Hi guys,

I haven't been particularly active on CI the last few months, due to 3rd year of uni.

I'm doing an art project on Cosplay and would really appreciate it if you guys could answer these questions for me, either post them below or PM me if you don't want everyone to see your answers . I will keep everything strictly confidential no names or personal data will be used, it's just so I have primary research.

Go into as much or as little detail as you want.

Why do you cosplay?

What got you into it?

How old are you?

Are you male or female?

How long have you been cosplaying for?

What is your greatest fear whilst being in costume? i.e costume/prop breaking/tearing

Do you make or buy your costumes?

Do you ever see yourself stopping cosplaying, if so why?

Have you ever had a member of the public/family member or another cosplayer pass a negative remarks towards what you when in costume? i.e saying you look silly/stupid

Do you find cosplay stressful?

Do you prioritise it over other hobbies/aspects of life? i.e staying in to finish a costume instead of hanging out with friends

Do you keep cosplay separate from "normal" life, or do you integrate it? i.e separate facebook accounts.

Again, I really appreciate any help you guys give by answering my questionnare.

Thankyou

Xxx

Why do you cosplay?
It's a creative outlet for me. I enjoy becoming the character and meeting others with similar interests to myself.

What got you into it?
I found out about cosplay when I was doing my GCSE in Textiles. One of the briefs included making costumes and I stumbled across someone wearing a Yuna costume (FFX) soon after I found out that there were actual events for this kind of thing and decided to give it a go.

How old are you?
22

Are you male or female?
female

How long have you been cosplaying for?
7 years

What is your greatest fear whilst being in costume? i.e costume/prop breaking/tearing
That someone will break it or make it dirty.

Do you make or buy your costumes?
A mixture. I like to make them when I can but I have to balance my 'real life' as much as my cosplay life

Do you ever see yourself stopping cosplaying, if so why?
I dont think I would, I love it too much.

Have you ever had a member of the public/family member or another cosplayer pass a negative remarks towards what you when in costume? i.e saying you look silly/stupid
Not to me personally. We (my fiancé and I) have had people try to take pictures of us without our permission though and I had to tell them to back off.

Do you find cosplay stressful?
usually closer to the events or if something doesnt go right. It's usually worth it when I'm in costume at the event though

Do you prioritise it over other hobbies/aspects of life? i.e staying in to finish a costume instead of hanging out with friends
No, I like to balance things.

Do you keep cosplay separate from "normal" life, or do you integrate it? i.e separate facebook accounts.
I like to intergrate it. I dont see the point in hiding it otherwise I wouldn't be myself. If people dont like it or think it's weird then they're not really my friend.

Some really interesting questions in this!

Why do you cosplay?
It's a lot of fun. The community is impartial and accepting, and having other people to share your interests with enthuses your enjoyment. I also love bringing my favorite characters to life.

What got you into it?
Browsing pictures of cosplayers, and watching cosplay skits and CMVs on YouTube.

How old are you?
15.

Are you male or female?
Female

How long have you been cosplaying for?
I'm a newbie; I've only been cosplaying for about half a year!

What is your greatest fear whilst being in costume? i.e costume/prop breaking/tearing
I don't really have any fears, but if I was nitpicky I'd say my biggest fear is my costume looking exceptionally frumpy.

Do you make or buy your costumes?
Bit of both.

Do you ever see yourself stopping cosplaying, if so why?
I can't see myself stopping anytime soon... But if I did, it would probably be because my priorities were a bit messed up.

Have you ever had a member of the public/family member or another cosplayer pass a negative remarks towards what you when in costume? i.e saying you look silly/stupid
Not yet! Although when I showed my dad my Miku wig for the first time, he remarked on how "bloody ridiculous" it looked.

Do you find cosplay stressful?
Finding the money to cosplay is stressful. Working on a cosplay with a convention deadline looming is quite panic-inducing too.

Do you prioritize it over other hobbies/aspects of life? i.e staying in to finish a costume instead of hanging out with friends
I prioritize it as a hobby, but not above my religion, which is my main priority. I'm quite introverted, so yes, I would most probably stay in and finish up a costume as opposed to going out socializing!

Do you keep cosplay separate from "normal" life, or do you integrate it? i.e separate facebook accounts.
I try to include it as much as possible in my 'normal' life, to show people that this is what I do and what I enjoy doing; however I don't obsessively bombard my friends with cosplay photos on Facebook; I've got dA for that.
Overall, I show my friends that I do cosplay, but I don't show them the extent of it.

Why do you cosplay?
Hard to answer really. It's fun. I enjoy making costume and I enjoy wearing them

What got you into it?
Never grew out of wearing costumes. I don't know when it became cosplay though

How old are you?
21

Are you male or female?
Female

How long have you been cosplaying for?
Again, I don't know when it became cosplay. I was dressing up as video game characters and such since I was 5

What is your greatest fear whilst being in costume? i.e costume/prop breaking/tearing
Costume or prop breaking/tearing is a massive fear of mine. Also though, when I'm cosplaying a female I'm more self-concious of what people say. Some of the attention you can get is a bit... creepy.

Do you make or buy your costumes?
I make them. In my experience, bought costumes aren't accurate or are ridiculously expensive or both. Safer to make it yourself.

Do you ever see yourself stopping cosplaying, if so why?
Maybe not stop stopping, but going on hiatus so to say. I plan to start university and I don't know what sort of free time I'll have

Have you ever had a member of the public/family member or another cosplayer pass a negative remarks towards what you when in costume? i.e saying you look silly/stupid
As much as my mother says now that she's always been supportive, that's not the case. She's been really harsh in the past, and downright nasty.

Dad's concern comes with money.

I've not experienced any sort of hate in costume from other "geeks/nerds"

Do you find cosplay stressful?
Yes and no. Yes, because I like to do the details on stuff and I'm very critical on my things, but I also find it really relaxing.

Do you prioritise it over other hobbies/aspects of life? i.e staying in to finish a costume instead of hanging out with friends
haha, yeah I do. But then my friends like cosplay too and so I'm often making costumes for them anyway.

Do you keep cosplay separate from "normal" life, or do you integrate it? i.e separate facebook accounts.
No. My FB is what I use for cosplay too. Majority of my friends are geeks/nerds so are just like "oh okay".

Why do you cosplay?
It's just fun to look at an outfit and go "Yep, I want that" then to make it from scratch or piece it together, then walk around in it, meeting friends, talking to other people with the same interests, etc. Plus, as someone who pretty much always wears jeans and tshirts normally, it's nice to dress up in fancy outfits once in a while.

What got you into it?
One of my friends who cosplayedexplained the whole idea to me and I was instantly hooked. I didn't go to my first convention for about a year though, so I just cosplayed round town ^_^'

How old are you?
21

Are you male or female?
Female

How long have you been cosplaying for?
About 6 years, at a guess.

What is your greatest fear whilst being in costume? i.e costume/prop breaking/tearing
Depends on the outfit. Some I've done are so poorly made I do fear they'll break. The fear I pretty much always have is being harrassed for being in costume though.

Do you make or buy your costumes?
Mostly make, but some things like plain tops or trousers I'll buy - it's just cheaper and easier

Do you ever see yourself stopping cosplaying, if so why?
I figure I have to grow out of it sooner or later, but not for a while yet. Maybe when I don't look good in the skimpy anime costumes and can no longer bear the weight of a suit of armour

Have you ever had a member of the public/family member or another cosplayer pass a negative remarks towards what you when in costume? i.e saying you look silly/stupid
Members of the public have all the time. My family is generally very supporting, though my partner's family definitely don't approve and can get quite insulting about it.

Do you find cosplay stressful?
Absolutely. Deadlines, things breaking, forgetting one essential piece, etc - it's a nightmare. The worst was when I came to make something a friend had asked for and started shaking from the stress as it just wasn't going to happen -_- Then again, I will ill and tired at the time, so maybe it was a dumb thing to do

Do you prioritise it over other hobbies/aspects of life? i.e staying in to finish a costume instead of hanging out with friends
Most my friends cosplay, so we often meet up in order to work on costumes XD. Generally though, yes. I'll avoid going out, stop playing video games, etc. I definitely prioritise money for cosplays over money for other stuff.

Do you keep cosplay separate from "normal" life, or do you integrate it? i.e separate facebook accounts.
Well I try not to bring it up too much in front of certain friends and familiy who I know don't really approve of it, but I don't go as far as to hide it.

Why do you cosplay?
Escapism and being able to wear awesome clothes.
Often it's being able to represent that one character you and many love, to see the joy others share for that character when they see you as such a good fit that for a moment reality blurs. I fit into the stereotype tanned guy role; I'm tall with an athletic build; Scar from FMA, Agni from Kuroshitsuji are both representative examples of the major (side) characters that have their own loyal fanbase, and given that I am an ethnic minority it's rare to see anyone like me cosplay the characters I do. My natural advantage makes it all the more fun for me, a hobby where my looks get me praise instead of being an outcast.


What got you into it?
Going to an anime expo. I had almost thought you HAVE to cosplay to go. Oddly enough, that's somewhat the unspoken rule now..

How old are you?
27

Are you male or female?
Male


How long have you been cosplaying for?
On and off for 5 years, heavier for the past two

What is your greatest fear whilst being in costume?
My insecurities about my person being on show.

Do you make or buy your costumes?
75% make, 25% buy

Do you ever see yourself stopping cosplaying, if so why?
Committments to growing up. I have a full time job, a house and I'm a carer for my mother at times, also having a relationship takes two thirds of my weekends per year leaving me with little time to make cosplay, and I do enjoy making rather than buying.

Have you ever had a member of the public/family member or another cosplayer pass a negative remarks towards what you when in costume? It's normal for my younger brother to say I look like a fag in costume, but that's just brother stuff. My family don't know/care.

Do you find cosplay stressful?
For the most part no, I have fun and if I don't I make it fun. Sometimes It's too hot or time is running out or it's taking forever to put something on, but that's my problem that I should have sorted out. I find that there is an increasing amount of people who do find it stressful and making it stressful for others.


Do you prioritise it over other hobbies/aspects of life? No, I work around it. The only thing that takes priority is my family and my girlfriend, both of which don't impact on cosplay.


Do you keep cosplay separate from "normal" life, or do you integrate it? I group friends on FB by Anime&Cosplay friends /work/family/standard friends. I keep those circles seperate, I don't hide anything but rather "manage" it.

Why do you cosplay?

Because it's fun... simply put... I have a laugh, meet new friends, catch up with people who enjoy the same things I do... it's one of the rare times that I can break away from reality and my real world job, which is heavily adult orientated, and just have some fun doing what I love.

What got you into it?

I kept seeing photos from conventions that my friends were going to, and it looked so much fun, that i decided to just throw myself in at the deep end and enjoy it.

How old are you?

30

Are you male or female?

Male

How long have you been cosplaying for?

About a 7 months now.

What is your greatest fear whilst being in costume? i.e costume/prop breaking/tearing.

Props being broken / torn is always high up on the list. Also fans of the show / movie failing to recognise the costume, that would completely suck.

Do you make or buy your costumes?

Buy the bits i need, as close as i can get them, then customise them myself to fit in with the costume. Props, like guns, swords and such, definitely buy.

Do you ever see yourself stopping cosplaying, if so why?

Not for the forseeable future

Have you ever had a member of the public/family member or another cosplayer pass a negative remarks towards what you when in costume? i.e saying you look silly/stupid

Not yet thankfully

Do you find cosplay stressful?

Nope, love it.

Do you prioritise it over other hobbies/aspects of life? i.e staying in to finish a costume instead of hanging out with friends

No, I do it as a hobby. I only really attend 2 events a year, so having them 6 months apart gives me plenty of time to work my hobby around real life.

Do you keep cosplay separate from "normal" life, or do you integrate it?

Integrate it. Same FB, my friends from Cosplay are on the same FB are my friends and family.

Why do you cosplay?

Mostly for the escapism and a way to show an appreciation for a character. It also gives me a means to meet new people and make new friends.

What got you into it?

In 2010 going to our first Amecon my friend and I decided we should cosplay as we'd seen others doing it. Nothing complicated: we did a fairly simple take on Lust and Wrath from FMA. It wasn't until the following year after Ayacon that I started getting hooked on it.

How old are you?

21... Oh, okay then 27.

Are you male or female?

Female

How long have you been cosplaying for?

Seriously a little over a year.

What is your greatest fear whilst being in costume? i.e costume/prop breaking/tearing

That it'll rip apart or that someone will be really condescending about it.

Do you make or buy your costumes?

Make or buy from charity shops and heavilly modify.

Do you ever see yourself stopping cosplaying, if so why?

Right now, no, but I can't predict where I'll be in a few years time.

Have you ever had a member of the public/family member or another cosplayer pass a negative remarks towards what you when in costume? i.e saying you look silly/stupid

Thankfully no but I did have a small child run away in fear when I was wearing yellow contacts on the tube.

Do you find cosplay stressful?

Not usually but when something goes wrong at the last minute the stress sets in.

Do you prioritise it over other hobbies/aspects of life? i.e staying in to finish a costume instead of hanging out with friends

I try to keep a good balance between my hobbies, although given I've been finishing up a doctorate sometimes cosplay has had to take a backseat these past few months.

Do you keep cosplay separate from "normal" life, or do you integrate it? i.e separate facebook accounts.

I don't really talk about it with family but my non-cosplaying friends are all aware of it.

Why do you cosplay?
I enjoy the creativity behind creating the costumes more than the wearing.

What got you into it?
Going to Ayacon and I knew people cosplay for the conventions so I thought why not give it a go.

How old are you?
28

Are you male or female?
Male

How long have you been cosplaying for?
2 years

What is your greatest fear whilst being in costume? i.e costume/prop breaking/tearing
Everything falling to pieces while you're wearing it.

Do you make or buy your costumes?
I try to make as much as possible, as I do cosplay for the creative part rather than wearing I don't really see the point in buying a costume for myself.

Do you ever see yourself stopping cosplaying, if so why?
Probably as I get older it'll peter out but hopefully not anytime soon.

Have you ever had a member of the public/family member or another cosplayer pass a negative remarks towards what you when in costume? i.e saying you look silly/stupid
Not when I've been in ear shot or they'd get some choice words from me. It's for my enjoyment why should someone else slag me off for it to my face. If they do it behind my back, I don't care.

Do you find cosplay stressful?
Yes, very 2 out of 3 costumes have had me staying up all night before going to the con

Do you prioritise it over other hobbies/aspects of life? i.e staying in to finish a costume instead of hanging out with friends
Not really

Do you keep cosplay separate from "normal" life, or do you integrate it? i.e separate facebook accounts.
Generally I keep the two separate to a degree.

Why do you cosplay?
I'm creative - I have to create! I've just always really been drawn to sewing, and I have a real thing for nice dress designs, so cosplay is a way to indulge both of those desires. Plus, someone else once pointed out to me that if you make a costume, even if lots of other people cosplay as the same character, your costume is still the only one in the world quite like it because it's got your own craftsmanship worked into it, if that makes sense. I like that idea!

What got you into it?
I nagged my mum to teach me how to sew so I could make clothes for my dolls, then one Halloween in my early teens I decided I would shun the normal witch or ghost costumes and dress up as Reptile from Mortal Kombat 2 instead. A couple of years later I discovered that conventions and cosplay existed and it's just carried on from there.

How old are you?
Do I really have to say? -_-;

Are you male or female?
Female.

How long have you been cosplaying for?
With Halloween just gone, it's officially 18 years now. Cosplaying at conventions, almost 15 years.

What is your greatest fear whilst being in costume?
Getting hassled by non-convention attendees. I see people travelling to Expo on the tube in full costume (or, indeed, just hanging around Central London sometimes) and I don't know how they do it. I refuse to leave convention areas while in costume - the most you'll get out of me is a trip to the McDonald's at Minamicon!

Do you make or buy your costumes?
I pretty much always make my costumes. I bought my Luka costume because I wasn't going to have time to make it myself but it just wasn't as much fun! Making costumes myself gives me challenges to overcome and allows me to watch something coming together, plus it feels nicer if someone compliments your costume and you can say you made it yourself.

Do you ever see yourself stopping cosplaying, if so why?
I've slowed down recently as I don't have the time or money to cosplay as often as I'd like. I imagine I'll stop completely eventually (probably when I run out of age-appropriate characters to cosplay as) but I don't see that happening for a while.

Have you ever had a member of the public/family member or another cosplayer pass a negative remarks towards what you when in costume?
My sister looked at a not-very-good photo of me once, didn't realise it was me, and said I looked fat >_<

Other than that, not really. Like I've said above, I don't leave convention areas while in costume if I can avoid it, and people at conventions don't tend to be the sort to come up to you and say nasty things in my experience. Someone came up to me while I was in my Ririn costume and said they hated my character but my costume looked nice, that's probably the worst I've had.

Do you find cosplay stressful?
When it's close to a con that I'm going to, yes! But that's because I'm bad at time management. I actually find cosplay rather relaxing when I'm not rushing - a few years ago I was working in a very stressful job, and it was very soothing to come home, stick the TV on and run my costume project at the time through the sewing machine.

Do you prioritise it over other hobbies/aspects of life?
Not really. My other hobbies are considerably less involved than cosplay (playing Xbox or setting up an MTG game don't involve hauling out large pieces of equipment or leaving paraphernalia strewn all over the living room/kitchen table), my uni work is pretty hard-going and my job involves a lot of commuting, so if anything it tends to get de-prioritised when I don't have a con to prepare for!

Do you keep cosplay separate from "normal" life, or do you integrate it?
I didn't use to separate it, but started doing it a few years ago. My personal Facebook is locked down anyway, but my various academic or professional presences online (Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn, my blog) have no links to my more personal stuff (deviantArt, my profiles on Cosplay Island, Cosplay.com or Cure) and vice versa. So hopefully, if someone Googles my real name, all they'll get is professional stuff. I even have two separate sets of name cards - one for keeping in touch with other cosplayers or con attendees, and one for networking at academic conferences!

Why do you cosplay?
I have always loved dressing up ever since I was little. I used to try and persuade my friends to have fancy dress parties so it would give me an excuse to dress up. When I would go to film clubs when I was little I would dress up as characters from the films we would be attending (Princess Leia from Star Wars being my first). I suppose it was just an evolution from that really.

What got you into it?
I said about the dressing up part, and I got into anime and more video-games stuff in secondary school and college. My friends suggested we attend London Expo one year since it was showcasing all the things we liked, and there apparently was this thing called 'cosplay' there. So together we decided for fun we would have a go and dress up to attend Expo. Of course, first cosplays are never amazing, so we were really surprised to see how much work and effort people put into it. The rest, they say, is history.

How old are you?
23

Are you male or female?
Female.

How long have you been cosplaying for?
I first started in 2006, so six years.

What is your greatest fear whilst being in costume?
Maybe something breaking on my costume and not being able to fix it, or something going wrong with the costume (like getting stained or something). Generally silly things. Usually nowadays I've learned so much I believe my costumes are sturdy enough not to break. But making things out of light coloured fabrics or whatever does lead the fear to stains or inconsiderate people not looking where they are going and ruining it by accident. Of course there is the worry of people harassing you in cosplay, but I've never had anything bad said to me in costume. I believe as long as you're not obnoxious people generally just think you're a little bit strange but don't make a fuss.

Do you make or buy your costumes?
I make nearly everything, but that is generally because the outfits I pick are usually obscure or more expensive to buy rather than make from scratch. I learned how to sew from my grandma because I wanted to cosplay a version of Haruhi I hadn't seen anyone else cosplay yet, which was her Fantasy version. At the time, you couldn't buy it online, so my grandma taught me how to sew so I could wear it. I've been teaching myself and improving my skills ever since.

Do you ever see yourself stopping cosplaying, if so why?
Part of the reason I cosplay is to go to conventions and see all my friends there. I suppose I will stop cosplaying when my friends no longer attend conventions. Though I don't see that happening for quite a while.

Have you ever had a member of the public/family member or another cosplayer pass a negative remarks towards what you when in costume?
My family have always been very accepting and accomidating to my hobby. They sometimes think I spend a bit too much money on it, but they know I sell my cosplays I don't wear anymore and sometimes do commissions, which makes them not worry so much. Generally they get pretty excited by it and my dad has always been really helpful when it comes to making props. (I think he secretly enjoys making guns and swords).

As for the general public, I've never had a negative comment said to me. As said, I believe as long as you're not obnoxious or boisterous and being annoying for people in some way, people are generally more curious than anything. I've had children come up to me as Rapunzel asking if I would join their birthday party, random people on the tube asking for a photo, people asking what is going on, etc.etc.

Do you find cosplay stressful?
It depends. I try to manage things properly so there is plenty of time to make outfits so I am not rushed or stressed. But there are always things you can't account for. The sewing machine breaking, running out of fabric. Having to remake pieces, etc.etc. I've been trying to take a step back this year and give myself larger projects to do but not set myself a time limit in which to finish it, so I don't feel pressured to get it done.

Do you prioritise it over other hobbies/aspects of life?
I don't think so. I have more often than not happily dropped cosplays from my list if I don't think I have the time or effort to finish them, while I do my other things in life.

Do you keep cosplay separate from "normal" life, or do you integrate it?
Cosplay is a hobby that is part of what I am. I like dressing up, I like sewing and things, so I'm not going to deny that from what I am. I don't go shouting it from the heavens, but while at work if people ask me what I did for the weekend I will tell them I went to a convention and dressed up, etc. If they ask further questions I'll tell them. (Usually it ends up with lots of people coming to me for advice for fancy dress outfits!) My knowledge of costumes and clothes and wardrobe and so on has in fact helped me with quite a few positions at work, since people know I understand these things and have a bit more knowledge than the general person about these things.

Why do you cosplay?

It's my way of showing how much I love a character. I also love the feeling of seeing a cosplay come together, nothing like that feeling of the first time you put the whole completed outfit on together.

What got you into it?

I had seen a few pictures online but when I went to my first London MCM Expo and saw loads of people cosplaying. It looked so much fun and inspired me to join in.

How old are you?

23.

Are you male or female?

Female.

How long have you been cosplaying for?

Around 2 years, but more frequently this past year.

What is your greatest fear whilst being in costume?

That it will get dirty, torn or become irreparable in some way.

Do you make or buy your costumes?

A bit of both. Whenever I can I try to make or edit normal clothing for my costumes but sometimes time or lack of ability lead me to commission or buy.


Do you ever see yourself stopping cosplaying, if so why?


Whilst I have no plans to stop at the moment, I think a time will come when I have to cut back and limit myself due to real life commitments etc I think ageing will also play a part, though I have already picked out a few specific costumes for when I can no longer pull of younger characters XD

Have you ever had a member of the public/family member or another cosplayer pass a negative remarks towards what you when in costume?

My family are very supportive...most of the time...Members of the public have never been down right rude to me but I've had the usual laughs, confused stares and shouts of it's not Halloween etc! As for other cosplayers, thankfully in person the worst I've come across is glares from someone I was wearing the same costume as. However, online I have had a few nasty comments, mostly the generic your fat, ugly, terrible costume etc but you just have to ignore it XD

Do you find cosplay stressful?

I only find it stressful when something is not going to plan and I can't think of a solution, the convention is looming and I'm not done or something hasn't arrived in the post or I'm packing and forever re-going over my costume pieces in case I forget anything.

Do you prioritise it over other hobbies/aspects of life?

Cosplay is my main hobby so nothing really to prioritise it over in that department. I try not to let it become more important than real life though, family, friends and (most of the time) work have to come first. I think I can only remember one of two instances when I have turned down friends to work on a costume and this was two or three days before a convention.

Do you keep cosplay separate from "normal" life, or do you integrate it?

Whilst I don't exactly go shouting from the rooftops that I'm a cosplayer I don't go out of my way to hide it either. I don't tell anyone about it (especially at work) but if they find out of their own accord then I'm not too bothered. If people want to talk about it with me I'm quite happy to explain it etc I don't have separate facebook accounts for cosplay and "normal" life.

Why do you cosplay?
I always wanted to give sewing and making my own clothes a try, but when I discovered cosplay I decided that would be a fun start and since then saw it as a hobby that I can see myself grow and develop over time.

What got you into it?
I was a Final Fantasy addict when I was younger and found so many photos of cosplayers and just desperately wanted to give it a go!

How old are you?
21

Are you male or female?
Female

How long have you been cosplaying for?
Since 2008

What is your greatest fear whilst being in costume? i.e costume/prop breaking/tearing
Rude comments by elitists or those who never try.

Do you make or buy your costumes?
Always made mine. Its more fun and rewarding that way

Do you ever see yourself stopping cosplaying, if so why?
Not anytime soon but maybe if my future career needs more focus.

Have you ever had a member of the public/family member or another cosplayer pass a negative remarks towards what you when in costume? i.e saying you look silly/stupid
Didnt hear what he said but some dude from Kita 3 was being a jerk during the precon.

Do you find cosplay stressful?
It depends how much time there is before the con. I start waaaaaaay in advance so a huge chunk of it is usually done but sometimes it takes forever to find the right items so there is the occasional last minute rush. Otherwise I take my time and try to relax over it.

Do you prioritise it over other hobbies/aspects of life? i.e staying in to finish a costume instead of hanging out with friends
Not really, I tend to start way in advance and cosplay can be done in my spare time and I like seeing my friends. Guess I would if its very close to the con and I have alot left to do.

Do you keep cosplay separate from "normal" life, or do you integrate it? i.e separate facebook accounts.
It depends how the people around me see it. If its a creative bunch I would talk about it but there are times where its best to keep quiet about it. I wont like to sew as a career plan as I would rather keep it as a hobby to look forward to doing when I get a project and do in my free time.

Why do you cosplay?
Sounds obvious, but because it's fun. I need a creative outlet, I like dressing up and showing off, and its a great way to make friends.

What got you into it?
I was interested when I started going to cons in the late 90s, but it wasn't until I was encouraged by my girlfriend and her mates that I though it was something I was capable of doing.

How old are you?
38

Are you male or female?
I reject binary gender

How long have you been cosplaying for?
About two years

What is your greatest fear whilst being in costume? i.e costume/prop breaking/tearing
The costume becoming unusable. Particularly if it would make things very difficult getting to somewhere I could change back to normal clothes, such as several seams splitting.

Do you make or buy your costumes?
I make my costumes, but I tend to modify regular clothes these days as opposed to making completely from scratch.

Do you ever see yourself stopping cosplaying, if so why?
I would only stop if I tired of costuming. Not something I can envision right now.

Have you ever had a member of the public/family member or another cosplayer pass a negative remarks towards what you when in costume? i.e saying you look silly/stupid
Family and friends are supportive. Members of the public have sneered or told me "It's not Halloween yet." But that's about it. I normally have a few witty remarks saved up which tends to catch them off-guard.

Do you find cosplay stressful?
Mostly I'm chilled about my costumes. I might rage at my sewing machine, or the weather (if I need to work outdoors for ventilation), but if the whole thing goes completely wrong, I can just ditch the project and chalk it up to experience.

What is stressful, is being an assistant to someone with a fragile or awkward costume. Particularly if it needs to be kept safe until the Masquerade!

Do you prioritise it over other hobbies/aspects of life? i.e staying in to finish a costume instead of hanging out with friends
Nope. It's just for fun. And I often start projects with plenty of time to spare. I've learned my lesson.

Do you keep cosplay separate from "normal" life, or do you integrate it?
I keep it mostly seperate from work colleagues and less open-minded relatives, but most of my family and friends are aware about my cosplaying, and pester me for pictures after events.

Why do you cosplay? I love making things anyway, almost everything I won is handmade or hand altered by me or someone else! I love becoming the character I dress as, I could never cosplay someone I didn't feel some kind of connection to.

What got you into it? Honestly? Halloween. Since I was a child I never wanted to just be the kid who was dressed as a ghost with a sheet with eyeholes. I always wanted to be Wednesday Addams, the Bride of Frankenstien, the Wicked Witch of the West. As I got older and started hand making my own costumes, I felt the satisfaction of having people come up to me and telling me how good I looked and what a good job I did. This October's MCM Expo was my first time cosplaying properly, and I must have had my picture taken 2-300 times, with people telling me I was one of the best there and not believing me when I said it was all hand made!

How old are you? 27

Are you male or female? female

How long have you been cosplaying for? see above!

What is your greatest fear whilst being in costume? i.e costume/prop breaking/tearing Not being comfortable, or being too hot or cold. My costumes don't break or tear, because I made them, so they are excellant quality. But when I cosplayed as Little Sister I had the cobination of a short dress and tights so I was very cold, doubled with contact lends that affected my vision and hurt my eyes. It's worth it for a good cosplay but it is something that worries me. That, and that the character I picked is too obscure!

Do you make or buy your costumes? Make, always make.

Do you ever see yourself stopping cosplaying, if so why? The only thing that would ever hold me back is finance.

Have you ever had a member of the public/family member or another cosplayer pass a negative remarks towards what you when in costume? i.e saying you look silly/stupid Nope, because I enjoy what I do and I am good at it, there is no need to hide it or feel shame. If anyone has a problem with cosplaying it is because they don't understand why we do it.

Do you find cosplay stressful? The constructing can be stressful when things don't go right. My Loki trousers took well over 40 hours to make and it doesn't show, haha. They got thrown across my living room about a dozen times over the 8 months it took to make that cosplay!

Do you prioritise it over other hobbies/aspects of life? i.e staying in to finish a costume instead of hanging out with friends Oh gods yes, cosplay and art comes first! My boyfriend and I often sit with one of us at the sewing machine and the other looking at reference materials and we are just as happy as if we were out having a romantic meal, lol!
Do you keep cosplay separate from "normal" life, or do you integrate it? i.e separate facebook accounts. Nope, it is part of me and everyone knows it. My collegues ask how my cosplays are going, my family all love it and want to join in, it isn't an issue anywhere.

Why do you cosplay?

I cosplay because I enjoy it. I am a huge fan of anime and manga. The best part is dressing up as your favourite character, and going to events for performing and meeting really nice people. And! buying cute stuff. I also cosplay because its a great hobbie and keeps me entertained haha

What got you into it?
I watched an anime on tv (tokyo mew mew and sailor moon) and well it went from there. I went to expos. I loved manga.

How old are you?
19

Are you male or female?
Female

How long have you been cosplaying for?
Since 2010

What is your greatest fear whilst being in costume? i.e costume/prop breaking/tearing

Erm I think is my costume falling off, and becoming indecent

Do you make or buy your costumes?
I mainly buy them. I have attempted to make one but my skill arent that great

Do you ever see yourself stopping cosplaying, if so why?

One day yes. When I am older. Im not sure what will happen in the future. Ie. Have children/build a career but not any time soon haha

Have you ever had a member of the public/family member or another cosplayer pass a negative remarks towards you when in costume? i.e saying you look silly/stupid

My mum was a little concerned at first BUT she saw how much fun I was having so she then encouraged me to do my best and says I look great so my family are also very supportive of me and what I do.

Other cosplayers. Not really. We all had to begin somewhere but at the moment i havent experienced any cosplayer saying something mean

Do you find cosplay stressful?
Sometimes. I have had a few problems when the wrong wigs have been sent or something coming off

Do you prioritise it over other hobbies/aspects of life? i.e staying in to finish a costume instead of hanging out with friends
No I dont. I tend to spend less time on cosplaying. I have other hobbies such as wakeboarding and I love spending time with friends and my boyfriend

Do you keep cosplay separate from "normal" life, or do you integrate it? i.e separate facebook accounts.

Erm I slightly integrate them and some is sepreate. I haev a group me and my friends have made together, and joined my city cosplay group. But I do keep photos off my personal fb account. I like to display them all in one place

Why do you cosplay?

I've only done it twice, really. The first time I was simply aware of Expo, and jealous of people online who had amazing costumes. I was into furry fandom at the time, so I went as a catgirl. I enjoyed the 'wackiness' of it all. The second time (this year) I did it because I have a real enjoyment of the character I went as.

What got you into it?

This is going to sound silly: Ash Ketchum hats and jackets. When I was about 12 I went to a 'Pokemon Centre', a pop up shop full of Pokemon swag and both me and my brother bought matching Ash hats. We were playing at being Pokemon trainers all the way home, and cosplay has never lost that sense of fun.

How old are you?

24

Are you male or female?

Female

How long have you been cosplaying for?

As I say, two costumes over four years-ish. I reused my first one in the same year I made it.

What is your greatest fear whilst being in costume? i.e costume/prop breaking/tearing

Actually, it's how I actually look to other people. I might think I've worked really hard on something and it looks brilliant, but I worry someone might walk past and think 'Wow, that's a chubby Lady Sif'.

Do you make or buy your costumes?

Made both of mine, but the stress of third year uni this year means I might be buying my one for October 2013 depending on work load.

Do you ever see yourself stopping cosplaying, if so why?

Have you ever had a member of the public/family member or another cosplayer pass a negative remarks towards what you when in costume? i.e saying you look silly/stupid

Do you find cosplay stressful?

Only in that things never seem to go my way because I can't organise properly. There is also the fact that my foam armour kept coming off during this year's Expo and it got to the point of binning it I was so angry at it! If my costume is comfy and sensible then no, it's not stressful.

Do you prioritise it over other hobbies/aspects of life? i.e staying in to finish a costume instead of hanging out with friends

I don't have much of a social life outside of my mortgage payments, uni, my part-time job and a work placement right now, so my costume actually detracted from most other things I have on my plate. I didn't manage to prioritise at all this year! Next year I doubt I'd skip a pub trip to paint a NERF gun, but you never know.

Do you keep cosplay separate from "normal" life, or do you integrate it? i.e separate facebook accounts.

It's totally one with my standard 'life' - it's not something I keep secret, but because I don't do it very often I don't need to.

Hope this help some, good luck on the project.

Why do you cosplay?
i just feel that cosplaying has made me come out of my comfort zone more and ive made lots of new friends who i would consider to be more of a family then my own family. its also cool that i can have a hobby that makes me feel more creative. i personally dont know what i would do if i didnt cosplay

What got you into it?
i was at a yugioh tournament with a couple of friends and they said that they were going to be cosplaying as the 3 sannin from naruto so i asked my mom to make me an hinata hyuga cosplay and since then i have continued to cosplay

How old are you?
18

Are you male or female?
female

How long have you been cosplaying for?
just over 4 years

What is your greatest fear whilst being in costume? i.e costume/prop breaking/tearing
mainly not getting the costumes up to a standard that i like but other small things like the colours not being accurate, not figuring out how to do a certain part of the cosplay

Do you make or buy your costumes?
out of the 10 cosplays i owe/owned i have made/altered them all bar 1 but this is a bleach outfit so i would be able to get my moneys worth. i would never consider buying cosplays in the future unless i either dont have the time or i could not physically make it myself

Do you ever see yourself stopping cosplaying, if so why?
i do eventually wanna stop cosplayng but that may only be because i wanna settle down and have a family which means that cosplaying would be too much to handle. i would die down cosplaying if i had to priotitise what i wanna do over life over it i.e i wanna be a vet nurse eventually which means that i may be in practice at least 3 days a week which may limit the amount of time i can make cosplays in so for those 2 years i will most likely be doing simple cosplays or re-using a lot of cosplays for events and local meets. i have consider quitting in the past but the reasons are in the next question

Have you ever had a member of the public/family member or another cosplayer pass a negative remarks towards what you when in costume? i.e saying you look silly/stupid
family - my mom makes jokes that i look funny and that other people in cosplay look funny but i think she is usually joking about it and i think she is happy that i cosplay i could be out everyday being a college drop out that has no future. my auntie and uncle know i cosplay and attend meets but they dont seem bovered about it

friends- most of my current freinds are cosplayers so that obviously dont mind, my close college friends take an interested in cosplaying but they would never do it themselves i have invited them to local meets but they dont have the time and usually cant make it

public- ive had weird look from the public when i have been to my local cosplay meets but thats just normal. i have had comments about my weight from people on otaku house but i just think that they are jelous personally.

Do you find cosplay stressful?
mainly because i dont have the money to afford to do the cosplays that i want but i also have a tendenancy to leave making cosplays till the last minuite, im getting better at it now

Do you prioritise it over other hobbies/aspects of life? i.e staying in to finish a costume instead of hanging out with friends
i would proratise things that might help me with with my carrer over cosplay but they both seem to overlap sometimes.

Do you keep cosplay separate from "normal" life, or do you integrate it? i.e separate facebook accounts.
nope my middle name on facebook is blackstar so that kinda gives it away and most of my profile pics have been me in cosplay. i dont find the point of making seperate cosplay facebooks just too much effort

Why do you cosplay?
I cosplay because it's a massive confidence boost to meet enthusiastic friends at conventions. I also like it because it's 'weird' and 'different'. I hate the blandness of my everyday life; Cosplaying makes up for the insanity lost!

What got you into it?
I decided to go to a Japanese Convention to meet an online friend. I noticed a lot of people were 'cosplaying' so I jumped on the bandwagon with a cheapo costume. Best decision ever. Period.

How old are you?
Seventeen.

Are you male or female?
Female last time I checked. O_O

How long have you been cosplaying for?
One year, one month! ^^

What is your greatest fear whilst being in costume?
Something visually awful happening, like rips, stains, buttons undoing, or those awkward problems when you get stifling hot in massive conventions. Hugging friends is so awkward! ;^;

Do you make or buy your costumes?
I do all three forms. Buy them straight, make them straight, or buy-and-alter. But I always make it clear which process brought on which cosplay!

Do you ever see yourself stopping cosplaying, if so why?
I dread the day. It's such a lovely hobby. I don't see myself stopping, rather just toning it down a little (Nobody will want to see me as Mew Mew Zakuro when I'm 40.)

Have you ever had a member of the public/family member or another cosplayer pass a negative remarks towards what you when in costume?
Mum rolls her eyes at me and calls me her little freakbag but it's all in good loving jest. I'm surprised how well people in my family have took it!

Do you find cosplay stressful?
Weirdly, no. I'm really laid back. I finish my costumes when I finish 'em, no point rushing for competitions.

Do you prioritise it over other hobbies/aspects of life?
Not over my life. Cosplaying's a nice escape when I'm feeling down in the dumps because of the colourful societies I'm part of. It never goes over my schoolwork, family and important events, but it's a perfect place to retire to when everything sucks/hates me/whinge moan.

Do you keep cosplay separate from "normal" life, or do you integrate it?
I kinda keep dressing up separate; I'd never trawl around the town centre in cosplay, but I chat about it openly in school, with my friends and family, etc. I never shut up on Facebook about it. XD Nothing else happens around here!



I find questionnaires so weirdly fun to do. Hope this is good enough. C:

Why do you cosplay?

Because I when I see a character I love I can't help but imagine what that character would look like IRL. I also enjoy the challenge of it.

What got you into it?
I read an article on TGS in Playstation magazine, then later found out about anime coventions in the UK

How old are you?

HAH over 18

Are you male or female?
Female

How long have you been cosplaying for?
11 years

What is your greatest fear whilst being in costume? i.e costume/prop breaking/tearing
I don't really have any fears?

Do you make or buy your costumes?
Make

Do you ever see yourself stopping cosplaying, if so why?
No, but I will cut it down as I get older since it's a hobby which requires so much time and money poured into it. Maybe I'll just make one costume every one or two years or something. Also right now I can get away with cosplaying almost anyone but as I get older I'll look too old for the majority of characters. I saw a few wrinkly magical girls in Japan and it wasn't pretty!


Have you ever had a member of the public/family member or another cosplayer pass a negative remarks towards what you when in costume? i.e saying you look silly/stupid

In 11 years I think I've only had one bad remark! (from some chavs near Expo) I must be lucky somehow...


Do you find cosplay stressful?

YES. Both making and sometimes even wearing the costume is stressful.

Do you prioritise it over other hobbies/aspects of life? i.e staying in to finish a costume instead of hanging out with friends

Yes, sometimes

Do you keep cosplay separate from "normal" life, or do you integrate it? i.e separate facebook accounts.

Nope, totally integrated

Why do you cosplay?
its fun, a way of letting loose for a weekend and wearing some potentially crazy things, that and its horrendously addictive.

What got you into it?
a friend had been mentioning it to me for quite some time but didn't seem like something I'd want to do but I eventually gave in a rushed together a poor excuse for a costume for a tiny one evening event in our local area. we were some of the only people there that cosplayed but it was so much fun. a year later I went to my first proper con and have been hooked ever since.

How old are you?
23

Are you male or female?
female

How long have you been cosplaying for?
since october 2009

What is your greatest fear whilst being in costume?
mostly its exposing more of myself than I intend or looking terrible, I want to do the character justice and having confidence in yourself and the costume is a big factor in that, if you don't feel that you look good it shows.

Do you make or buy your costumes?
I try to make my costumes, but its mostly just putting things together or buying ones as I haven't the skills to really make anything yet, although I'm gradually building the confidence to try.

Do you ever see yourself stopping cosplaying, if so why?
the main issue would be money, buying costumes/pieces of costume, con tickets, travel, but mostly hotel costs. its a lot of money to fork out on a relatively carefree hobby, but that would only be a temporary pause on my cosplaying habit. I could see myself stopping if I grew out of it but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Have you ever had a member of the public/family member or another cosplayer pass a negative remarks towards what you when in costume?
I've had kids/teenagers try to show off to friends by pointing and laughing, making jokes etc. but it doesn't really faze me, but generally I've not had any negativity towards it.

Do you find cosplay stressful?
particular aspects of it can be very stressful, such as trying to get a costume done in time or being able to afford it. there's also the aspect of elitism and the feeling of pressure that you can sometimes get from some cosplayers on accuracy but I try to just shrug it off.

Do you prioritise it over other hobbies/aspects of life? not really no, if I can't afford to go to a con it bums me out but I don't freak out about it as I know I'll see my con going friends again soon and that it'll be on again next year etc.

Do you keep cosplay separate from "normal" life, or do you integrate it?
it all mixes into one with me, its something I enjoy doing and if people from other aspects of my life don't like it that's there problem, I don't cosplay AT them or anything.

Why do you cosplay?
Escapism, a way of chilling out(while I plan and make it), something to look forward to(cons) and because I really really loved the stuff that I want/wanted to cosplay (Studio Ghibli films mostly!!)

What got you into it?
Saw people cosplaying online, but I do also see it as an extension of dressing up for occasions such as Halloween, parties etc and so I guess I've always wanted to do that as much as I could.

How old are you?
23

Are you male or female?
Female

How long have you been cosplaying for?
About 2years(ish, I had some hiccups at first)

What is your greatest fear whilst being in costume? i.e costume/prop breaking/tearing
Showing my underwear or body parts that I didn't want shown! Also a costume breaking while it's on which is kinda the same thing, it would be worse if I'd put a lot of effort in

Do you make or buy your costumes?
Both, depends on time, money, skill etc, I have a friend who is amazing at making stuff and I'm a noob so I try to do a bit of both
making-I enjoy it but it's not that great
buying- it looks awesome but I missed the fun of making it

Do you ever see yourself stopping cosplaying, if so why?
I may stop when I run out of money, find a new hobby that is better (haven't found one yet!), if I run out of characters to cosplay (at this point I may make up my own things which would be an extension of cosplaying) or to spend more time with people who don't cosplay (my boyfriend, friends who aren't cosplay friends or family)

Have you ever had a member of the public/family member or another cosplayer pass a negative remarks towards what you when in costume? i.e saying you look silly/stupid
yes I got abused a few times in Telford, not in the actual MCM but afterwards (I left my face paint on), they were all men and separate from each other that picked on me and it upset me quite a bit.

Do you find cosplay stressful?
If I give myself too much to do in a short amount of time yes! But I've learnt and try not to do it to myself now!! For some reason I do sleep really badly the night before a con which could be stress but I'm not 100% as I don't feel 'stressed'!

Do you prioritise it over other hobbies/aspects of life? i.e staying in to finish a costume instead of hanging out with friends
Yes to an extent I guess it does take priority because I spent a huge amount of my time looking at cosplay online, planning things and occasionally making things! It would be easy to hide away and make things all day on my own especially as I work and study quite a bit! But I try to do other things, like see friends, read, go on day adventures etc.

Do you keep cosplay separate from "normal" life, or do you integrate it? i.e separate facebook accounts.
It's integrated! I wonder what some people on my facebook account think but hey!

Thankyou everyone who answered it's very much appreciated, all your answers have been very helpful to my project!!

As this is an on going project up until May, if anyone else would like to answer please feel free to! I can always use fresh data!

Much love

Freddie xxx

Why do you cosplay?
To re-create outfits from my favourite games and movies.
What got you into it?
Manga comics.
How old are you?
16

Are you male or female?
Female
How long have you been cosplaying for?
3 years

What is your greatest fear whilst being in costume? i.e costume/prop breaking/tearing
Props being broken.

Do you make or buy your costumes?
Make and buy

Do you ever see yourself stopping cosplaying, if so why?
No

Have you ever had a member of the public/family member or another cosplayer pass a negative remarks towards what you when in costume? i.e saying you look silly/stupid

Yes

Do you find cosplay stressful?

Sometimes

Do you prioritise it over other hobbies/aspects of life? i.e staying in to finish a costume instead of hanging out with friends

Yes

Do you keep cosplay separate from "normal" life, or do you integrate it? i.e separate Facebook accounts ?
No

Why do you cosplay?

It's really really fun, and I like to make something fictional real!

What got you into it?

Seeing photos of cosplayers on Gaiaonline

How old are you?

20

Are you male or female?

Female

How long have you been cosplaying for?

4 and a half years

What is your greatest fear whilst being in costume? i.e costume/prop breaking/tearing

Getting a stain on my costume

Do you make or buy your costumes?

Make most of them, though I have bought a few

Do you ever see yourself stopping cosplaying, if so why?

I highly doubt it!

Have you ever had a member of the public/family member or another cosplayer pass a negative remarks towards what you when in costume? i.e saying you look silly/stupid

Pretty sure I haven't, thankfully

Do you find cosplay stressful?

At times, yes. I have definitely cried over it because of mistakes and how much fabric costs when you make said mistakes

Do you prioritise it over other hobbies/aspects of life? i.e staying in to finish a costume instead of hanging out with friends

I may have once or twice, but in general nope.

Do you keep cosplay separate from "normal" life, or do you integrate it? i.e separate facebook accounts.

I integrate it I guess, I don't have separate accounts or hide my cosplay photos on facebook/anything else.