They dress up to represent characters from a film, cartoon or comic, such as the Japanese ‘anime’ and ‘manga’, and even a video game. And they spend on average from 113 to 600 euros on their costumes. They’re cosplays. Italian boys and girls are among the world’s number one in this ‘art’ which sometimes worries parents due to the strong involvement of their children. But mothers and fathers “can rest assured. They are boys and girls who cultivate a passion and who, in the process of resembling their favorite characters, develop new friendships and become more self-aware”, explains psychoanalyst Adelia Lucattini a few weeks after important national events – Romics in Rome, Lucca Comics in Tuscany – ‘natural’ stage for these disguises.
“Many kids, considered shy and closed – he continues – have unblocked themselves over time because wearing a costume helps to overcome shyness as it allows them to draw on an inner confidence that they didn’t know they had. Furthermore, by frequenting this environment, they find the energy to build their customs, the strength to leave the protective shell of their home or close circle of friends, broaden their social network, form new relationships. Sharing the same passion brings people together and brings them together, makes them feel like they are part of a lively group, which through a very serious role play, wards off sadness and loneliness, giving moments of intense happiness”.
“Dressing up and playing at being someone else – adds Lucattini – has ancient origins. As happens in the theatre, cosplay is also a vehicle of expression that allows you to play creatively with your own identity. There is no doubt that cosplay offers psychological benefits to those who practice. However, like any activity, in some more fragile adolescents or young people, it can be taken to extremes and become an obsession that does not allow one to escape from character. For many it represents a way to face, in disguise, some negative or sad aspects of their own life and to share them with friends with whom they share the same passion. In everyone it fosters belonging, to a group and to something larger, lasting, stable and organised. It is an internal and external place, a transitional space, in which to make memories present, make one’s dreams come to life, discover personal aptitudes and revitalize desires”.
You choose a character to play, who perhaps has character affinities with your own personality and aspirin values similar to your own. “This aspect is felt a lot in adolescents”, continues Lucattini. “It is known that adolescence is an age in which emotions burst out and creativity acquires its vital autonomy, where the construction of identity is a central process. Cosplay allows you to play with the facets of your own identity: exploring it, comparing it with others, getting to know her better.”
With a strong majority of females (83.3%), with an average age of 24 years and 8 months, Italian cosplayers are present throughout the national territory, with a prevalence of concentration in the north. They participate on average in 5 events a year (above all events such as Romics in Rome, Lucca Comics and Comicoon in Naples) and spend an average of 113 euros to make their costume, but in some cases they incur an expense even higher than 600 euros for the single dress.
2023-09-21 11:59:00
#Italian #boys #Cosplay #champions #psychoanalysts #opinion
