Kimbeckled using her curly locks as part of a Harley Quinn cosplay or ThouArtAnuli’s (Super Baddie’s) Shuri costume with nose piercings – becca Supreme (Kimbeckled).
Cosplaying characters can take many forms, which makes the hobby so engaging. Queen of Luna uses her hijab to recreate Roxanne from Power Puff Girls using it as part of her costume; showing that there’s no right or wrong way to cosplay; anyone can become whatever character they wish with hard work put into each cosplay.