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after hitting 23 I just feel like an old fart now. I started cosplaying at 21 but still I feel sooo olllld. my last cosplay was just the ouran high school host club school blazer
I'm in my 30's and still cosplaying. I know plenty of cosplayers also over 30 and some even past 40. We're definitely out there.
Based on your post though, it sounds like you might be getting uncomfortable cosplaying younger characters or just feeling out of place at the cons you go too. Anime cons do tend to skew younger than comic and sci-fi cons in my experience.
Simple answer.
No.
Cosplay isn't an age restricted thing. You can cosplay at any age.
If 23 is too old to cosplay, then I guess I should retire since I'm 33 and obviously past my prime.
(The answer is no, it isn't)
38 year old cosplayer checking in.
Having a full time job and money in the bank sure helps when you wanna try something elaborate. :)
Fun fact to all you youngins out there: Cosplay does in fact go on after the age of 25! There is no sudden switch flip that removes cosplay from your life the minute you hit a certain age point. There are *tons* of cosplayers in their 30s, myself included. The only person who gets to decide if you're too old for the hobby is you.
I get that feeling sometimes. At the green room at the first con I entered the masquerade, I was one of the two people who could legally drink. And I know there are older people who cosplay, but they all seem so much better and more... adult, I guess. And I'm here feeling like an old child. XD
26 and never stopping, here. You might feel too "old" at anime-centric cons with their general ageism, but basically every other fandom you will find TONS of people cosplaying past their 20's. Hell, that's when you have actual money and your own space and don't have to answer to parents, so many of us just start getting really good and extravagant at that age. I started when I was 17 and didn't get out of my "mediocre and on a budget" stage til I was 22 and then went to fashion school a year later, like hell I would have quit just as my skills were really improving.
No. There are cosplayers who are in their 50's and 60's, and even 70's. There are also cosplayers in this very forum who are between their 30's and 50's.
I think it may be that the particular con you go to, just has a lot of teens & tweens. (Some of the tweens attending anime cons now are from Middle School or even younger, and this may be why you feel really old. )
Look on the bright side, as an adult, you don't have to worry about the curfew that many cities would implement on the teens, and you can go home as late as you want. (Plus you can rent a car on your own, book a hotel room on your own, and watch all the "R" rated movies you want at the theatres. :D)
If you go to DragonCon, you would be the "baby" or the "kid" at 23, among the many cosplayers there.
So, the answer is "No". 23 is definitely not old.
Yes yes, all these answers are true.
Don't stop cosplaying, if you love doing it don't give it up. Besides, who can really tell how old anyone really is? Some people look a lot younger than their actual age. No one will look at you and say "Oh look they are 23 years old and too old to be doing this." XD
I remember feeling the same thing when I was around that age, now I'll be 28 this month lol
How did you get that idea? Thats a really fine age to be a cosplayer. You (usually) have more independence, more money and more mobility than anyone below 18. And you aren't alone in this age range! The people who grew up with most classic animes, who founded todays popularity of it in Europe and Amerika are today in their 20s and 30s. A convention (26.000 tickets sold) I went to this year did an online survey among the attendies and one of their questions was age...turns out the average age was 24.
And in some cosplay generes its actually common to be older. I'm cosplaying from video games and everyone around me is in their 20s. I would have a hard time finding someone who isn't an adult in that subject.
Of course, there will also be a ton of cosplayers who are younger than you. But with 23 you aren't old. I was 23 when I discovered cosplay ;)
Older cosplayer checking in here; I classify myself as "39 forever" (ie, I'm older than that!) and I haven't stopped. I might well be blessed with not looking my age, but I also don't feel I should suddenly stop enjoying it because I've reached "X" age.
I've read posts like this before which normally question why older cosplayers aren't being responsible and looking after the house/family, etc. Guess what? Plenty of time to still have hobbies :)
I'm having fun with it. I don't mind if other people are younger than me. I pretty much expect it. But there's no age limit on enjoying a fandom.
No 23 is certainly not too old :'D Most cosplayers I see are either in their teens or twenties (and older). I even wouldn't have been mentally able to cosplay as a teen. Like said before, cosplay is for all ages.
If you're into anime, you're likely to find a lot of younger cosplayers but that doesn't mean you're too old. Not at all.
I'll be 23 myself next month, and I'm just beginning with creating my own cosplays.
I'm 31, so, I'm gonna say no. Obviously if you want to be an age match for the char you're going for, you'll need to find older chars, but most people don't care about that. And of course, some people look younger/older then they really are anyways.
If your age is bothering you, cosplay characters that are in your age range. Myself, I typically cosplay older characters, mostly because I can't pass for a kid anymore. In addition, I'm quite tall, so cosplaying someone really young would look awkward. Morpheus, Mace Windu and Future Static are characters that are well over 45, so I feel more comfortable portraying them.
I can kind of see where age might be a factor at an anime convention, where typically, there are a ton of kids, but at comic conventions, there are a great many older cosplayers. If attending anime shows is making you feel old, try changing the venue.