Cosplay Subculture Definition Essay

Introduction

From a sociological standpoint, a subculture is considered to be a separate cultural framework within a larger and dominant culture. Subcultures are defined according to particular rules, beliefs, and practices (Brym & Lie 2012: 47). One of the instances listed below is related to the subculture of cosplay. Cosplay is described as a combination of subculture and performance art. A lot of cosplayers participate in off-stage role-playing activities that are based on characters from anime, manga, and comic books.

Main text

Cosplay is one of the most imaginative and creative subcultures of our time. It is simply a costume play. Participants create costumes to imitate characters from films, video games, comic books, or even books. In Japan, the activities are becoming more popular and cosplayers dress up not just at events and formal gatherings, but also on a routine.

There are many activities that cosplayers can engage in. The activities that cosplayers can participate in include sewing parties, photo sessions as well as parties, and modeling. In the cosplay subculture, there are numerous activities for the participants to choose from. Because I’m interested in photography, I was a part of photo shoots. This meant that I had to plan the location according to the plot.

The photography sessions were designed to look like comic book characters. This activity requires a joint effort of cosplayers: those who create the costumes, those who design the props, those who model the location of the shoot as well as those who write the script for the role-playing that also takes place on such occasions. It is a huge task to plan these events.

It can be viewed as the art of the performer since it requires a lot of acting to recreate your character and adhere to the storyline. Cosplay is a distinct subculture since it includes a broad spectrum of customs that can be found in costumes. The cosplay subculture also is characterized by a set of values and norms. A sense of community is evident within the group of participants. Additionally, the group effort is appreciated, and focus on the finer points. The process of creating costumes takes an enormous amount of time and effort.

Accuracy and precision are crucial for a costume to look authentic. Cosplay norms are the standard of costumes for events. It may even be considered to be unfit or unconformist to dress in a costume while forgetting about the shoes that match the appearance. Cosplayers share a bond that transcends any distinctions in race, gender as well as physical appearance. The effort and time that is needed to develop and recreate stories about favorite characters from a specific universe are valued by cosplayers.

Symbolic interactionism

Utilizing the theoretical framework of symbolic interaction can be used to further analyze cosplay and its associated activities. From this sociological standpoint, we can analyze the interaction on a micro-level setting, and also understand how the members of a particular subculture attach meaning to particular aspects that are typical of their community’s activities.

Based on the cosplay practice that we have discussed earlier We can observe that cosplayers don’t just respond to specific situations They create a context that permits them to act in a certain way. Cosplayers create the world they live in, through the lens of symbolic interactionism. This is the reason why mutual appreciation and collective effort are crucial.

The cosplayers feel the sense of being part of a community. This is because constructed reality incorporates symbolic elements as well as ways of identifying. The members of this community will be willing to let go of reality to immerse themselves in the world of artificially constructed costume-based play. Costumes serve as symbols and also serve as a foundation to establish relationships between the recreated characters of a given universe.

Cosplay is a vibrant depiction of the universe of symbols. Costume play is a constructed real-world phenomenon that relies on the use of numerous symbolic tools to connect characters. Through the creation of their characters, actors make new friends and become more familiar with each other. They say that these hobbies can make people feel more secure and self-assured This, in turn, results in new social networks and satisfying relationships that are based on shared passions. The interactions with others in the community can affect how you perceive yourself. Therefore, interaction is one of the fundamental elements of symbolic interactionism theory and is a crucial aspect of cosplay.

Conclusion

Sociological imagination helps gain an understanding of costume plays as an art form. According to Mills (1959) that social imagination can help create a connection between social structures and personal difficulties the individual faces. The four levels of social structures surround each member of society. So, personal issues are connected to social aspects at each level of interaction: microstructures mesostructures, macrostructures, and global structures. A micro-level of interactivity in a subculture refers to the microstructures and the sociological imagination. Sociological awareness lets us see ourselves as part of the community and also of specific subcultures.