Wow, I've been really pooped from work but it still brings a smile to my face when I talk about cosplay and when I see some really good outfits!
Philadelphia Weekly just published this interesting article about 'Why Do We Cosplay?' - so what is the psychology behind wanting to cosplay?
The article claims that people just want to be 'recognized' - We want attention, in other words.
Here's a great except from the article:
"It seems counterintuitive. Especially in this age of online handles
and anonymous comments, when we’re constantly hearing about trolls and
identity thieves hiding behind false facades. Surely masks and costumes
are not meant to reveal ; they exist to hide, to obscure, to transform.
And
yet, when we select our Halloween costumes, we are consciously choosing
how we wish to be seen. We want to be recognized, not as schoolchildren
or underpaid interns or office workers living lives of quiet
desperation, but as the scary, sexy, colorful people we know we are on
the inside. We don’t want to disguise ourselves—our very selves—we want to unveil them."
Yeah now that's interesting. In today's age, people want to be 'invisible' online. To be another persona from their real life and be allowed to do something out of their ordinary life. Some people troll, bully, talk crap about others just because they know they're just a false name and number on the internet.
And yet when it comes to selecting a character to cosplay as, you subconsciously choose something that's iconic, recognizable and that people will see you as that character rather than 'average joe X'. Bizarre isn't it?
The writer goes on to talk about his Batman outfit and why he wears it
"While I have worn this costume to Halloween parties and science-fiction
conventions, I didn’t make it for any one specific event. I made it
because I want a Batman suit. Which of course really means this: I want
to be seen as Batman. Sure, I’m not a vigilante champion of justice—but I
do help the people I meet, in my own small way. Giving $10 to someone
on the street or helping a friend get a job is not the same as saving
the city from deadly laughing gas, I realize. Which is why I don’t don
the cape and cowl every day."
Yeah it's true, you don't really want to be Batman EVERY DAY. You just want to be Batman for a short while. Being Batman every day is a different story : )
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