Did you know it was even possible to major in cosplay? Thanks to an artist from Cherry Hill, N.J. who did just that, there may be all sorts of untapped potential out there for all those art majors who have a flair and a talent for cosplaying as their favorite characters. In an interview with NJ.com, Cori “Lady” Main said she approached the dean at the University of Hartford in Connecticut to create what’s called a “contract major”, which is created by the student and then submitted for approval before being pursued as a course of study.
According to Main, the degree she earned is essentially “a combination of art, performance, and special effects work”, and technically falls under the category of an art major. She creates all of her own costumes herself–in addition to her cosplay as Gozer from Ghostbusters, one of her other favorite cosplays is as Lady Machiko, the female version of The Predator:
Main said that for her, making her own costumes makes the entire experience that much more meaningful. “If you wear a costume and act like the character, you’re in cosplay. But I find it more personal if you make the costume yourself.”
Cosplay has definitely become more of a mainstream, more respected passion for fans who want to pay tribute to their favorite fictional characters–at most conventions these days, the majority of attendees are often in cosplay than not. Main might be one of the first who’s actually got a degree in it, but it’ll be interesting to see just how many cosplayers decide to follow her lead in the future.
(via NJ.com)
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