Fun Video Asks, "Is Cosplay a Form of Theater?"

Hellboy / Hellgirl cosplay by Alexandra aka Peachpearl309

Now that we’re all home from the orgiastic splendors of Comic-Con, it’s time to have a reasoned discussion about the metaphysical underpinnings of cosplay. Basically, it’s time for liberal arts majors to reach back to their Critical Theory classes to wonder, “Is Cosplay a Form of Theater?” The PBS Idea Channel takes a crack at this one in a fantastic video essay, and for them, the answer (SPOILER!) is a resounding yes. I was going to write a bunch of Humanities 201/Critical Theory 350 level bull about cave paintings and Shakespeare’s As You Like It with a bit of Jane Austen thrown in, but you know what? Just watch the video. It hits all the right notes while being funny and entertaining, and it has gifs and popular memes, whereas my version would be B- level at best. And while you're at it, check out the other Idea Channel videos. They're pretty great.