In everyday life, the humanistic need to express ourselves is always present. We are all different, and the ways we show the world who we are come in varying ways, ranging from art, to written verse, to theatrics, to fashion, to cooking, and beyond. While some of us are destined for the stage, others may find their place is behind an easel. But what about those of us who crave something a little different? What about those who love the stage, the easel, that artwork, and the eventing? Those who love the arts, but also love the multitudes of fictional worlds that exist through movies and comic books and novels? To those people, and to many others, cosplay is the only way that they can fully express their creative passions. And that is why I believe that cosplaying is not just being a geek in a Halloween costume. It's a very creative, hardworking, time consuming, and social way to spend your time.
    

Many people do not know what cosplay is. In the media’s eyes, cosplay is a bunch of comic book fanatics dressed up as their favorite characters. And well, they aren't completely wrong, although it isn't just about geeks, or comic books, or dressing up as you're favorite character. There is so much more to it. In a typical sense, cosplaying is the act of dressing up and adopting the persona of a fictional or nonfictional character. That means you not only look like the character, but you act like that character as well. Now, this type of cosplaying comes in many different forms, ranging from wearing a themed tee shirt, buying a premade costume, to hand making a full costume set. That is what is so amazing about cosplay. There are so many different ways to enjoy it. And one of the most common ways to be active in cosplay is to go to Cons, short for Conventions. The most famous of these Cons is the San Diego Comic Con, which is held every year in, you guessed it, San Diego California. Comic Con also has several smaller Con branches all around the world, but the largest is definitely San Diego.

These Cons are what make cosplaying so social. Every year, thousands of people (Source 3), many traveling several hours across the country, pour into the eventing squares, everyone vying for the attention of celebrities, participating in contests, buying merchandise, or simply just enjoying the chaotic atmosphere. Comic Con is typically frequented by movie stars, film producers, comic book writers, and celebrities (see Source 1). This means that merch and autograph signing is heavily prevalent, and most eventers are willing to stand in line for hours to take a picture with Wolverine or Harry Potter. Now, of course there are other ways to enjoy Cons besides stalking your favorite screen actor. Comic Con itself is largely based around the comic book world, hence the name. The Con boasts mint condition comic book auctions, sneak peeks at future comic editions, interview panels with comic book writers, and previews of comic book movies, like those of DC and Marvel. It is quite literally a comic book lover’s paradise, with once in a life chances to land yourself with rare books or autographs. What makes all of these events so amazing is that no matter what you are doing, there is always a multitude of others right alongside you, loving every second of the experience just as much as you are. In cosplay, you are never alone. At Cons, there is always someone right around the corner with a similar interest as you, and even if you can't find a person with the same ideals about costumes or gaming, the entire cosplay community is supportive of everyone in it. Nobody gets left behind at Comic Con.

Now, of course there isn't just Comic Con. That one is just the most famous and well known. There is also Anime Con, Dragon Con, Otaku Con, Poké Con, and countless others, each centered around a different area of fiction. But the one thing that ties all of these Cons together, the one thing that is similar, is the people in costume. These are the most extreme of eventers, the ones who have a true love and passion for the craft, those who take cosplaying very seriously, sometimes making it their whole life. This is also what makes cosplaying so skillful and time consuming. For these particular cosplayers, the making of the costume is everything. From the design process, to the material gathering, to the budgeting, to the actual wearing the costume at events and Cons, creating a cosplay costume is a long and arduous process, but one that comes with many rewards. Several Cons, including Comic Con, hold costume contests where eventers can be judged on their garb for prizes and bragging rights (see Source 2). I myself am a full costume cosplayer, and I have completed, and competed in, 3 full costumes to date. Creating a full cosplay costume isn't like making a costume for Halloween, especially if you want to win a Con contest. It takes considerable time, planning, creativity, and money. The first step you have to take in creating your costume is the design. Most go the route of copying a character right out of the book. While this is perfectly fine, in order to win a contest, the costume must be extremely well made and must follow its respective character to the tee. Another route you can take is making up your own character. This I would highly advise against. While judges may see your character as a good work of creativity, they may also wonder why you decided to go with your own designs instead of sticking with the true spirit of cosplay, which is to be a character that you are not. You never know, though. It may work out for you. The way that I like to cosplay is by putting a creative twist on an already existing character. This could be as simple as gender-bending the character (switching the gender), or adding a specific theme that normally isn't applied. Personally, I like to do the latter. One of my favorite themes to incorporate into characters is Steampunk, but that is besides the point. The point is to come up with a design that is unique, applicable, and eye catching. Something that will really grab the judges attentions. After the design is finalized, you must then figure out all of your materials, time constraints, and budget. This can be the hardest and most boring part of building your costume, but it has to be done. It's a terrible thing to get half way through a costume only to realize that you don't have enough money to complete it. Trust me, you don't want to go through that heartbreak. When every detail of your costume is ironed out, you've bought all of your materials, and you know for sure that you have enough time to complete it, you get to start building! Different costumes take different levels of skill to build. For example; one of the first costumes I built was a suit of fantasy armor. To make it, not only did I need to know the fundamentals of sewing and stitchwork, I also had to be proficient in metalwork, engineering, and fabric-anatomy as well. Because my suit was so large, I had to be able to figure out the correct weight distribution and articulation for each individual piece. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to wear it, and I wouldn't have won the costume contest, either. Overall, most of my costumes have taken me well over a year to complete, and that's only including actual build time. It's a lot of hard work to build an amazing cosplay costume, but the rewards are pretty well worth it.
    

In recent years, cosplayers have gotten a lot of backlash. Of course there is the usual banter about gamers and nerds, but recently people have been focussing on the more sexual side of cosplay. Many people at Cons like to “sexy-up” their favorite comic book characters, showing off more of their prowess than the actual character itself. There is also a branch of costume wearers that are frequently mixed in with cosplayers that give cosplayers a lot of bad rep. If you have ever heard of Furries, then you know what I am talking about. They are basically people who dress up as animals for sexual fettish reasons. Of course, this is completely different from normal cosplaying, but to the outside, everything gets mixed up and jumbled together, and everyone gets the blame. While i'm not saying that some cosplayers may use cosplay as a way to enhance their sex lives,not everyone who participates in cosplay does. That is not what it's all about.

Cosplay is such an amazing way to express your creativity, be it by building a costume, judging a contest, participating at Cons, or simply by enjoying the cosplay atmosphere. No matter what you do in cosplay, there is always someone else who has got you're back. Someone who is willing to let you join in. Someone who has the same interests as you. I have made many friends while cosplaying, some of whom I still talk with today. Cosplaying has allowed me to show the world who I am, and what I love doing in a whole new way. By the creation of costume, and through the theme of fantasy, cosplay has lead me to where I am today, and I can honestly say that it has changed my life for the better. I wouldn't give it up for the world.