Holly Rose Swinyard is an accomplished pop-culture journalist and commentator. She’s also responsible for the UK’s top cosplay magazine, The Cosplay Journal. Her latest book, A Guide to Film and TV Cosplay is a detailed account of the cosplay hobby, detailing it’s history and practice. It’s an essential read for anyone looking to get into cosplay. We caught up with Holly to find out more.
Who is A Guide to Television and Film Cosplay for?
Oh, everybody! Anyone who is interested in cosplay, even if your in the early days of getting a sparkle of curiosity about the hobby or have been a lifelong crafter with a hundred costumes under your belt, I’d hope that there would be something to be learned from the book for each and every person who picks it up. Though that’s probably the case for all books!
I think even if you aren’t a big cosplay fan but like pop culture or costume in some way that there’s something in there for you too, I tried to make it as open and inviting as possible. It’s a hobby with so many facets it’s impossible to aim it at any single group in my experience, so why not try and talk to as many people as possible.
How did you get into Cosplay yourself?
Oh golly, that was many moons ago! When I started being interested in pop culture there was really only MCM London (we called it Expo then, ah the old days) but Waterstones bookshops were running these evening events about manga, in conjunction with TokyoPop, that had mini cosplay competitions. I, aged about 14, headed along to one of these and fell in love. All the costumes were amazing, I literally felt like I’d found my tribe seeing what everyone had created. I started chatting with a few folks about my age and they asked me to go to comic con in London with them, and I somehow convinced my parents this was ok, made a costume and went! And the rest of history I guess. I’m still friends with a lot of those folks today, and I still love cosplay just as much as I did on that first day.
Cosplay has been around for quite a long time; why has it become so popular now?
The internet. I think that’s the biggest reason, but technology in general. You can do more, share more, make more now than you ever could. Social media has made celebrities out of cosplayers, just look at Tiktok, the app owes a lot of its early success to cosplayers using it as a platform for their work, as well as Instagram and Twitter which have really allowed people a huge audience to show their work to. Add in the fact that people have access to more materials, more technology (3-D printing and thermoplastics have utterly changed the game for armour and props work), and it’s much more affordable. That and there being a convention almost every weekend so you have a physical space to show off your builds and get pictures, well it’s the perfect storm for cosplay to gain popularity.
What would you say the easiest costumes to make are?
I’m not sure anything is “easy” because it depends on your skill level. Cosplay is about always learning something new, people love leveling up what they can do with each build. Plus each skill is very different from the last; you might pick up sewing easily but struggle with resin casting (I know I do) or love making digital models for 3-D prints but be terrified of hand embroidery. There’s no one thing that’s harder than anything else, just different.
But if you’re just starting out and want to make a cosplay for yourself without having to buy, and learning how to use, a sewing machine or trying your hand at foam armour, then I’d try costumes that use pre-made pieces or more general clothing items which you can modify with paint or a bit of sewing or similar.
What’s the most difficult cosplay challenge you’ve faced?
Personally, I have really struggled getting to grips with foam/thermoplastics. I lean heavily into sewing and for some reason it has been a nightmare trying to learn armour and props work. But I’m getting there! Just got to keep trying!
What are the most popular characters and why?
There’s always the flavour of the season, as with anything. When I started cosplaying everything was Naruto and Kingdom Hearts, then it was Homestuck – you couldn’t move for grey, painted trolls for a few years – and now it’s superheroes and Dungeons and Dragons.
There’s always a lot of Harley Quinns, Spidermen and Deadpools around but with more and more characters appearing the movies and comics people are branching off more. And of course Star Wars will always be present. Who doesn’t love seeing Darth Vader flanked by stormtroopers walking through the con?
As for why they are popular? I don’t really know. I guess it’s the question of why anything is popular. These things hit something in people, find something inside them that chimes with that character and their story. I think the fact that many of the characters that are popular have been part of pop culture for decades, becoming enduring images of stories we love, tells us that people love them. So why not express that love by dressing up as them?
What does the world need to know about Cosplay?
That above everything else, all the likes and the social media hype and the photoshoots and even the costumes themselves, it’s about love. Yeah that’s cheesy but it’s true. People do this because they unashamedly love the characters, the stories, they mean something to each and every person who cosplays. And whether that love is because that story taught you something, or you saw yourself for the first time, or it helped you through hard, dark times in your life, or maybe it just really made you laugh, whatever it is it’s singular and important.
And no, not every single costume you do is going to be so meaningful, sometimes it’s just because it’s really pretty, but at the core of the hobby there is that love.
Wow, that got away with me a bit!
What’s the most important thing you should do at a convention?
Buddy system. Don’t lose your friends and know where to meet up if you do. Cons have the worst phone signal and very few charging points.
Has the community changed as fan culture has grown?
Yeah, it has. There’s definitely more consumption of cosplay from people who don’t do it, which puts pressure on people to create more or put out more content, which is unhealthy for any artform or creative hobby. But there’s also more shared advice, online groups, tutorial videos and the like for people to use for their costumes and learning. Like I said before the internet has allowed for a lot more interaction in cosplay and that can be good or bad.
As a community I feel the core has stayed the same, but there’s just more folks doing it now so that will always mean things a touch different. It’s no longer a small group where everyone knows everyone, but that’s the case with all fan culture.
If you could change one thing about the hobby, what would it be?
Oof, that’s a toughy. I’d definitely get rid of the pressure to make new things all the time, that can be very hard to deal with, and I think I’d like people to put health in all forms above the hobby. It can be all engrossing sometimes and people push themselves too hard. Look after yourselves, please.
How do you deal with costume crunch?
It’s been a while since I have crunched (New York Comic Con 2019 to exact) and that’s partly due to the pandemonium that we’re having but also because, as I said, I form it was doing no good for my health, physically or mentally.
I made a rule with myself that if I can’t have something finished three days before the event it is for then I have to stop and wear something else. I’ll pick that costume up again and finish it for another event. There are always other events.
I mean, I say this, I’ll probably break my own rule on multiple occasions now that conventions are back! It’s the thought that counts.
And some silly quick fire questions:
Deathstars or Dragons?
GAH! Depends on the day? Right now, er, Deathstar?
Deadpool or Spider-Man?
Spider-Man, but Miles Morales
Doctor Who or Doctor No?
This is really hard! Doctor Who.
Simpsons or Futurama?
Neither? Is that a crime? I really like Disenchanted, does that count?
Truth or Beauty?
Oh but The Truth Shall Make Ye Fret!
A Guide to Film and TV Cosplay by Holly Swinyard, published by Pen & Sword Books, is available now.
Buy it from AmazonUK | Buy it from Waterstones | Buy it direct from Pen & Sword Books.
