Cosplay Subculture
Rachael Driver
Bowling Green Technical College
Abstract This paper will be discussing the cosplay, or costume play, subculture. In this paper, it will also go over who makes up this particular subculture, what it takes to be a cosplayer, what this subculture does for society, how society sees those who participate in it, how and when it came to be, most famous cosplay costumes, and what this subculture provides for those who take part in it. Keywords: Cosplay, Costume Play, Sociology, Subculture, Japanese cosplay, costumes, cosplay conventions
Cosplay, short for "costume play", is a type of performance art in which the
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The first is to show adoration for a character, or they pick one that they have matching personalities with, hoping to become that character or at least close to it. A few major characteristics of this type of cosplayer may be an enthusiastic attitude and the tendency to pay less attention to detail and quality. Such cosplayers are also known to criticize other cosplayers for not having a full knowledge of their character, or not also adopting character personality. This can cause a lot of conflict between cosplayers. (Cosplay, 2012) The second is those people who enjoy the attention that cosplaying a certain character brings. They have to dress as the most popular character so they can have the most attention. Within the cultures of anime and manga specifically, there is a certain level of dishonor that is attached to cosplayers with this type of attitude. Such cosplayers are usually characterized by paying close attention to detail in their garments and their choice of popular characters. They are also noted by participation in cosplay competitions. (Cosplay, 2012) The third category is those who enjoy the creative process, and the sense of personal achievement upon completion of the costume and character details. Such people are more likely to have a greater budget dedicated to the costumes, more complicated and better quality outfits with access to more materials. They are also more
Costume has been used in the documentary Painted Babies in order to position the viewer in regard to issues portrayed. Many of the girls are often seen in quite revealing, adult-like costumes, which reveals how these children have lost their childhood in their pursuit of winning. There are many examples of this throughout the documentary, wearing costumes that are obviously designed for adults, only shrunk down to meet a smaller size. The parents are also seen to be wearing such T-Shirts claiming that they were related to their daughters, further suggesting how they were living vicariously through their daughters, seeking the fame and attention that they were receiving. Therefore costume has been used toposition viewers in a certain way in regard to issues discussed.
Going through cosmetology school gave you the expertise you need to cut and style hair. People come to you because you make them look and feel their best. Unfortunately, you never know when an accident can happen, and no amount of training or professionalism can prevent every mishap. When these things do occur, you want to make sure you and your business are protected with the Cosmetology Insurance Program through Foy Insurance.
Before I graduated from high school, I devised a five year plan for myself. First, I would attend SUNY Albany to obtain a degree in business. Then, I would attend a cosmetology school, acquire the 1,000 hours needed to take my state board exams, take those exams to finally secure my cosmetology license. All of this would eventually lead to opening my own salon in the future. About a month before my graduation, an ambulance bolted my mom to the hospital.
Cosmetology is the “study or art in cosmetics and their use”. Cosmetology is a broad term that includes hair, make up, skin, and nails (Cosmetology Careers and Cosmetology Education Information 14 Oct. 2014). Cosmetology is not only for women, but for men and children too (What Is Cosmetology 14 Oct. 2014). Cosmetologist helps to change their customer’s physical appearance by doing their hair, nails, or giving them facials to help their skin (Education Portal 12 Oct 2014). Some cosmetologist work out of their homes or in small shops and others work in salons or spas (What Is Cosmetology 10 Oct. 2014).
“Find what you are passionate about and continue to work hard every day towards a successful future. Even when you think you’ve reached the top, keep striving for new success, the possibilities are endless” (Nino DeAngelis). Many people wonder what is needed to become that successful good paid cosmetologist. Society sometimes think men are not suited for a cosmetology career; little do they know that is not true. A man who was not ashamed of the job which they called a woman’s job would be Paul Mitchell. In the cosmetology industry what is mainly needed is patience, which would be the best skill for this career. Cosmetologists do not only handle hair, but many more parts of the body. A career in cosmetology is based on professional skill or practice of beautifying the face, skin, and hair; therefore one needs to know the safety requirements in using many different chemicals, job description, salary, and benefits to work in this career.
The Elkhart Area Career Center cosmetology class is a loud, crazy, girly group. They are all about makeup, hair, and YouTube. Mrs. Teagarden, the instructor is a medium eight, silver-white haired lady. The salon lab is an L shape room with fluorescent lights, walks half cream half green. Constant water running in the shampoo bowls, minty fresh tea-tree shampoo, and the buzz of a blow-dryer. U93 playing the same ten songs on repeat all four hours your there. That’s the cosmetology salon.
Have you ever thought about becoming a cosmetologist? Are you familiar with what a cosmetologist does? Do you think you have the skill and patience it takes to become a cosmetologist? The basics of becoming a cosmetologist and why it is so common in today’s world will be explained in the following paragraphs.
A survey certified that average women spend about $13,000 on makeup in her life time. Not only that, but also spend 300 hours applying it. Beauty tends to increase the self esteem of women, they think more positive of themselves. Along with that like anything else cosmetology has revolutionized throughout the years. Cosmetology has played an important role in lives of women, it does not only represent beauty, but also self confidence.
Decora girls in Tokyo and Cosplay girls in america have a varying amount of similarities. Cosplaying is when people wear accessories or costumes and dress up as their favorite anime or comic book character. Very similar to Decora where these groups wear accessories and express themselves while standing out in society. Cosplay is a form of expression for this small group in american culture that is very similar and can fit into american culture very well.
“Aleah, that is so ugly,” my friends exclaimed as I eagerly pulled out my brand new pants from their perfectly packaged shipping box. “But they’re Michael Kors!” I argued, as though it increased their appeal. The truth was, the price tag read $78.00, and they were completely see through. Within society, there are numerous people who spend thousands of dollars on designer clothing that is not considered attractive street fashion or good quality. Often, the reason clothing is priced highly is because it includes a logo to advertise the brand and proclaim that it is “the cool thing to wear” while pressuring surrounding people to buy from the same designer as an attempt to become cool as well.
“BEFOR I CAN TALK TO YOU, PEOPLE SHOW THEIR SEX, AGE, CALSS, POSITION, WITH WHAT THEY ARE WEARING. ALL THIS IS REGISTERED UNCONCIOSLY“ Those words said by Alison Lurie in the language of clothes (1992), reflect perfectly the main point of my research. The society we are now living is an extremely conscious society regarding body image and the way we are presented to the exterior. We found an obsessive trend on wanting to look like celebrities by having certain items or looks and in relation to that a fear of not being percepted the tight way. This is where we found relation to how clothes are part of a conversation we haven 't started and are a form of expression. As there will be explained further on, we use clothes as a sign of our identity,as a way of representing ourselves and stand out from the crowd and also influence on how we appear in front of others making them (clothes) a huge part of our non verbal communication. This essay will discuss the ideas behind self -expression and the role of clothes has changed in that mater thought time.
During our life we construct many different identities of who we want to portray ourselves as to the rest of society; fashion plays a vital role in generating who we are. With the ideas from Storry and Childs they state that “the way that we dress can either serve to confirm or to subvert various facets of our identities, such as our gender,
Myths are supernatural or religious tales with cultural and historical backgrounds, often containing moral lessons that are valued by the culture they originated from. The movie Avatar is a modern myth, its popularity stemming from the inspiration it draws from familiar and widespread themes found in classical myths. Avatar reuses and refreshes these themes for current audiences. Ancient stories such as those of Icarus, Prometheus, Gilgamesh, and Hercules, as well as contemporary issues, represent many of the same themes that are revealed in Avatar.
1. Go to a public place and OBSERVE the community of people in that place for at least 30 minutes; perhaps as long as 60 minutes. In your report, describe the setting and note the date and time of your observation. Describe the element of “community” that you observed.
To gain knowledge of how we communicate to others through the way we dress, we have to first understand what identity is. Identity is what we choose to represent ourselves as, be that a gender identity, a sexual identity; it is completely up to the individual as a person to make that choice. Identity forms the basis of one’s pride and being accepted socially only adds to that ego and integrity. The psychology of the matter is the way we dress is more or less based on our moods, habits, inspirations, past, present and future. The character of a person is reflected in the way that they dress, Clothing can act as a simple glance into someone’s life, as we are already know that different clothing can represent different means of culture; Clothes are used a language to communicate with society and to commonly let them know what you want to be viewed as.