王海燕

To some， cosplaying is a hobby. To others， cosplaying is a lifestyle. Whether you have participated in cosplay or not， cosplay has become prevalent in todays society. Ample time and labour is spent on creating these costumes， in order for individuals to participate in events that allow them to embody their favourite characters. To the uninformed， cosplay is the same as dressing up as a witch for Halloween. But for those who practice the art， cosplay is more than just dressing up—it is fully immersing oneself as a character and performing in front of hundreds of fans.

How did this phenomenon start？ When did cosplay grow from being ‘dress up for adults into something which has been accepted as a subculture and a representation of ones fandom？

The history of cosplay

Initially dubbed as ‘costuming， cosplay began in the late 1930s in North America. Back then， cosplay did not require participants to mimic a characters appearance. Rather， they simply needed to dress appropriately for the genre， which is what Forrest J. Ackerman did in his futuristic costume when he attended a sci-fi convention. He was the first attendee to show up in costume， so in the following years， conventions began to look like masquerade balls， and prizes were given to whoever had the ‘best costume.

In Japan， the manga series， Urusei Yatsura， and television series Mobile Suit Gundam， helped launch the movement， as Japanese college students eagerly dressed as their favourite characters for conventions. Borrowing the practice of masquerading from North America， fans would re-enact their favourite scenes， which added to the excitement， as they were able to display their adoration for the series.

It was not until 1984 that the term ‘cosplay was invented， combining the words ‘costume and ‘play. This was coined by the Japanese reporter， Nobuyuki Takahashi， after he attended Worldcon in Los Angeles. When translating the word ‘masquerade to the Japanese audience， he thought that the word sounded ‘too old-fashioned and used ‘cosplay to describe the concept2.

Fast forward to today， a time when cosplay has created a subculture of its own. In North America， it is no longer odd to see people donned in costume at conventions. Cosplay is no longer limited to just sci-fi or anime， but has branched into other categories， such as superheroes， cartoon characters， video game characters， and more. Similarly， Japan has embodied cosplay as part of their pop culture， especially in districts such as Harajuku and Shibuya. Cosplayers3 in these areas dress up on a daily basis， so it is not odd to see someone stand out amongst all the civilians.

What makes a good cosplay？

On August 2015， The BuzzFeeds The Try Guys4 released a four-part series exploring the world of cosplay. In this series， the Try Guys learned how much effort goes into a costume before a convention.

1. Attention to detail

When preparing for a cosplay convention， it is important to plan ahead and take ones time with the costume. Although on-lookers may not be able to tell the difference between two fabrics or wigs， they will notice if a costume does not look good. Avid fans will also notice if details are missing （such as a wristband）， hence multiple photos should be analyzed before making the costume. However， what catches the eye more than anything else is how the costume fits on the person. Therefore， cosplayers should tailor the costume so that it fits their body proportions， regardless if they have the same body type as the character.

Cosplay is also about the overall appearance. Makeup can help accentuate the look， especially if a character has special features， such as whiskers， elf ears， etc.

2. Creativity

As long as the character can be recognized， fans have creative freedom with their costumes. One of the most popular ways to change a characters design is to do a gender swap. A gender swap changes the gender of the character and modifies the costume accordingly.

Another popular choice is to modify the costume to fit a different theme， such as steampunk5， Victorian6， lolita7， etc. This not only exudes creativity， but requires imagination， as there might not be a photo to use as reference. However， too many modifications risk onlookers not recognize the character， and it can be tiring to endlessly answer the question： “Who are you supposed to be？”

3. Confidence

Confidence helps a person stand out amongst those with the same costume. The way a person poses and interacts effects the experience， although it may initially feel awkward for first-time cosplayers. But confidence can be built， as long as the person is willing to put themselves out in public.

There is an abundance of support in the community for those who want to get into cosplay. People can take photos of their progress and ask for advice on how to construct a certain item / piece of clothing. There are fans who encourage other cosplayers and comment on their social media to appreciate their work. However， with any art form， there is always a risk， as others may not see the beauty or find it confusing. But because cosplay is a physical art form， there are more risks than onlookers simply not understanding the cosplayers costume.

—Sexual harassment

Unfortunately， some characters are designed to be provocative， and have spandex body suits or high school uniforms with short skirts. As a result， fans forget that there are individuals inside those costumes， as they are swept up in the fantasy that their favourite character has come to life. Many sexual harassment cases have been reported by cosplayers who are trying to enjoy the conventions. Women have been groped， and men have been put down for not fitting a certain costume. Thus， organizers are bringing awareness to this issue by implementing anti-harassment policies. In New Yorks Comic Con8， attendees can see a large sign that says ‘Cosplay is Not Consent， and that everyone should be treated with respect.

Remember： cosplaying a character is not an invitation for lewd comments or sexual harassment. It should be practiced freely， without participants worrying about the risk of harassment.

—Judgement

As previously stated， there are some fans that are caught up on how a character should look like if they appear in real-life. As a result， judgement is passed onto cosplayers who do not look the part， which is incorrect practice of this art form. People come in different shapes and sizes， and should not be body-shamed if they do not match the characters body structure.

Cosplay should be an enjoyable experience for everyone. Although there are some negative aspects within the community， there are also ample amounts of positivity. Hence， people should not be discouraged to cosplay as their favourite character. Cosplaying is an opportunity to bond with those who have similar interests， and a chance to be someone else for the day. It is an opportunity to represent ones fandom， and get to know others with the same hobbies.

Cosplay has evolved from masquerading into an art form. Although it can be considered as mimicry， there are individuals who put their own creative twist into their costumes and overall appearance. What once was a hobby has allowed participants to make careers out of cosplaying， which demonstrates the prevalence of cosplay in society. It has become part of subculture， and can no longer be considered ‘dress up for adults.

Cosplay is considered an art form， because its an artistic expression that empowers individuals as they transform into different characters. And just like all art forms， cosplay starts with a passion， and turns into something tangible the moment an individual decides to make it come to life.                  ■

角色扮演对一些人而言是一种业余爱好，对另一些人则是一种生活方式。无论你是否参与其中，角色扮演已盛行于当今社会。角色扮演服饰制作耗费大量时间和精力，目的是让人参加活动还原他们最喜爱的角色。不了解角色扮演的人会认为它就像在万圣节扮成女巫一样，但对于从事这门艺术的人来说，角色扮演不单是乔装打扮，而是完全沉浸于角色，在成百上千的粉丝面前表演。

这一现象是如何开始的？角色扮演是什么时候从“成人装扮活动”逐渐被接纳为一种亚文化，并成为一个人所属粉丝圈子的体现？

来龙去脉

角色扮演始于1930年代晚期的北美地区，最初被称为costuming（服饰装扮），当时并不要求参与者模仿角色的外形，只要着装符合该角色所属的类型即可。福里斯特·J.阿克曼当年正是穿着具有未来感的服装参加科幻大会的。他是第一位装扮登场的参会者，在那之后举办的展会越来越像化装舞会，而且“最佳着装”者还会获得奖励。

在日本，漫画系列《福星小子》和动画剧集《机动战士高达》推动了这股潮流的兴起，因为日本大学生热衷于装扮成他们最喜爱的角色参加漫展。粉丝们效仿北美化装舞会的做法，再现自己最爱的剧情，使得兴奋之情更加强烈，因为他们能够借此展示自己对这些动漫作品的热爱。

直到1984年，cosplay这个组合了costume（服装）和play（扮演）的词语才产生。该词由日本记者高桥伸之参加洛杉矶世界科幻大会后提出。他在给日本读者翻译masquerade（化装舞会）时，觉得这个词听起来“太过时”，便用角色扮演来描述这个概念。……