
The first cosplay took place in 1939 - ohjeez
http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/firsts-the-first-cosplay-took-place-at-the-first-ever-con-in-1939
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JasonFruit
Baloney. What about the 18th-century noblewomen dressing as faux milkmaids and
shepherdesses to live out the fantasies of their times' literature? What about
longbows and suits of Lincoln green? Dressing up like characters we love has
been done as long as we've had sufficient leisure to dream.

~~~
thaumasiotes
Sure, _dressing up like characters we love_ has been done since the beginning
of mankind. But _cosplay_ is something different, distinguished primarily by
not having occurred before 1939.

From the excellent [https://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Hanging-Garden-Babylon-
Elusiv...](https://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Hanging-Garden-Babylon-
Elusive/dp/0198728840/) :

> [Nebuchadnezzar] celebrated his prowess by inscribing on two rock faces in
> the Wadi Briza, a ravine in the cedar mountains of Lebanon []. This was the
> region where the legendary Gilgamesh and Enkidu had fought and killed the
> monster Humbaba. Nebuchadnezzar referred to it as a place where he had cut
> down gigantic cedar trees for his temple doors -- implying that he was like
> Gilgamesh. On the surface of the rock he also had scenes carved that showed
> himself grasping a tree, presumably intending to cut it down, and fighting a
> lion, as Gilgamesh had done

~~~
mhd
> But cosplay is something different, distinguished primarily by not having
> occurred before 1939.

That sounds a wee bit circular.

~~~
PhasmaFelis
I think that was sarcasm.

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nine_k
I think the authors have major problems with understanding history. They
claim:

 _I believe that the reason that it is described as the $1,000 costume is that
it features metal supports, which were made from aluminum. During that time
period, the process for refining aluminum was extremely expensive, and
aluminum was more valuable than gold._

In reality, aluminum became cheap early in 20th century:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium#Electrolytic_product...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium#Electrolytic_production)

In 1939, _massive_ amounts of aircraft were produced out of aluminum. It's
like the authors mistake 1939 for 1839.

Since the authors demonstrate such gaping holes in knowledge that are trivial
to check in Wikipedia, this is either complete baloney, or an elaborate prank.

In the latter case, the article is worth reading in search for more easter
eggs like that.

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InclinedPlane
Cosplay is not a new phenomenon, it's just been interpreted through an
exclusively modern lens. The reality is that people having been using costumes
for similar purposes for thousands of years. People put on a costume of
something else because it makes them feel different. People today aren't much
different in their drives and desires than they were in the stone age.

~~~
white-flame
I wouldn't even say that it's about making them feel different, but it's
simply about celebrating something by recreating it themselves, either just to
celebrate it with others, or to expose others to it (plays and such).

