Cosplay, what is it and why is it growing in popularity? What is the difference between cosplay and costume? Why do people cosplay?

What is Cosplay? 3 female cosplayers on what it means to them

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Fans are vulnerable in cosplay, and highly aware of this… You put it all out there and it can be hard when you are critiqued

I think cosplay does have the capacity to be a feminist act, and to be a feminist space

I’ve experienced some fat-shaming and racism from cosplay. The majority of fictional characters are slim, pale and extremely attractive

Often we are called the brown version of a character, which seeks to demean us (sometimes unintentionally), as if we can only ever be the brown version of a character and not the character themselves

Stylist Daily

“Cosplay lets us show our love for our favourite anime, games or TV, while also expressing ourselves.”

“Cosplay empowers women”: 3 people reveal why cosplay is so much more than dressing up