Quote:
Originally Posted by MMM
But a costume is when you are dressing up to try and be someone else. A tuxedo can be a costume if I am trying to be, say, James Bond.
I don't think the clothes themselves define whether an outfit is a costume or not, but the intentions of the wearer.
Lady Gaga's outrageous outfits are not generally called "costumes" because they help define her own personality.
Therefore if someone dresses in a lolita style, if she is dressing that way as an expression of her personality, I don't think it is fair to call it a "costume".
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I definitely agree from the wearer's perspective. But the wearer and the observer may have completely different perspectives of the same image. For Lady Gaga her attire is her style. For viewers its sometimes more of a costume.
Its not fair, but the term "costume" carries a negative connotation it doesn't always deserve. I will put on something I could not describe as anything but a costume and look quite appropriate to my surroundings. There is nothing wrong with it being a just costume, as long as I don't use the costume to make others believe something is real that is not.
Maybe the negativity arises because some people adopt a costume to fit in with something or someone they have no real understanding of. Some people have no sense of respect or conscience about misrepresenting themselves in real life (as opposed to costuming such as at anime conventions).
Deciding when something moves between the two is very subjective, and heavily affected by the person's own thoughts, feelings and even previous experiences. And as Miss Misa mentioned - extremely hard to explain to others at times.