Seriously, what’s keeping more people from donning a costume and going nuts at a con? Fans of anime can be pretty die-hard; wearing t-shirts, cat ears, and carrying around merchandise like badges of honor. Why don’t they take the extra step and immerse themselves in a character? Hell, I wanna know why I don’t cosplay! I love Halloween, right? I adore anime, yes? I’m even sweet on sewing. So why don’t I whip up some elaborate costume and strut in front of cameras instead of living behind one?
Hmmm, lets’ approach this with my personal pros of cosplaying first:
- I’d get to dress up in an awesome costume and have adoring fans want their picture taken with me.
- I’d meet new people.
- The ol’ creative muscle will get flexed.
- I’d get to sew a challenging costume.
Let’s look at the cons of cosplaying:
- Fans wouldn’t want their picture with me, they’d want their picture with the character.
- I’d meet new people.
- To do a costume justice would potentially cost hundreds of dollars and hundreds of hours.
- The ol’ creative muscle might get torn.
- I might get glomped, which might lead to a ripped costume, which would then lead to me behind bars for beating someone to death with a cosplay prop.
The number one reason I don’t cosplay, however is:
- I look nothing like my favorite characters.
What gets me, is some people dress up as cool looking characters they have zero connection with. They’ve never even watched the anime their cosplay’s in. It’s like wearing a band shirt and you don’t own any of the band’s albums or listen to their music. Posers. If I were to dress up as a character, it’d be a proper homage to one I like.
I like good cosplay, don’t get me wrong, but one of the reasons some cosplays just don’t work out is because the person wearing it doesn’t go the extra mile. If you’re not ripped and you’re playing a ripped character, maybe choose a costume the character wears which hides your unripped-ness. Finagle with the hair or buy a really good wig. Dressing like the character is only a part of the cosplay. Frankly, I just don’t look good in costumes, which, ahem, hug curves.
Those are my reasons I don’t cosplay. I like cosplay, though. It’s fun and something which fans of it bond over. That’s gotta be a good thing. If you don’t cosplay, what’s keeping you? Do you think it’s stupid and a waste of time and energy? Do you just like to gawk at the lovely and scantily clad ladies? Are you wanting to cosplay but can’t sew? Is shyness your issue? C’mon, dish: What’s keeping you from cosplaying?
Please share your reasons, in the comments below, for not dressing up as your fave character! (Even the “lame” ones.)
I’ve cosplayed once! I was terrible. There are lots of things keeping me from doing it again:
1) I can’t sew. I had to pay someone else to make my costume, and I don’t have the resources to do that right now.
2) I don’t have time!
3) I am afraid I will end up on /cgl/.
#3 is the main reason, though
I agree with your reasons…ManFaye sums up a prime reason for not cosplaying.
I don’t for a few reasons. One is that I don’t have the time to devote to a costume. Two is that even if I did, I lack the chest and legs to pull off 99% of the female characters. Three is that there might be a tentacle lurking out there. And four is that I hate having my picture taken.
Haha that’s why I always picture myself as the character and then do the costume. Plus I always do a simple school girl chara type costume which anyone can pull off really.
I only have a problem with really obese people trying to wear stuff like short sailormoon outfits and yes Faye.
Yeah, it’s pretty much the time, effort, energy, and money. I’m far too lazy and cheap to cosplay. But I may do it once in my lifetime!
I don’t cosplay because I’m too damn butt ugly to do ANY character justice LOL
What kind of a silly question is this? Cosplay is extremely difficult if you make things yourself, and it’s expensive whether you make it yourself or hire someone else to do it for you (or even just buy the outfit online).
Not to mention that not everyone goes to cons to be the center of attention
I cosplay on occasion and I think it’s a great hobby, but no hobby is for everyone. ^_^;
@person, bah, don’t let a bunch of keyboard cosplayers rain on your parade. We all have to start somewhere.
@Caitlin, Manfaye is so wrong. I saw him at AX last year. Yark.
@CherylHew, Don’t say that!
@Hinano, I don’t mind if fuller people cosplay tiny characters as long as the costume is customized to accommodate their needs. The short, short skirts are a no-no, for sure, but if the skirts were longer, I could see it happening. In fact, I saw two robust Sailor Moon characters at ACen last year who did a fantastic job with their costumes. They weren’t showing off any excess and the costumes seemed pretty exact.
@Icystorm, I’ll also probably cosplay once in my life. It’ll be my anime swan song, right before I toss myself onto an inferno consisting of all my anime and manga. T’would be a glorious way to bow out!
@gia, Yeah, good cosplay, exceptional cosplay, is damn hard. It takes time, money and devotion to create a realistic cosplay. However, if a cosplay is pooled together and made into a team effort, I can see it working well, cheaply and timely. I’ve often thought how I’d like to sew a cosplay for someone if they paid for the materials and gave me props.
The center of attention thing is fine and all if that’s your bag. I always think it would be a pain to be in a constant crush of people who want to touch you, talk to you and take your pic. I do believe I’d freak out.
Why I’m not cosplaying.
1. No money.
2. No spare time.
Cosplaying seems like it would be really fun… but:
1) I look nothing like any of my favorite characters (wrong body type & too old)
2) I don’t often enjoy being the center of attention
3) I lack sewing skills
For me, when I do it I do it all the way — wig, makeup, swords, etc. Doing it half-ass way always turned out weird. So, why I don’t cosplay is not so much that it costs a lot than it takes too much time to do it right: meaning looking authentic.
Also, I tend not to cosplay as a particular character. I just don’t look anything like any character. Instead, I cosplay as a class of characters, like a shinigami but not a particular shinigami. This way, I get to have my own personality too.
Okay first off I want to thank you Rachel for doing a cosplay blog (in such a long time) as I hav been waiting patiently. Second this is going to be long as I am very opinionated about cosplay, though I must say, this will be my first official con cosplay (at Sakuracon) this March.
Cosplay is about personality, I don’t care if you are black, white, or just…ugly, you can ALL cosplay. I care more about craftmanship than looking like the character, because, once again cosplay is about personality. Why? because like Rachel has stated, there needs to be connection between you and the character. Looks can be easily changed, via wigs and makup (and if you have parts that shamefully jiggle, then pick costumes accordingly to suit your body type, such as not wearing a bikini if you not a supermodel…or just toned)while things like personality can not. I’m not saying its easy to loose weight though… its just better to know who the character is then look exactly like them. Rachel, once again, put it PERFECTLY, if you haven’t seen more than a poster of the character and haven’t done any research then you are going to look like an idiot.
Here are some tips: If you see a random character that you LIKE (doesn’t matter what you look like) do RESEARCH!
Watch the anime/read the manga/ look up screenshots/ buy or rent the game. Understand who the character is or else you probably won’t get the costume right and you definatly will get the personality wrong.
As for the money and time issue…there is really no way to avoid it, MOST cosplay take alot of time and money. But this depends on how elaborate it is. I’m doing three cosplay for Sakuracon and two of them are thrift store cosplay while the other is 125 dollars worth of Satin and feathers (sewn beautifly by my grandmother)…in total these costumes total around 250 dollars! Because I wanted to not look suckish.
All I can say if buy fabric on sale, find premade stuff in trift shops, pick costumes according to simplicity/complexity, your body shape, your wallet, and your spare time.
besides you might just feel out of place without a costume. It doesn’t have to be award winning trinity blood, but whatever if fun to wear.
For those who don’t want to be a model for the weekend choose lesser known characters to cosplay as. I am doing 2 “unknown” and 1 “overdone”.
Thats all I have to say…for know…lol
Money and effort mostly. I have free time, but I’d rather use it on other things…
That, and I really just don’t like dressing in anything other than jeans or shorts and a t shirt.
Now, I’m just glad that not everyone has my mentality, because a convention without cosplay would be sad.
What keeps me from cosplaying?
The cost, really. It’s really a pain to go out and find the fabrics or like a jacket of a specific color.
Otherwise, I get my friend who’s a sewing addict(and she makes all her costumes as well) to do most of it for me.
See also,(from personal experience),you don’t have to cosplay as a main character, any secondary or NPC character is fine. What’s better, is that you can be your own character. Maybe be that person/fellow classmate in school(and hopefully in school uniform), where you can place your own self in the anime!
ok, I do cosplay…but…I don’t cosplay as characters I don’t know about and I don’t cosplay as little kids (naruto) becuase I’m not one. I also agree that cosplaying can get expensive, but not if you know where to cut corners and where to get deals. I also agree that if you don’t have the body, then don’t do it. A very chubby half naked Chun Li just doesn’t look right, but hey I give them props for having the balls to do it. Cosplaying is great fun and if you have a creative genius trying to get out, it’s the perfect outlet. It’s super fun and a great way to meet people who share your interests.
I don’t wear skirts. Ever. For anybody. (Yes, I am a girl.) That leaves me with next to no female characters that I can cosplay, and none that I would want to. I’ve thought about cosplaying guys, but double Ds don’t bind well! //>_<//
@maglor, I feel your pain.
@Paul, let’s say all those negatives were positives; who would you cosplay as?
@bakaneko, that’s a fantastic idea to do a “general cosplay” and I see a lot of that going on at cons. I think it’s great to take this and personalize it.
@Marie Turner, wow, three cosplays! Awesome. I second the thrifting idea. I’m a thrifting connoisseur and can readily attest to the wonders available at Goodwill and Salvation Army. Thrift stores should be the first stop when doing a cosplay.
@anon, a con without cosplay would be no fun T_T
@Piroko, I like your idea of placing yourself in the anime! One could even have backstory for their character: Junko was a bad ass schoolgirl with a heart of gold, but in reality she was a cyborg kitty from Planet Neko! Now that’s a conversation starter.
@Diana, I also give those whose figure is Rubenesque and yet wear clothes meant for tiny folks, props for wearing them.
@Hera, there are many busty ladies who wear pants. Real Mayer from Ergo Proxy wears pants. She’s the only character I have a snowball’s chance in Hell of playing.
Here are my reasons why I do not cosplay:
#1 – It seems to me that other anime fans (the ones who consider themselves “hardcore” or something) seem to require other anime fans to cosplay in anime cons in order to be identified as an anime fan. I mean, why can’t I be an anime fan just by being myself instead of dressing up as a fictional character?
#2 – Like everyone else here, cosplaying costs MONEY. Not just money, but also TIME to assemble and sew these costumes together. Not everyone is talented in sewing or fashion design and not everyone is lucky to find a designer who can assemble the costumes for them (especially ones who would charge a low fee for the labor and service)
#3 – As an anime fan, I’m here to enjoy and have fun just by being an anime fan (through watching anime, writing fanfics, create anime fansites, draw fan art, collect some anime merchandise here and there, etc. etc.). I don’t go to cons to gain attention and fame (in fact I haven’t been in to an anime con for the last 10 years or so). I don’t like having my photo taken and have it plastered all over anime con sites and publications like that.
#4 – I refuse to look anorexic just so I can “resemble” an anime character (female to be exact). It’s not really worth your health.
Although those three reasons for me are factual, it’s reason #2 and #3 that are the major reasons why I don’t cosplay. When I first went to my first anime con (Fanime – 10 years ago), it was an invitation by some friends of mine back in college. When I got there all of my friends were cosplaying, dressed up as their favorite characters, while I showed up being myself. Despite the fact that I met some industry figures and some VAs (Megumi Hayashibara!) I didn’t have much of a fun time there, especially when you’re left out from your group of friends cosplaying. It was then that I sorta halted from going to future anime cons since then. It was just discouraging, especially that I can’t afford to cosplay due to the reasons I provided.
Well, that’s all I have to say. Not a very positive response I must say.
It’s the cost and the fact that my friends and my family will think i’m a bit wierd…. they think it’s bad enough that i read comics and watch cartoons… Which i try to explain is manga and anime and doesn’t mean i have the brain of a 5 year old lmao ( I’m bloody 17 .. not grown up but still.. )
I’d love to cosplay, and i have to agree i could only cosplay a character that i was fanatic about i don’t see the point otherwise … people at the con would be talking to you about the anime your character was out of and you wouldn’t have a clue … WHAT IS THE POINT?!?
But if i don’t do it whilst i’m in the UK, i’m moving to japan on my own in september anyway, so it will be glorious!!!
I’d LOVE to cosplay… but I don’t think I’m pretty enough…>_>
I don’t think I’m ugly, and I’ve been described as “cute” before, but if I wanted to cosplay as, let’s say, Sasuke, even though I have the build and the clothes, it’s my face that’s keeping me away. Genetics… what a shame…T_T
I love crafts, so money wouldn’t be an issue from me were I to cosplay (I’m poor as dirt, but I can save and improvise). Same goes to getting the time. My face is quite fujoshi-esque, I look like a 100% otaku, but if I cosplayed I wouldn’t care. Even so, I won’t do it EVER, because alas, my obstacle is another one: I’m very fat.
90% of anime characters are thin (some scarily thin), so even though I want to get myself a sewing machine and make a costume, my self-consciousness saves me from utter embarrassment. Now I know a lot of people who wouldn’t care about weighing 300 pounds and cosplaying, I applaud them. Unfortunately, I’m not one of those great people.
I still want to cosplay, but I would like to do so after loosing some pounds.
@Adrimarie, I’m sorry you had such bad experiences with cosplayers; they’re not all bad!
@Sarah, that’ll be fun to be hanging out in Harajuku in the land which originated cosplay.
@yakuri, I’ve seen some good cosplays pulled off by fuller women. The key is confidence and discretion. But if you lack confidence, as you say you do, it wouldn’t be a positive experience, which it should be. Who will you cosplay as when you get to the point you feel you can?
I love to cosplay, you just have to pick the outfit the works best for you. But I can sew….
@Rachel kesselman , who have you cosplayed as?
I don’t do cosplay because it is WWAAAAYYYY to expensive,to just get a coustume and then it is where the convension is!But mostly is my skin color!There some anime with dark skin people.I want to play as chi! I want to get a chi coustume on the dvd 5. And i would get a black long wig to go with it! I have mode chi ears out of plastic and spary painted the inside of the ear pink but like a shiny,sparkly hot pink.And if I get a coustume from cosaru(awsome anime coustume for girls!) I can get a pre-made costume and I would not exactly be a an amine from a show but I would look nice!(my japanese dad introduce me to anime!My mom does think it is chidish though!)
@Kat, I think you should cosplay! As long as you get the hair, clothes and makeup, I don’t think it matters what shade your skin. I’ve seen some super awesome cosplays done by people who don’t fit the pale description of the character. Bah, I’ve even seen people who looked better than the people cosplaying the same thing who did fit the description. Go for it, I say. Confidence is the best cosplay accessory after all!
Weight and skin color. Being a size 16 and dark skinned female isn’t always ideal when it comes to cosplat…plus you pictures of people my size wearing revealing outfits and it doesn’t look pretty (at all)…there are dark skinned anime characters but they’re always so hard to pull off. That’s why I left the cosplaying fandom and joined the lolita subculture…in lolita you don’t have to be another person
Nothing keeps me from cosplaying. Check out the new voting community for cosplayers. cosplayrate.com.
My Parents.
I am a huge Death Note fan, so i would probablt go as Matt or Misa.
But i’m afraid my parent’s might think im goth o_o.
They want me to be “perfect”
And my mom knows i watch Death Note, and she loves the idea of cosplaying cause it’s like acting, but my DAD. That’s the hard part.
And plus, i DONT wanna face yaoi paddles. XD.
I love yaoi tho. XDXDXD
I cosplay on the weekends with my friend, but i really wanna go to a con =/
Great read, I look forward to more
My problem is 90% of the characters I like I can’t pull off, mainly because of body type. Like, I love Obito from the Naruto manga, but I couldn’t do him because I am a girl who could never pull off a crossplay in my life. I have a rather large chest that can’t be hidden well… XD
That’s why I came up with the idea of crazy, modified things… Like Akatsuki dressed as Disney Princesses, or male characters as Lolitas. It lets me be more creative, for one, and these I might be able to actually pull off! Yays! ^^