Cosplaying has been a part of the world for over 50 years and has influenced by many books and other sources. The idea of costuming and cosplaying came from 1939, when a 22-year old science fiction enthusiast along with his friend attended the First world science fiction convention appearing in the first Si-fi costumes (Flynn). The pair was dressed in a lively, attention-getting way and "injected a fanciful, imaginary quality into the convention's overly serious nature" (Flynn). After this big first in cosplaying and it only paved the way to bigger and better costumes, and became much more common to dress up in such costumes. Today, cosplaying has several different conventions dedicated to different themes, whether it be anime related or …show more content…
Regardless of the cause, teenagers surely strive to find a place they fit in. Fitting in will always be a challenge for some, so being able to dress up as a favorite character and quite possibly getting photos and such taken in a familiar place can be confidence boosting. An online article explains cosplay and includes first-hand explanations of why some people love to participate in cosplay. One cosplayer said, "the real driving force for me has been self-confidence. I spent many years of my youth feeling awkward, ugly and unwanted by my peers. I hung out with my fellow nerds in school, and while I was accepted there, it wasn’t enough because I wasn’t happy with myself" (qtd. in McIsaac). This person explains that he participates in cosplay in order to feel confident. This cosplayer goes on to say, "Cosplay has helped turn that around. It’s helped me be more comfortable not only with my outward appearance, but more confident emotionally" (qtd. in McIsaac). Clearly, cosplaying helps people with confidence. Not only is cosplaying a good source of such things as confidence, but it is also great at other things,