Editing Cosplay (section)

{{Short description|Type of performance art}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
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[[File:20140118174713IMG 5618 M - Desucon Frostbite 2014 - matiast1 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|Cosplayers at Yukicon 2014, a [[fan convention]] in [[Finland]]]]
[[File:LBCC 2014 - Loki and Friends (15239112498).jpg|thumb|Three cosplayers at the [[Comic book convention|Comic Con]] in [[Long Beach]] 2014, representing a [[Star Trek]] character, the superheroine [[Wonder Woman]] ([[DC Universe]]) and [[supervillain]] [[Loki (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Loki]] ([[Marvel Universe]])]]
'''Cosplay''', a [[blend word]] of "costume play", is an activity and [[performance art]] in which participants called '''cosplayers''' wear [[costume]]s and [[Fashion accessory|fashion accessories]] to represent a specific [[Character (arts)|character]].<ref name="What Would Godzilla Say?"/> Cosplayers often interact to create a [[subculture]], and a broader use of the term "cosplay" applies to any costumed [[role-playing]] in venues apart from the stage. Any entity that lends itself to dramatic interpretation may be taken up as a subject. Favorite sources include [[anime]], [[cartoons]], [[comic books]], [[manga]], [[television show|television series]], [[rock music]] [[concert|performances]], [[video games]],  [[Internet meme|memes]] and in some cases, original characters.  The term has been adopted as slang, often in politics, to mean someone pretending to play a role or take on a personality disingenuously.

Cosplay grew out of the practice of fan costuming at [[science fiction convention]]s, beginning with [[Morojo]]'s "futuristicostumes" created for the [[1st World Science Fiction Convention]] held in [[New York City]] in 1939.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Meet the Woman Who Invented Cosplay |url=https://www.racked.com/2016/5/9/11451408/cosplay-inventor-morojo-myrtle-r-douglas |access-date=2023-03-07 |website=www.racked.com |date=9 May 2016 |language=en |archive-date=24 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231024223516/https://www.racked.com/2016/5/9/11451408/cosplay-inventor-morojo-myrtle-r-douglas |url-status=live }}</ref> The Japanese term {{Nihongo|"cosplay"|コスプレ|kosupure}} was coined in 1984. A rapid growth in the number of people cosplaying as a [[hobby]] since the 1990s has made the phenomenon a significant aspect of [[popular culture]] in [[Japan]], as well as in other parts of East Asia and in the Western world. Cosplay events are common features of [[fan convention]]s, and today there are many dedicated conventions and competitions, as well as [[social network]]s, websites, and other forms of media centered on cosplay activities. Cosplay is very popular among all genders, and it is not unusual to see [[Crossplay (cosplay)|crossplay]], also referred to as gender-bending.

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