Editing Cosplay (section)

===Costumes===
[[File:Cosplay of Aya Shameimaru Hakurei Shrine Reitaisai in Taiwan 3.jpg|thumb|188px|left|Cosplayer of Aya Shameimaru from [[Touhou Project]] at the [[Touhou Project#Reitaisai|Hakurei Shrine Reitaisai in Taiwan]] 3, 2019]]
[[File:Ciri Cosplay (The Wither 3 Wild Hunt).jpg|thumb|A [[model (person)|model]] cosplaying [[Cirilla|Ciri]], a main character of ''[[The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt]]'']]
[[File:Cosplayers of Monogatari Series at the Nippombashi Street Festa 2014.jpg|thumb|''[[Monogatari (series)|Monogatari]]'' series cosplayers at Nippombashi Street Festa 2014]]

Cosplayers obtain their apparel through many different methods. Manufacturers produce and sell packaged outfits for use in cosplay, with varying levels of quality. These costumes are often sold online, but also can be purchased from dealers at conventions. Japanese manufacturers of cosplay costumes reported a profit of 35&nbsp;billion yen in 2008.<ref name="Hayden2012">{{cite book|author=Craig Hayden|title=The Rhetoric of Soft Power: Public Diplomacy in Global Contexts|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vPYTvqf6fzsC&pg=PA115|year=2012|publisher=Lexington Books|isbn=978-0-7391-4258-5|page=115}}</ref> A number of individuals also work on commission, creating custom costumes, [[Theatrical property|props]], or wigs designed and fitted to the individual. Other cosplayers, who prefer to create their own costumes, still provide a market for individual elements, and various [[raw material]]s, such as unstyled [[wig]]s, hair dye, cloth and sewing notions, [[liquid latex]], [[body paint]], [[costume jewelry]], and prop weapons.

Cosplay represents an act of [[embodied cognition|embodiment]]. Cosplay has been closely linked to the [[Dramaturgy (sociology)|presentation of self]],<ref>{{cite journal|title = Stranger than fiction: Fan identity in cosplay|url = http://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/view/246/230|journal = Transformative Works and Cultures|year = 2011|doi = 10.3983/twc.2011.0246|access-date = 23 November 2015|language = en|last1 = Lamerichs|first1 = Nicolle|volume = 7|doi-access = free|archive-date = 11 December 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201211135552/https://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/view/246/230|url-status = live}}</ref> yet cosplayers' ability to perform is limited by their physical features. The accuracy of a cosplay is judged based on the ability to accurately represent a character through the body, and individual cosplayers frequently are faced by their own "bodily limits"<ref>{{cite web|title = Intersections: Cosplay, Lolita and Gender in Japan and Australia: An Introduction|url = http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue32/galbraith_intro.htm|website = intersections.anu.edu.au|access-date = 23 October 2015|archive-date = 20 July 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200720113351/http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue32/galbraith_intro.htm|url-status = live}}</ref> such as level of attractiveness, body size, and disability<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/14709-Cosplaying-With-A-Disability-Is-Awesome |title=Cosplaying With A Disability Is Awesome &#124; Cosplay Dossier &#124; The Escapist |website=Escapistmagazine.com |date=29 September 2015 |access-date=6 February 2016 |archive-date=30 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930175008/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/14709-Cosplaying-With-A-Disability-Is-Awesome |url-status=dead }}</ref> that often restrict and confine how accurate the cosplay is perceived to be. Authenticity is measured by a cosplayer's individual ability to translate on-screen manifestation to the cosplay itself. Some have argued that cosplay can never be a true representation of the character; instead, it can only be read through the body, and that true embodiment of a character is judged based on nearness to the original character form.<ref>{{cite journal|title = Toward new horizons: Cosplay (re)imagined through the superhero genre, authenticity, and transformation|url = http://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/view/613/502|journal = Transformative Works and Cultures|year = 2015|doi = 10.3983/twc.2015.0613|access-date = 23 November 2015|language = en|last1 = Kirkpatrick|first1 = Ellen|volume = 18|doi-access = free|archive-date = 25 November 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201125062421/https://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/view/613/502|url-status = live}}</ref> Cosplaying can also help some of those with self-esteem problems.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/14746-Power-Girl-and-Ivy-Cosplay-Boost-Self-Esteem |title=Power Girl and Ivy Cosplay Boost Self Esteem &#124; Cosplay Dossier &#124; The Escapist |website=Escapistmagazine.com |date=6 October 2015 |access-date=6 February 2016 |archive-date=7 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151007142344/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/14746-Power-Girl-and-Ivy-Cosplay-Boost-Self-Esteem |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/15005-Cosplay-and-The-Benefits-of-Bravery |title=Cosplay and The Benefits of Bravery &#124; Cosplay Dossier &#124; The Escapist |website=Escapistmagazine.com |date=17 November 2015 |access-date=6 February 2016 |archive-date=18 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118142849/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/cosplaydossier/15005-Cosplay-and-The-Benefits-of-Bravery |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Many cosplayers create their own outfits, referencing images of the characters in the process. In the creation of the outfits, much time is given to detail and qualities, thus the skill of a cosplayer may be measured by how difficult the details of the outfit are and how well they have been replicated. Because of the difficulty of replicating some details and materials, cosplayers often educate themselves in crafting specialties such as [[textiles]], [[sculpture]], [[face paint]], [[fiberglass]], [[fashion design]], [[woodworking]], and other uses of materials in the effort to render the look and texture of a costume accurately.<ref name="Cosplay Costumes at LoveToKnow Costumes"/> Cosplayers often wear wigs in conjunction with their outfit to further improve the resemblance to the character. This is especially necessary for anime and manga or video-game characters who often have unnaturally colored and uniquely styled hair. Simpler outfits may be compensated for their lack of complexity by paying attention to material choice and overall high quality.

To look more like the characters they are portraying, cosplayers might also engage in various forms of [[body modification]]. Cosplayers may opt to change their skin color utilizing make-up to more simulate the race of the character they are adopting.<ref>{{cite web|title = Blacked Out: Discussing cosplay and 'blackface'|url = http://nerdreactor.com/2015/09/29/blacked-out-discussing-cosplay-black-face/|website = Nerd Reactor|date = 29 September 2015|access-date = 22 October 2015|archive-date = 6 December 2017|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171206170230/http://nerdreactor.com/2015/09/29/blacked-out-discussing-cosplay-black-face/|url-status = dead}}</ref> [[Contact lenses]] that match the color of their character's eyes are a common form of this, especially in the case of characters with particularly unique eyes as part of their trademark look. Contact lenses that make the pupil look enlarged to visually echo the large eyes of anime and manga characters are also used.<ref name="Japanese Circle Lens - A Secret Trick for Anime Cosplayers"/> Another form of body modification in which cosplayers engage is to copy any tattoos or special markings their character might have. [[Temporary tattoo]]s, [[permanent marker]], body paint, and in rare cases, permanent tattoos, are all methods used by cosplayers to achieve the desired look. Permanent and temporary [[hair dye]], spray-in [[hair coloring]], and specialized extreme styling products are all used by some cosplayers whose natural hair can achieve the desired hairstyle. It is also commonplace for them to shave off their eyebrows to gain a more accurate look.

Some anime and video game characters have weapons or other accessories that are hard to replicate, and conventions have strict rules regarding those weapons, but most cosplayers engage in some combination of methods to obtain all the items necessary for their costumes; for example, they may commission a prop weapon, sew their own clothing, buy character jewelry from a cosplay accessory manufacturer, or buy a pair of off-the-rack shoes, and modify them to match the desired look.