I have decided to take up Cosplay. I know it is different, but hear me out. Raf and I had so much fun with our Halloween shoots. I love dressing up, and since my husband is a photographer I feel like it is a great way for us to connect more. It feels right. A little foreplay, if you will.
What is Cosplay?
Cosplay, or “costume play”, is when people dress up as a character from a video game, cartoon, movie or book. The great cosplayers often go above and beyond copying their character’s outfits – they might even ‘role-play’ as the characters by taking on their mannerisms and gestures.
How Does Cosplay Work?
The point of cosplay is to portray the characters you choose as accurately as you possibly can. Cosplayers achieve their looks by using a mixture of costumes, wigs, accessories, and props. Some cosplayers choose to put their own creative spin on their look, and that is definitely my plan. I plan to reimagine lots of characters as a black woman, and I am up for the challenge.
Why did I Choose Cosplay?
It’s funny, because a lot of cosplayers sew, do makeup, act, and/or model. They use cosplay as a creative outlet to help them perfect their craft. I have to take a lot of photos for my day job, and hope to get better at modeling through cosplay. I also don’t know much about makeup, but would love to learn more. Mostly, I want to use it to build a healthy, fun relationship with my body. I want to celebrate myself and track my weight loss progress, plus it is a chance to meet new people. The bottom line is that costumes simply make me happy. It is up to us to make ourselves happy, so I am going all in…
History of Cosplay?
Cosplay actually started in Japan in 1984, but is popular all over the world including here in the US, South Korea, and China. It all started with people dressing up for the first ever World Science Fiction Conference. From what I read and researched, there isn’t much black representation in cosplay, but I follow a few black women online and they are inspiring!
My First Cosplay Shoot
The shoot took longer than I expected; the costumes were really unforgiving, and It took me a while to find my angles. I was trying to hold poses, embody the character, and trying to look good all at the same time. Shoutout to the models and cosplayers out there. To do this well you have to bring it all your creativity, your athleticism, and your confidence.
Check me out: which costume do you like best? Kitana from Mortal Combat or Mario from Super Mario Brothers.
To see the full shoot, visit me on Facebook.
