Cosplay is the act of dressing up as a character (typically from a movie, book, or video game) and embodying that character while in costume. Designs can range from simple to complex, and the costumes themselves can be purchased or handmade, depending on the creator’s preferences and skill (as well as availability for mass-marketed costumes). Even before the rise of cosplay, costumes had been part of human history for centuries, and several theater traditions are known for single-gender casting. In England, men played women’s roles until at least 1660 when the first woman on stage played Desdemona in Othello (Ziegler, Georgianna. “The First English Actresses.” Folger Shakespeare Library, 22 Jan. 2019); Japanese kabuki began with male and female performers but is now performed exclusively by men. In 1913, Japan’s Takarazuka Revue began performing lavish shows by an all-female cast and is still popular today. Outside of theater, costume parties such as masquerades (or “fancy dress” in Britain) have been common in various European countries since the 15th century (“Discover the History of Cosplay.” Bunka Japan, 30 May 2021).

The first documented “cosplay”—then called “costuming”—was in 1908, “when Mr. and Mrs. William Fell, a Cincinnati, Ohio couple, attended a masquerade ball in costumes depicting Mr.