Cosplay Overconsumption: You do not Need these Cosplays!

 

            Among the many issues the cosplay community has discussed, cosplay overconsumption is a topic that is really interesting to me because I can see myself contributing to it. Not only do I see myself contributing to it, but I also see some of my close cosplay friends, too. The cosplay community has definitely changed over the years into a more beauty competition space rather than a hobby space, not saying that there aren't people in the community who still treat it as a hobby, because me too! But it is really hard to keep up with community trends, especially since I am a college student and work part-time. Anyway, in my little blog for today, I am going to be discussing my view on cosplay overconsumption and how I'm able to not let the pressure of wanting to hop on trends consume me.

Trend Popularity

    The majority of the reasons why people buy so many cosplays at once is to jump on the trend that is popular at the time to get that taste of going viral, which I completely understand. It's rewarding to get so many comments complimenting you and to have so many views, all due to the hard work put into the cosplay posted. But what is done to the cosplay once the trend dies down? Most of the time, it ends up sitting in the back of your closet, and about $100 goes down the drain. 

    It's hard to talk about this topic because it's not easy to tell someone that they don't have to be viral when you, yourself, have gone viral. "Easy for you to say," yeah, man, whatever! It's a valid feeling to want to go viral, but it comes at a cost. Back in 2023, when Genshin Impact was still mainstream, I noticed that my reach was really bad on TikTok, so I thought to myself, "How can I get my reach back?", and my solution was to buy a $110 Genshin cosplay off Amazon, post it, and get my reach back! It did not work out. My reach didn't come back, the cosplay fell apart after 1 wear, and I don't even like Genshin Impact! I wasted $110, all because I wanted to be viral. After that event, I set requirements for myself for when I want to buy a new cosplay. 

    These requirements would include things like: I have to have some knowledge about the media this cosplay is from, it's not too expensive, and will I really wear it? These small requirements are the reasons why I haven't spent over a gazillion dollars on cosplays and why I wear the same 5 cosplays. 

    Don't use this blog as me telling you what you should and shouldn't do with your finances and cosplays, but as just advice being given. If you're having trouble deciding if you want to buy a cosplay, then think back to the requirements I set for myself and possibly use it! At the end of the day, cosplay is a hobby, but it is an expensive hobby, so use your money wisely!