Reintroducing my Cosplay as Safe Hobby again
I'm not going into details as much but it's been around almost 2 years since I'm still recovering from the trauma from the cosplay activity. Leaving the community as a whole and deleting my social media cosplay account has been a great choice, but I still experience panics and flashbacks.
I am much better now, but I'd like to remind myself of many things that got better after leaving Cosplay community for good:
I feel much less FOMO when I'm not attending anime/art conventions. This allows me to focus my time on my craft and art hobbies too
I focus more on art and crafts than the drama. While cosplaying itself is a neutral hobby, but people are now seeing cosplay drama as something "normal". This is not okay at all and my personal value doesn't allign with this
I am still reusing my costume over and over, and not buying new ones every new character skins
The idea of cosplay is not the same as wanting to do it for long. While cosplay has become more accessible to many, it takes a lot of my pocket money still. Just because I like the idea of imagining me in a character costume, doesn't mean I have to immediately buy a new costume and wig
I am more mindful with my time and my spending with money now that I have an office job. So basically, I'm connecting more with my body and what I wanted than seeking approval.
I saved way more money than I had cosplay hobby back then.
That being said, I wanted to have this element of "costume theatrical play-like" in addition to my passion project, of "Pasheer and the Lost Middle World". I'm not playing a theatre or film, nor it will be a portfolio piece but I'd like to imagine myself in the latest medieval "rookie soldier/knight" costume I already have when facing the creatures or just be in that world.
Not the most accurate "cosplay" but I really want to have the element of play. Cosplay as a hobby feels more of the costume and presentation, less about the "play". It seems to be expected to be either accurate or "perform" in competition or stage well, but never about "play".
Really, the reason why I first got into cosplay was about roleplay in my costume.
Hopefully I'm able to reintroduce this new form of cosplay hobby or "a play" as a safe one because I don't want to always associate what I love to do, with toxic community.
I hope you enjoy more of my more spontaneous blog post, and I'll see you on the next one!