By Valenti Govantes
Medill Reports

At Fan Expo Chicago 2024 in August, roughly 75,000 attendees — from Spider-Men to Catwomen — flocked to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. The unofficial cosplay center was the community zone, which became a headquarters for The Windy City Ghostbusters and its Ecto-1 car. It also served as a base for rebels and stormtroopers from “Star Wars” cosplay group the 501st Legion’s Midwest Garrison.

For cosplayers, every day is Halloween. The holiday represents another opportunity for people to morph into larger-than-life characters, with conventions fulfilling the same purpose.

Fiction and reality blurred as the convention center transformed into a sanctuary of geekdom for the weekend. In the COVID-19 pandemic’s aftermath, other conventions, such as the famous San Diego Comic-Con, are operating at a greater capacity than before. According to Forbes, SDCC featured the return of companies like Marvel Studios to the Hall H stage for panels about upcoming projects. Conventions wouldn’t be as fun as they are without the enthusiasm radiating from the costumes the cosplayers wear, attendees say.

“My favorite thing to photograph is when their passion for the character really comes through, like when I can feel it,” photographer Michael Fye said. “It’s easy to work with people like that because they’re like, ‘I’m here, let’s do this thing.’”

By day, these individuals are like Clark Kent, working their day jobs among the general population. By night, they put on their costumes and become Superman or Wonder Woman. They create or buy what they wear for conventions, parties and meetups. According to Worldmetrics.org, around 18 million people around the globe belong to this community. Most of them are teenagers and adults, including Alyson Tabbitha (1.2 million Instagram followers) and Jessica Nigri (3.7 million followers on the same platform).

“Who would have thought playing dress up would bring so many people together,” Tabbitha wrote in an Instagram post about a video she made of her experiences. “To hear that I’ve inspired you, or introduced you to cosplay, or impacted your life in some positive way… You have no idea how much that means to me.”

 

The secret origins of cosplay and conventions

As academic paper “Halloween in America: Contemporary Customs and Performances” by author Jack Santino states, the iconic tradition of wearing Halloween costumes goes back thousands of years. Dating to sometime around the 5th century in what is now modern Europe, the ancient Celtics celebrated a festival known as Samhain that marked the end of harvest and the beginning of the winter season. During this time, it was believed spirits from beyond would walk the earth, with the Celtics sacrificing their fruits and vegetables and lighting bonfires in return. This belief would evolve into wearing Halloween costumes and trick-or-treating.

According to “Cosplay: A History” by author Andrew Liptak, the Victorian era birthed one of cosplay and conventions’ earliest examples. The Vril-Ya Bazaar, a five-day fundraising event that was themed after a novel named “The Coming Race” by author Edward Bulwer-Lytton, occurred at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1891. Foreshadowing further displays of nerdy dedication decades later, the event united lavishly dressed people in their love for Bulwer-Lytton’s novel.

“Cosplay: A History” also dates more modern instances to 1939, when pop culture fandom pioneer Forrest J. Ackerman and his girlfriend, Myrtle R. Douglas, wore “futuristicostumes,” at The World Science Fiction Convention aka WorldCon in New York. Ackerman is on record saying he and Douglas dressed up because he assumed other attendees would also be dressed up as similar characters.

Websites, like Cosplay in America, have chronicled more experiences from the 1970s to the 2020s. Before Amazon and Etsy, people tried to recreate famous characters’ costumes out of materials like papier mâché and glue. “It was almost like a wild west,” said Ken Seli, the marketing and event manager for Chicago Costume. “I would see people make things out of placemats, cardboard or whatever it was, but it worked out.”

San Diego Comic-Con started in 1970 and expanded into one of the country’s biggest geek culture events by the 21st century. Other famous conventions would follow in its footsteps, including New York Comic Con, Dragon Con, WonderCon and Star Wars Celebration. Judging by their early portrayals in movies and television series, conventions had a dorky appeal, shunned by the public. An episode from “The Simpsons’” 10th season named “Mayored to The Mob” has a scene where extremely nerdy residents attack “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill at Springfield’s Bi-Mon-Sci-Fi Con, turning it into a full-blown riot.

Dressing up for these events would eventually become inseparable from the experience itself. This year alone, cosplayers are appearing at dozens of events as characters from popular television series like “Hazbin Hotel” and “X-Men ‘97.” Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, more commonly known as C2E2, runs the Cosplay Central Crown Championships, which is one of the bigger contests in pop culture event organizer ReedPop’s assortment of events. The line to watch this year’s edition got so long, C2E2’s staff had to cut it off shortly before the competition started.

“C2E2 is like a family reunion,” said Seli, 43.

Beyond being a key part of geek culture and holidays, midnight showings of films, like “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” compels people to dress up as well. Going to these screenings as characters, like Dr. Frank-N-Furter, would evolve into shadow cast screenings. In a shadow cast screening, local performers wear characters’ costumes and act out the film as it plays in the theater. For attendees, it means being part of a subculture where you understand in-jokes and are well-versed in an intellectual property’s lore.

 

Cosplay across geographic and cultural borders

Fans say cosplay brings people and communities together. Imagine you love a character from a cult classic movie, like “The War of the Gargantuas,” and find dozens of others as characters from the same film. Cosplayer Jordan Harper and her husband, fellow cosplayer Michael Damato, who met her through the community, have witnessed moments like this one.

“[Anime Central] had a meetup that was called ‘I don’t think anybody else is doing this,’ and it was for people who went ‘I don’t think anyone else is doing this.’” said Harper, 32. “It was a way to bring them all together, either as obscure characters to have an opportunity to dress up or to find someone that if you think you’re the one, maybe there’s one other person who is the only one.”

Cosplayers also call countries like the U.K., Australia and India their home. “I find a lot of weight is put on American contests,” said Matthew Barry, who’s won cosplay competitions in the U.K and the U.S.

Two of the most popular Chicagoan cosplayers are Abigail and Ace Rago, who have more than 7,000 followers on their Instagram account, @thats.so.cosplay. They usually attend the city’s biggest pop culture conventions: C2E2 and Fan Expo Chicago. Local shops, like Chicago Costume and Fantasy Costumes, are popular vendors at these events.

Outside of these two experiences, Chicago’s community is mostly split among groups, like CosMeetUp Chicago and the Windy City Ghostbusters, the latter of which arranges visits to La Rabida Children’s Hospital and local fundraising events as well. The need for spaces where creators and photographers can interact and hang out inspired CosMeetUp Chicago’s formation.

“Our meetups definitely come with a feeling of welcome,” said Erik Jaworski, CosMeetUp Chicago’s vice chairman. “You probably do have your little cliques of people who are hanging, but the vibes I’ve seen at our meetups are just smiles.”

 

The costs of cosplay

Participants fall into two camps: one that purchases outfits from thrift shops, like Goodwill, and a craftier one that obtains supplies like thread to sew with and cutting tools.

Crafty ones create extremely elaborate dresses, suits, masks, helmets and electronic props from stuff like foam, leather and plastic. To achieve such feats, most of them have workrooms, cluttered with sewing machines, 3D printers and mannequins wearing their in-progress creations. Their expenses range from $600 to more than $1,000.

Most have day jobs, as actors, mental health counselors and corporate executives, but these don’t always cover the immense costs of making the best outfits. They use fundraising websites, like Patreon and Ko-Fi, to better the odds of becoming a character’s splitting image.

“We make screen-accurate things, trying to get as close to the materials of something that was used in a film, show or video game,” fantasy cosplayer Michael Burson said. “But then we also do more interpretive things, so we take a more unique approach designing our own thing based off something that inspires us.”

 

Cosplay and influencer culture

These creators sometimes do influencer-esque activities, like posting a lot of social media content about their newest getups (crafting them or showing them off) or negotiating deals with companies that sell relevant products, including deodorant to prevent being smelly at a convention. Burson, 34, usually promotes products if he feels he could connect them to his target audience.

“They send them to me and then I promote them,” Burson said. “If people use my affiliate code and buy from my affiliate code, I make a little bit of money, but it’s not crazy lucrative.”

They can also become celebrities of sorts. Known for their cosplays of Disney-related characters, like Princess Ariel, Scarlet Witch and Loki, as well as “Harry Potter” characters like Harry, Ron and Hermione, sisters Carmen, Aileen and Samantha Estrada boast more than a combined 90,000 followers between their Instagram accounts. Their success granted them the opportunity to attend the 2022 premiere of “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,” part of the “Harry Potter” franchise.

Besides funny videos and other influencer activities, a major hallmark of cosplayers’ social media presence is the photos they post, where they model what they’re wearing. Photographers, like Jaworski, Joshua Moore and Jermaine Castro, have capitalized on this by taking photos of them in different locations or in conventions.

“I shoot a lot of different things, but as far as the cosplay goes, that’s where I’m able to get creative and do my thing,” said Castro, 44. “It’s about 90% real location, real lights being used and smoke.”

 

Cosplay is not consent

Besides rivalries, accusations of favoritism in contests and blackface instances, recent events, like a sex trafficking bust at San Diego Comic Con 2024, suggest sexual misconduct is still a major issue in the community.

In 2014, New York Comic Con implemented signs around the floor warning attendees that cosplay is not consent. The phrase “cosplay is not consent,” coined in response to women’s sexual assault experiences at conventions, ensures people ask for permission before taking photos of a cosplayer and putting their hands on them. Cosplay is not consent now lives on through various cosplayers’ social media posts, spreading the word about its importance.

 

Why do people cosplay?

So, why do people get into cosplay? It’s for the love of crafting unique looks and influencer opportunities. It’s safe to say one wouldn’t put so much effort, use all kinds of materials and spend up to six months on a cosplay if they didn’t cherish it as a hobby. Even with all the other jobs they might have in society, cosplayers see themselves as just that most of the time.

“Any time at a convention, if I’m not dressed up, I feel like I’m naked,” said Damato, 39.

Besides the passion put into it, is cosplay worth the time and money? Perhaps, one who spends most of their time conceptualizing and creating feels it’s worth it when they win a contest. Indiana-based cosplayer Stephanie Slone has won and been a judge at the Coplay Central Crown Championships in 2023 and 2024, respectively.

“It sounds dorky to say, but because this hobby means so much to me, winning the crown championship in 2023 is one of my top five best experiences of my entire life,” Slone said. “Right up there with getting married and graduating college.”

Most importantly, cosplay provides an escape for people where they can effectively role-play as characters who represent escapist qualities they desire. For example, the weak kid can dress up as the strong guy, and the girl who’s insecure about her appearance can dress up as a woman who basically flaunts her beauty. So, in essence, cosplay is a sort of transformative experience for massive communities out there.

The report “’Cosplay’: Imaginative Self and Performing Identity” by researchers Osmud Rahman, Liu Wing-sun and Brittany Hei-man Cheung states, “Cosplay provides young people with dreams, pleasures, romances, and fantasies that cannot be fulfilled or cannot materialize in their daily lives.” The report focuses on a study of Hong Kong’s cosplay community. The researchers cited supporting views from similar studies in their report.

At Day Two of Fan Expo Chicago, the anticipation built for the Cosplay Craftsmanship Cup. Prior to the event, the day had been the busiest between both so far, with crowded hallways and several panels happening at every hour. Though, this is typical of a Saturday at an average convention. More than a dozen contestants competed in the competition, judged by three of Fan Expo Chicago’s guests. After each contestant walked on stage, the judges announced the following awards: Organizer, Host, Best Novice, Best Journeyman, Best Masters, Most Sustainable and Best in Show.

Seeing the excitement of the crowd inside of the main stage and the contestants’ enthusiasm as they modeled their work showed the importance of the craft to those who endure the time creating the looks and those who witness it in action. Not to mention, they’re set for a lifetime of Halloweens to come.

“As a whole, this was one of the most fun, crazy weekends to date,” said Fan Expo Chicago cosplay organizer Pat Covey on Instagram. “An outstanding competition Saturday, filled with incredible cosplayers, a community I’ve gotten to know over three years that’s so supportive of each other, amazing karaoke after hours with one hell of a group, and surprisingly still have my voice after all of it!”

 

Valenti Govantes is a recent MSJ graduate from Northwestern University’s Medill School.