Why cosplay is bad

It's only to say that any rise in people fleeing reality for fantasy suggests problems with our reality. What's more, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York finds that the underemployment rate for recent college grads — the share working in jobs that typically don't require a college degree — is 46 percent, versus 36 percent for grads in general. And as in Japan, more young adults are living with their parents than before the bubble burst. And perhaps in limbo they will stay, at least without major policy changes in Washington.

This isn't just a Great Recession thing. Economic growth has been historically slow since , with the economy producing more high- and low-wage jobs than middle-wage jobs — what economists call "job polarization.

For everyone else, service jobs — often irregular — with little or no wage growth. Baristas and bartenders with Bachelors degrees — just what Mom always dreamed of for you. Now, this is a future of what might be, not what must be. But that's not where we're heading. Perhaps that's tolerable, if not ideal. As economist Tyler Cowen has put it , "Think of percent [of workers] as human-capital bohemians who don't necessarily have great jobs but do interesting things.

Or spending hours social networking. And, of course, engaging in cosplay mimicry — thanks to an economy that unfortunately is itself looking more and more like something the Japanese know all too well. Skip to header Skip to main content Skip to footer Opinion.

More From James Pethokoukis. The terms cosplay, crossplay, convention, anime, manga, yaoi, catboy, and fangirl are not slang. Cosplay is not a legal requirement. Encouraging such fantasies only encourages more fantasy. Your child will not mature to life in a fantasy world. The real world and the world of fantasy are divergent and in no way identical.

Cosplay stores generally mass produce costumes and sell them at a lower price. Or they can be as expensive as hundreds or even thousands of dollars e. You can cosplay without wigs or contacts. The wigs usually make it more clear that you are a character and not just dressed weirdly. Contacts are the finishing touch. Going without contacts is perfectly fine as a lot of people cannot put them in.

If you want a difference, cosplay is done on any given day of the year. Halloween only has one day. Both are just putting on a costume. And why is it different from wearing a costume? A costume is simply dressing up as a character from a book, movie, game, or anything, really. A costume can be cheap and store-bought, or ambitiously made. Cosplayers do more than simply dress like their favorite characters, though.

To express their creative side and show the depth of their fandom, they also behave and speak like their characters, sometimes acting out their favorite scenes with their friends. When cosplayers compete, they are divided into four levels; hence, the four levels of cosplay. Most commonly these four levels are novice, journeyman, master, and professional. There is no age limit to cosplay. No matter how young or old you are, you can cosplay.

Although, people under 18 should probably stay away from sexy costumes. At least he covered the basics, no? Pinterest image. Yes, there can be such thing as bad cosplay. And it may not be the examples you are probably thinking about. However, putting on a straw hat and some blue shorts does not make me the King of the Pirates.

It just makes me a middle-aged bold guy with a straw hat and blue shorts. Third, see above. Good cosplay is about embodying the character.

Imitating, evoking the character. I said it many times before and it is worth repeating. Cosplaying is about expressing yourself while becoming someone else. When you cosplay, you let your fun and playful side come out. You may be an introvert in real life. When you cosplay, you become the idealized character you are portraying. That is the real beauty of cosplay. Not the outfit, the props, or the make-up. Audience feedback would tell you if you are doing it right or not. Trust the fans.

Take notes. Batman never looked so… not like himself. Photo from Neatorama. Granted, some people treat it like a hobby, others as a lifestyle.