What makes a good cosplayer?

[WingsToDiscovery]

I see the phrase "he/she is a really good cosplayer" a lot, and I'm wondering as to what constitutes as a good cosplayer. I can understand on the most basic level that when one is starting out, if they have to make all of their own costumes and do make up etc, one could say that they're a good cosplayer because they've put a lot of effort into it.

But once it gets to the corporate level where some of these cosplayers become a "household name" (at least within the cosplaying community), I still hear "he/she is a good cosplayer," and I don't understand it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but by this time they're probably being sponsored to the point that they don't make their costumes, pay for photo shoots, do their own hair/make up and the like. All they do is just pose in the clothing. If you've got the right look and someone gives you all of the materials, I don't understand how cosplaying can be good or bad (once again at a professional level)

[WingsToDiscovery]

I'd actually only considered the Japanese side and not the western side. I can imagine it being harder for a westerner, easily.

It's just I still see people saying "he/she is a good cosplayer" when talking about popular Japanese cosplayers, when I figured (or just knew) that they didn't do any of the work. They just look cute in the outfit.

[joey33]

GOOD cosplayer make his own costume! (not from the store).. and BAD cosplayers are buying costumes from ebay, other stores.. .
...good cosplayer is always friendly,don't need a professional protographer to look good!
I think so.. here it is some good cosplays :

[PockyMePink]

Originally Posted by joey33

GOOD cosplayer make his own costume! (not from the store).. and BAD cosplayers are buying costumes from ebay, other stores.. .
...good cosplayer is always friendly,don't need a professional protographer to look good!
I think so.. here it is some good cosplays :

Unless you have proof that all of these cosplayers made their own costumes, then you're contradicting yourself.

All but one of these photos were taken by a professional photographer and probably are heavily photoshopped. Unless you have photos proving that their cosplays still look good outside of the editing and professional photography, again I'm calling contradiction.