Commentary: Why Cosplay is crucial to the community
Editor’s Note: This is a guest commentary. The opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board.
When I first arrived at Ithaca College and saw the list of clubs, one of the first things I asked myself was, “Does this school have a cosplay club, and if not, how can I make one?”
Since starting ICosplay in my first year at IC, I have had the chance to connect with others who share a love of fandom, craftsmanship and artistry over the past two years. We are a small but tight-knit group that continues to grow. I am a firm believer that wherever there is space for fandom culture, there will be space for the cosplay community to flourish.
Despite IC being home to fandoms of all kinds and even running its own convention, there was a lack of space for cosplayers to come together and work on their craft when I first arrived on campus. The hobby itself has only grown in size since the term was first coined in the 1980’s, and has gradually become more relevant within fandom culture over time. That said, the popularity of cosplay in college spaces remains relatively small. I grew up looking forward to nights like Halloween when I could publicly express my love for a fandom by dressing up as the characters I adored, and I wanted to bring that love with me as I entered college and stepped away from the cosplay community back in Florida. I feel it is important for IC’s community to continue coming together and sharing its love for an art form that fosters creativity, craftsmanship, and community.
Cosplay, whether it is handmade, bought, altered or put together from a closet, is a love letter to fandom itself. Fans from all over the world come together to share the joy of their communities through a hobby that allows them to physically show how much fandom truly means to them. I had the opportunity to ask some cosplayers, both at IC and elsewhere, what cosplay meant to them.
One cosplayer named Maddy, who goes by the handle kotone.hime on Instagram, expressed that “Cosplay for me is so meaningful because it lets me feel confident and helps me feel like myself. I have an outlet to express what I love, and afterward, I discovered something to love about who I am outside of cosplay as well.” While Maddy does not attend IC, they are part of the larger online cosplay community.
Sophomore Lourdes Arango, treasurer of ICosplay, shared that “Cosplay is an art form that expresses love for a character and a fandom, and wanting to create that same passion the creator intended for that franchise.”
Overall, cosplay allows individuals to express themselves through a new lens and temporarily embody the characters that mean so much to them. I found that, in general, people cosplay both to show their appreciation for the creators of fandom media and to explore self-expression.
As ICosplay’s‘ president, my goal is and has always been to give a home to others who either call themselves cosplayers or simply enjoy making fandom-related art in general to have a place to come together, talk about their work, and share their craft. My hope is that by the time I graduate from IC, ICosplay will continue to be a safe place for cosplayers to connect and further their work.
