LDS Cosplayers and Modesty: The Constant Struggle

Hey everyone! I know, it's been a month, but believe me when I say that I've been overwhelmed with school. Between readings, assignments, presentations, and final projects, I haven't had much down time. But this post is actually related to my folklore project, so if I could get some feedback on this topic, that would be great!

Me dressed as a ninja turtle with a girl dressed as Zelda

So this post is about cosplaying and the struggle that many LDS cosplayers have with modest costuming. I'm sure most of you know about cosplaying, but to give a quick definition: cosplaying is the act of dressing up as a character from a known TV show, movie, book, video game, etc. It has a lot to do with popular geek culture. Most people cosplay at comic and anime conventions, so it happens in a specific place.

My folklore class has been focusing on how things are folkloric. Really, the basic idea of folklore is the everyday culture of people, whether it's family traditions or the weird things you and your coworkers do at the office. Folklore focuses on many different things, but I looked at two elements of folklore in cosplay: community and identity. Cosplaying creates a community because it's a type of performance where people from different locations will gather in one place to show off their creativity and love for a fandom to others. It also creates a community online. There are lots of blogs, youtube videos and posts on tips for cosplaying from buying cosplay to making certain elements of a costume. Cosplayers all band together to show their knowledge and help others create their costumes.