Illustrated Cosplay Dictionary
Hi, many of us are confused by this cosplay terminology or sometimes we don't even know that there are specific names for types of cosplay, that's why I made this “dictionary” with examples from real cosplayers.
I originally published this information in June 2023 on my Instagram profile (in Spanish). When I had the initiative to make the posts, I wanted to include reference photos and I was careful to contact each of the cosplayers you see here and request their permission to use their photos, which is why you will see their Instagram username under each image. In fact, I myself have cosplayed from every category - except furry - I still need to make a furry suit.
Now, the illustrated dictionary:
Crossplay: cosplay of a character of the opposite gender to yours. It is a variation of cosplay where the person adopts all the codes of the opposite gender in a canonical way to represent the character. It can be from “female to male” or from “male to female”, in both cases it is done with respect for the opposite gender.
Gender Bender: Cosplay changing the gender of the character. It is a variant of cosplay that seeks to change the gender of the character by giving it characteristics of the opposite gender. You can do it by changing hair length, costume adjustments or radical changes, but without losing the essence of the character.
Crossover: At the level of series, movies, anime, video games... it is when characters from different stories interact in the same context. Crossover cosplay is the mixture of different characters in a single cosplay. There are no rules, you can mix characters from different stories, franchises, universes, genres, etc. It is completely up to the creativity of the cosplayer. The crossover is also known as a “cosplay mashup.”
Gijinka: is a word in Japanese that means anthropomorphism: attribution of human forms or qualities to what is not human such as animals, objects, plants, etc.
There are gijinkas of inanimate things (like a toothbrush) and the magic is in preserving the basic characteristics of the object, but with a human form.
Many characters in animated series are animals and they cause so much charm that one wants to cosplay them.
Furry: In the furry fandom the suit covers the entire body, even hiding the face of the wearer. They are animals that walk on two legs and may or may not have clothes. Furrys can be cosplay of existing characters or be their own characters.A furry's suit is called a fursuit fur = fursuit = suitFull suits are very expensive and require special treatment when washing due to the fur. It is best to use internal fans with rechargeable batteries because they can be very hot.
Now, tell me, have you done any of these types of cosplay?