The Allure of Cosplay and its Growing Popularity

Are you intrigued by cosplay? Do you like the idea of dressing up as your favorite character and expressing your fandom? Jerkmate takes a close look at what makes cosplay so trendy and popular. Read on to learn more about this international phenomenon that has taken the world by storm.

Short for “costume play,” cosplay refers to dressing up and taking on the persona of your favorite fictional characters, be they from comic books, anime, movies, video games, or novels. The truth is, there’s no set-in-stone definition of what Cosplay means. The term can vary depending on the cosplayer or group of cosplayers and is not limited solely to character-specific costumes. For example, it can merely mean dressing up as a mermaid, police officer, schoolgirl, or anything that comes to your imagination. At its core, cosplay is a way for people to express their fandom. The idea is to have fun, use your imagination, and get creative with costumes. It’s Halloween all year round!

Events like Comic-Con, where adults dress up as fictional characters, have played a large part in the growing popularity of cosplay. Today it has become a worldwide phenomenon, involving people of all ages. In many parts of the world, you’ll find cosplay events out in public. Cities such as Tokyo and Los Angeles are well known for holding cosplay events in the streets. Some Asian towns even have “Cosplay Cafes,” where employees get dressed in costumes for customers’ pleasure and enjoyment.

But cosplay isn’t just about the costumes. Wigs, shoes, weapons, necklaces, headbands, gloves, masks, hats, and other props and accessories are also essential parts of the cosplay niche. Additionally, depending on the participants and context, cosplay can have sexual or nonsexual elements.

Fashion vs. Cosplay

Getting dressed up in different clothes is something we all do. Whether we’re talking about work attire, nightclub outfits, gym clothes, or bathing suits, clothes and costumes are similar in more ways than we imagine. Every day, before leaving our homes, we dress up to play the characters we wish to portray and escape from reality, either to enjoy ourselves or to tend to our responsibilities. 

Take, for example, the ambitious Wall Street trader, decked out in an expensive suit, Italian shoes, and gold watch, giving him or her the confidence to take risks with other people’s money. Or how about the desperate-to-be-cool teenager, who throws on t-shirts of rock bands and gets his nose pierced just to be accepted by peers. 

In other words, getting dressed up and acting out our fantasies isn’t restricted only to Comic-Con nerds. We all do it every day before we step outside the door. Clothes put us in a specific mindset. And, as the saying goes, if you can’t make it, fake it!

Due to the nature of most costumes, which often emphasize women’s assets (mostly her breasts and backside), it’s not uncommon for female cosplayers to receive “special” attention. Naturally, professional cam girls on adult chats will exploit this to their advantage, drawing users with varying fandom interests. When a guy sees a sexy model dressed up as one of his favorite comic book characters, he can’t help but let his mind wander.

These days, cosplay is one of the most popular live sex cam categories–it’s right up there with teens and milfs! Cosplay models know how to dress to impress. More importantly, cosplay is closely related to roleplay, which is one of the biggest attractions offered by adult chat websites. Acting out your wildest fantasies with beautiful women dressed in the cosplay outfits of your favorite characters, many of which you grew up idolizing, even fantasizing about, is a temptation too great to resist. 

GAMER COSPLAY: THE LEGEND OF ZELDA

Like cosplay, video games represent escapism and imagination. Whether you grew up in the 1990s or 2000s, video games have become an integral part of fandom and popular culture. And with the gaming industry expanding in popularity and revenue, countless fans have been motivated to create inspiring cosplay outfits, ranging from simple but cute to worthy of big-budget movie productions.

It’s true: cosplay and video games go together like Link and Zelda, and developers are definitely taking notice. In fact, with costume shows becoming more and more mainstream every year, it’s not surprising that cosplay is now influencing the way video game companies interact with fans and create new games.

Take, for example, The Legend of Zelda, one of the most beloved epic fantasy games of all time, popular with cosplayers all over the world. Princess Zelda, its female protagonist, is undoubtedly one of the sexiest and most gorgeous characters in gaming history. Women love to portray, and guys can’t help but leer at during conventions. It should be no surprise then that the game’s creators make Zelda more attractive with every new title and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Bonus: check out Jewelz Blu's Zelda cosplay and sexy roleplays right here on Jerkmate!

Cosplay and roleplay go hand in hand. In both scenarios, players aim to represent a specific character and bring it to life. While the aim of cosplay is to put on a character’s skin, roleplay concerns itself with bringing out the persona of said character. In the end, we can combine the two terms into one: Costume Roleplaying–the art or practice of assuming the appearance, behavior and discourse of a preferred fictional character.