This section is going to deal with how cosplay affects people in terms of allowing them to feel accepted and represented. I went on to ask people how cosplay has personally affected them and their life.
Me:
Me:
"So, has cosplay ever helped you feel more accepted or that you belong? If so, how? How is cosplay helping bridge the gap to include acceptance and representation in your life? Have you ever changed the original to include your representation?"
Below are some of the responses I have received.
Below are some of the responses I have received.
Carol Oster:
"As an older - lots older - HP fan, I found comfort in the fandom once I dared to dress in my robes. I felt a sense of belonging, and as if the mystical, nerdy, geeky part of me had finally found a home - found my people. I didn't have to apologize for being firmly footed in sci-fi and fantasy, didn't have to explain how my scientific professional side could possibly let that in. (It took me years to find an accommodation between my hard-core empirical science mind and my mystical, fantasy, future-fic, flower-child side. Now they coexist quite happily."
Manja Netter:
"Cosplay for me has helped me accept and love myself. I'm more myself cosplaying Elphaba than any other time. I can deal with things differently when wearing Elphaba. She gives me perspective and grounds me."
Jheanine Castaneda:
"I got to dress up as Finn the human for a couple of cons and it felt awesome. I felt free to act like an energetic kid that loves adventure and their dog. I guess I felt more accepted because people were already knew how I was going to act and they not only expected but encouraged me to be silly. While I don't consider myself as lacking acceptance and gaining it from cosplay, I dressed up like Finn because I do love adventure and my dog, and it was nice for strangers at a con to know that about me from my costume. I did not change the original costume."
Gaby Rivera:
"Personally, I derive a lot of joy from being able to wear my art (so to speak), and to have people recognize the work I put into it is such a cool feeling. Running around as a clicker, there's a sense of community when people get excited about what I'm wearing. It's nice seeing other people who appreciate TLOU ('The Last of Us', a game on the PlayStation 3/4) as much as I do. It's a shared experience."
And of course my personal favorite response:
Martin Romero Alexio Fontanes VI
"Cosplay is lit boiiiiiiii."
Cosplay has affected each of these individuals differently, but each of them has been positively affected by the experience. It has let these people find parts of themselves and reinforced their confidence and brought them around others that are able to appreciate them and their talents.
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