#cosplayinamericav2

[cosplayinamerica]

TEH PRINCESS

“I was first introduced to cosplay without knowing what it was. I wanted to see what the conventions were all about and I wanted an excuse to dress up as one of my favorite childhood video game characters, Princess Peach. So I bought a costume, wore it, and had a wonderful time. And since then I’ve been making my own costumes and attending conventions. I’ve learned a lot from this hobby and the people in the community and it’s a big part of who I’ve become today.” - Teh Princess (New Orleans, LA)

Photo: Cosplay in America

[icemakecosplay]

A cool gift I got and been wanting was the Cosplay In America book by @helloejen which was actually signed by my surprise! Thanks again @animeimpulse for such a cool gift! #cosplayinamericav2 #cosplayinamerica #cosplay #anime #props #crafting

[crystalgem]

Repost @christinatinde_ w/ her mother doing touch-ups. #cosplayinamericav2 #bts #midna #twilightprincess #cosplay Right now my book is 25% off. Link in bio ™@cosplayamerica

[automatonsnapshot]

My collection of Kodak cameras grows yet again thanks to my dads old Super 8 camera from the mid 70's. #automatonsnapshot #cosplayinamerica #cosplayinamericav2 #kodak #camera #super8film #collection

[firecrackerstorm]

EDIT:: Guess who got published in the Cosplay in America v2 book?!!! #cosplayinamericav2 #cosplay

[meahow]

A couple years ago Ejen, aka the author of Cosplay in America, came by and photographed myself, my boyfriend, and my best friend for his new book. Last week we received our copy of the book and here we are posing with our page in it (and our copy of his first book). Also a close up of the page we're on :)

[magetv]

Cosplay in America just dropped that second book! And it is beautiful! Proud that @spncreatives and I had ALMOST made it in there...but ultimately we did not. I have both books... I recommend you get them, too! #cosplayinamericav2 #cosplayisforeveryone #cosplayphotography #pheauxteauxbreauxs

[jasonchau]

#TBT#TBThursday #CosplayInAmericaV2 #SDCC2013 with @cosplayinamerica @kayhettin and @dollwithagun

[cosplayinamerica]

ANIME LOS ANGELES 2013

[cosplayinamerica]

KOREATOWN, LOS ANGELES 2013

This is one of my favorite photos I took while working on the second book.

[cosplayinamerica]

C2E2 2013 (Chicago, IL)

[cosplayinamerica]

KENDRA

Deadpool was one of the first comic book characters that I really connected with. The humor and antics were so funny, and it's one of the only comic series that I collect. Well, I stumbled across the alternate universe timeline and that's when I first saw Lady Deadpool, who's just as awesome and badass!

This was not long before C2E2 and I was dead set on getting that on my list for the convention.I ordered an airsoft gun off Amazon and cut it up/painted it to look like a gun in the comics, ordered a utility belt and made a belt buckle, and ordered all my fabric for the zentai suit.

Time was running out though and I needed some help with things I couldn't do on my own (tracing out lines on the zentai suit base for the black details, eye holes...the important stuff), so along to the con came my sewing machine.

My roomies both helped draw lines, stay up with me while I sewed, and later, glue last minute things on to my feet lol. And it worked! Lady Deadpool was actually functioning and made it to the con floor. It went over really well and was a lot of fun to do.It wasn't the first or last time one of us needed to finish a costume at con.

I grew up in rural Wisconsin without access to much other than the internet. I'd always loved nerdy things and sort of saw costuming from afar, and remember thinking "I wish I could do something like that!". In college, I met one of my good friends Susan who had been cosplaying for a few years at that point, who told me about a local convention. We proceeded to plan our first costumes together (and my first ever) and the rest was history!

[cosplayinamerica]

PHOTO SUITE @ IKKICON 2013

Photographers: @brent.lavelle and @dellfaubus // Cosplayers: @viverra , unkown

[cosplayinamerica]

GRETCHEN

[cosplayinamerica]

OVERLAND PARK, KS 2014

Chuck and his friends from Stillwater, OK traveled to Naka-kon in Kansas. I can’t recall if they left their prop weapons at home or if they were so behind on their cosplay that they figured they would find some when they got here. But Day Zero night we hop into his car and found a dollar store and search for prop guns.

[cosplayinamerica]

LUNA

As a kid I used to make little costumes for the dolls. My parents would always help me make my Halloween costumes from scratch. So I was really crafty from day one. I was energetic and a handful but my parents have always supported my hobbies and choices in life. So when I got into cosplay in middle school they even took me to the fabric shops and asked friends to help me learn how to make what I wanted. Even my father would make me a sword from wood if I needed it.

I have earned so much about myself through cosplay. I was so weak and had such a lack of confidence growing up that at times it hurt me just to wake up in the morning. When I started to cosplay It really helped me meet new people and open up. It was like the costume gave me that little something extra I needed to be myself. If it wasn’t for cosplay I honestly don’t know what my life would be like right now. Its held me back in ways from advancing forward in my life but at the same time its kept me afloat for so many years. cosplay for me is very much a part of my core being.

To me, a convention is family. At times I’ll find a high balcony or overlooking pass and just people watch. I’ll be so happy that everyone is there, just enjoying it. That everyone is being, for a weekend, anything they want to be. To me it is the one of the only times I get to see most of my friends, and I cherish those weekend the most.

At NYCC one year the guy I thought Id marry soon left me for someone else via Facebook. but I got over it and still made my video shoot at 8 am that same day about an hour away. Honestly if it wasn’t for the con and all my friends there helping I would have been a mess but I refused to let anyone stop me from débuting Galacta. Maybe It sounds cold but I had better things to do that day than deal with that break up. And I’m forever grateful to the friends at the convention who helped me champ it through the day even celebrating the con at night.

Today the problem I see is that its just getting so big and unmanageable. I’m happy that more kids feel safe and comfortable coming to events and that theres a big mixing of genres lately. But when you bring so many different people into one place theres bound to be problems. Cosplay shaming because you’re black, chubby, skinny, short, whatever. Its been happening more and more lately. And I don’t see it stopping. Now that cosplay is becoming a slightly mainstream concept, were open to all kinds of hatred. I just hope the we can eventually all come together and realize “oh yeah that’s right were all her for the same thing” as far as the increasing outside influences goes, who knows what will happen.

- Luna Rahzel (Ocean City, NJ)

Photo: Cosplay in America