Many of you want to have a life like that of your favorite cartoon or anime character. Though this seems a pretty normal gesture, some people are a bit more serious about looking and living like them and therefore dress themselves up like them. So, if you are among those extra serious people, you should understand what to cosplay for beginners. You will also get to know about what is a cosplay outfit, what is a cosplay wig, what is anime cosplay, what to dress up as for comic con, and what is the most popular anime cosplay.
1. What is a Cosplay?
The name itself tells the meaning as cos refers to costume and play refers to the role-playing. The term cosplay is a Japanese portmanteau for the term costume play. It is a costume play activity in which people dress up as their favorite characters from comics, anime, cartoons, video games, manga series, and television series. People dressed up in costumes are known as cosplayers. (See Is Ronald McDonald Real?)
2. Who invented the Term?
Earlier, people knew it as a masquerade in which everyone wore a mask and performed or attended a function. But a Japanese writer and owner of Studio Hard, Nobuyuki Takahashi, attended the World Science Fiction Convention (World Con), Los Angeles in 1984. There he witnessed the costume fans and to describe what he saw he decided to come up with a new word. Hence, he used the Japanese abbreviation method and created this new word, cosplay, including costume as kosu and play as pure. (See First Full Length Movie Ever Made)
3. When was the First Cosplay Summit held?
It was in 2003, at the Rose Court hotel, Japan when the first summit took place. Five cosplayers were invited from Italy, France, and Germany. (See Origin of an Ogre)
4. What is a Cosplay Outfit?
Outfits or cosplay costumes are the dress that the person wears. The term outfit is wider than just clothing.
- It involves apparel, hairstyles (wig), make-up, and even props if any. (See Plague Doctor Suit Meaning)
- Bodypaint, latex, prop weapons, hair dyes, etc. are also available as a part of the outfit.
5. What is a Cosplay Wig?
This is the part of the cosplay outfit that brings life to the character you have dressed up like. These wigs are made from high-quality raw materials that keep them in good condition for years. If you use them often, then their life can be 2 to 4 years, while if the wig is used once in a while, then it may last up to 5 years or more. If you have a wig with very long fibers then it is advisable to replace them every 1 to 2 years. (See How To Dress Like A Bad Boy?)
6. How to make a Cosplay Wig look natural?
- Begin with buying the wig from a hair store rather than at the wig store.
- Trim it as per your need and dye it with the color you want.
- Add powder to the center part of the wig base, as it will reduce the plastic shine.
- Use a special brush to keep the fibers intact and style them. For this, you can use a steamer, roller, or straighteners. (See Pubic Hair Wig Fashion)
7. What to Cosplay for Beginners?
Nobody has been perfect since the beginning, and even the best cosplayers have made mistakes in their beginning days. What matters is to begin somewhere. If this is your first time cosplaying, refer to the following points.
- Choose your favorite character. Also, check out Anthropomorphic Art Meaning with Examples.
- Choose the way you want to carry your costume.
- Research well.
- Keep it simple and try to connect with people.
- Do not bound yourself and never let others drag you down.
- Aim for improvement and keep going on without fear. (See Adorable Golden Possum that Looks like Pikachu)
8. How do you Choose the Character?
I agree that you may have more than one favorite character. But select the one which is your favorite and easy to carry. Because you do not want to end up looking like a mess since you selected the most difficult dress-up for your first cosplay. You should have enough knowledge on what to cosplay for beginners and then decide your character. (See How Tall is Elsa and Anna?)
9. Where to Buy the Outfit?
There are numerous online stores these days offering ready-made dresses for cosplay. But if you are more into detail, then you can hire someone to make the custom-made dress for you. But this can cost you more than enough for your first-time experience. (See 29 Common Types of Bra Designs and Their Functions)
10. What should you Research?
Research is an important aspect of this. For your reference, you must have character images, official artwork, pictures of other people doing cosplay of the same character, and even concept sketches. While discussing, what to cosplay for beginners, another piece of research needed to be done is about the type of fabric you need, so it is better to interact with someone from the same fandom who has tried the dress before. (See What are the Names of the Seven Dwarves in Snow White?)
11. How to Connect?
You know you have to keep things easy in the beginning and it would be much easier if you made friends with the same fans. Because it will give you the confidence to try and even making mistakes would not seem hilarious. Because after hearing about their experiences, you will learn a lot. You can connect with them through social media platforms, fan clubs, etc. (See Why Steve Jobs used to wear the same clothes?)
12. How to keep your Morale up?
Bullies are everywhere, and cosplay is full of them. Expert cosplayers can be helpful and generous, but they can be intimidating too. So, you should focus more on growing and moving forward. Learn from their success, but do not let them drag you back. (See Pinocchio Story Summary)
13. How to Aim for Improvement?
Apart from understanding what to cosplay for beginners, you also have to maintain consistency because you will notice improvements every time you cosplay. You will learn with time and experience. Dress, make-up, wig, props, etc. will fall into place and you will be doing better than before if you aim at improving yourself. Also, aim for being good and not getting famous because popularity follows you if you are good at what you do. Also, check out what is a Mood Ring?
14. What to Dress up as for Comic con?
As you are aware of what to cosplay for beginners, you must know that comic con means comic convention which is an event that primarily focuses on comic books and their culture. Here, people dress up as their favorite comic book characters from famous comics around the world.
If you are planning to visit a comic con, you can try these costumes of both male and female characters.
- Marvel comic costumes.
- DC (Detective Comic) characters costumes.
- Star Wars costumes.
- Disney Characters. Must read about the insights of Acme Warner Bros.
- Harry Potter costumes. (See How to Fold a Pocket Square)
15. What is Anime Cosplay?
Anime is a style of Japanese animation (film and television). They are made for both adults and children. The characters are loved by people around the world. You must have some favorite anime too. People love to dress up in the same costumes as their favorite anime characters. (See Why Do People Love Anime?)
16. What is the Most Popular Anime Cosplay?
Not only the recent anime but the classic anime characters are loved by all. When you decide what to cosplay for beginners, you can consider this list of the most popular anime character cosplay.
- Tanjiro Kamada is from Demon Slayer- Kimetsu no Yaiba.
- Midoriya Izuku Deku is from Boku no Hero Academia.
- Naruto Uzumaki from Naruto.
- Son Goku (Kakarot) from the Dragon Ball Z series.
- Asuka Langley Soryu is from Neon Genesis Evangelion.
- Violet Evergarden is from the series Violet Evergarden. (See 20 Best Isekai Anime)
So, today you got this interesting information about what to cosplay for beginners, what is a cosplay outfit, what is a cosplay wig, what is anime cosplay, what to dress up as for comic con, and what is the most popular anime Cosplay. (Also read What are Examples of Elements in Everyday Life?)
