Cosplay Subculture
Rachael Driver
Bowling Green Technical College

Abstract This paper will be discussing the cosplay, or costume play, subculture. In this paper, it will also go over who makes up this particular subculture, what it takes to be a cosplayer, what this subculture does for society, how society sees those who participate in it, how and when it came to be, most famous cosplay costumes, and what this subculture provides for those who take part in it. Keywords: Cosplay, Costume Play, Sociology, Subculture, Japanese cosplay, costumes, cosplay conventions

Cosplay, short for "costume play", is a type of performance art in which the …show more content…

(Cosplay, 2012)
Some of the most popular shows to dress as are Harry Potter, Star Wars, Star Trek, Avatar, Sailor Moon, and even the Rocky Horror Picture Show. (Top films and television shows that inspire cosplay, 2010) The most famous and worlds largest cosplay convention is Comiket, also known as Comic Market, is still held in the Odaiba Area of Tokyo, Japan bi-annually. (Cosplay in Japan, 2011) A few others are The San Diego Comic-Con. The biggest event in the UK is the London MCM Expo at ExCeL London, while the biggest event in Europe takes place in France at Japan Expo in Paris, with an attendance of over 200,000 in 2012. (Cosplay, 2012) Some costumes can take months to even years to create. A lot of people will go through so much just to look like their chosen character. They will do crazy make up elaborate make up. They will buy wigs to match the charcters hair, or simply dye their own and style it the exact same way. Some characters have tattoos, which some cosplayers will have done to themselves. However, others will simply draw their own on rather than having the tattoo permanently. In every anime comic or show that you see, everyone has the signature “anime eyes”, the large, round, oddly colored eyes. Cosplayers who want the look just right will actually purchase contacts to help them achieve this unique animated look. Some cosplayers choose to hire a cosplay photographer to take high quality images