Cosplay is your word of the day

The word of the week is “cosplay.” It’s a combination of the words “costume” and “play”.
According to online sources, the term was coined by a Japanese studio executive named Nobuyuki Takahashi. He got the idea in 1984 after attending a science fiction convention in Los Angeles. Initially it referred to people who dressed up in costumes based on Japanese characters in manga, anime, comic books, etc.
Here in the good ol’ U.S. of A., the term has come to mean most anyone who dresses up as a costumed character for something other than a stage production. For example, the people in period dress at the Texas Renaissance Festival are cosplayers. So are the folks who will dress up in Union and/or Confederate uniforms and invade Liendo Plantation this weekend for the Civil War re-enactments. A lot of people here have also seen the Brazos Bottom Cowographers perform at the Watermelon Festival. Those fine folks are cosplayers, whether they know it or not.
If you’ve ever seen the people dressed up as Stormtroopers from Star Wars, you’ve seen a cosplayer. Same goes if you’ve seen me in my Lone Ranger outfit. Of course, the best place to see cosplayers is at a convention of the science fiction or comic book variety.
There is a vibrant subculture and a thriving cottage industry in the world of cosplay. There is a lot of time and money invested in those costumes. My Lone Ranger outfit, for example, cost more than $1,500 and I still don’t have a decent pair of boots to go with it. A good Stormtrooper uniform will easily go well over $2,000.
The industry has moved way beyond the days when people wore plastic pointy ears and red, blue or gold shirts and went to Star Trek conventions. The costumes of today often rival and sometimes exceed those made by the Hollywood professionals.
My wife, Sandy, is a semi-pro costume maker. Most of her work is for children’s Halloween costumes and church and school theater productions. She loves making period dresses and has done several from Gone With the Wind and Pirates of the Caribbean.
It’s amazing how serious some of these people can be about their costuming. There are some who take it from an art to an exacting science, especially in the Star Wars cosplay universe. I know that to get into the 501st Stormtrooper Legion that a costume must meet certain standards.
Another group of cosplayers are the folks who participate in the Old West shooting competitions in the Single Action Shooting Society or Cowboy Action Shooting. These people dress in period clothing and hold shooting competitions using replica weapons of the time. It’s a lot of fun and the people who do it really get into their hobby. If there is anyone around who does that, I’d love to do a story on it.
What brings all this to mind are two things that are going on now. The Texas Renaissance Festival wraps up on the next two weekends and is located very near here between Plantersville and Magnolia. The Civil War events take place the weekend before Thanksgiving at Liendo Plantation. Both events are costume-intensive. And you can rank the Civil War cosplayers among those with stringent costuming regulations. You have to if you want an accurate representation of an historical period.
No matter the genre, one thing all cosplayers have in common is a love of what they do. Speaking from experience, it is a lot of fun to step outside yourself and assume a new identity for a while. People love it. It’s a nice feeling when someone wants to have their picture taken with you or they stop to talk about your costume or the character you’re portraying. It’s a great way to meet new people and make friends.
It’s also a way to help keep history and heritage alive. The more we study history and the attire and accessories of the people, the more we learn about ourselves and where we come from. On the other end of the spectrum, those who engage in the comic book, sci-fi and fantasy cosplay help expand creativity and imagination. Kids these days seem to be lacking that trait. This is a fun way to get them to express themselves in unique and creative ways.
The important thing to keep in mind when engaging in cosplay is that it is a hobby and it’s just for fun. There are those who can and will get carried away with it and become obsessed to the point that it becomes their idol. There is no way I can advocate this activity to that degree.
Anyway, I digress. My point is that this is a growing industry and enjoyable hobby. Like anything else, you get out of it what you put into it. If nothing else comes of this column, at least you learned a new word today and had your eyes opened to a different sector of our culture and society.