I've seen a lot of pictures and comments lately, that emerged on social media supporting the "nohate" and "cospositiveness" by cosplayers. It says cosplay has no rules, just fun. I don't want to say I don't agree with that idea, BUT I cannot agree with everything, that has been said, because there actually ARE some rules of cosplay:What is cosplay?
Just looking at some definition of cosplay, the word combines "costume" and "play" in its name and involves someone dressed as a character from games, anime, movies, sci-fi, fantasy, that carries similiarities in appearance (clothes, hair, props) and in behaviour (known as roleplay).
"Cosplay is for fun, let everyone cosplay whatever they want."
1) Accurancy of cosplay
If you' re cosplay positive, you can agree everyone can cosplay whatever they want.But if you want to cosplay Wonder Woman, wear glasses because you don't bother to buy lenses or survive without glasses for a while, don't bother to buy a black wig, beacuse you're proud of your blonde curls, don't wear blue skirt, because the local store had only green, don't bother to make headress, because you have both hands left - then you're not doing cosplay, because the level of similarity with Wonder Woman is very low.
This is only one example, that inspired me by looking at the first picture. If you look at the last picture of this article, there is a woman on the fifth one, that wanted to look like iron man apparently, but the level of similarity with iron man is so low, that I'm not sure if it could be called cosplay.
If I take the first picture as inspiration for my next thought, even if you're on a wheelchair, you can use your disability to your advantage and make some epic costumes without interfiering with accurancy and faithfullness of the character just by using your brain and phantasy. Look at the pictures HERE. But simply wonder woman in a wheelchair without an actual idea for the wheelchair itself is already interfiering with the character.
Let's take it from perspective of the definition of cosplay. You have to carry similarities in appearance with the character - this is one of the main RULES of cosplay - Yes, it seems cosplaying has rules after all.
Let's take it from perspective of cosplay contests - the accurancy and dedication to the artwork/character is one of the main things considered by granting points. So of course, you can make your cosplay your way, use your creativity (sometimes there are awesome results!), but you can't expect people recognizing your character, calling your costume "cosplay" or admiring your work in masses. And you have to understand people disappointed with your costume, if you are changing their beloved character too much...
And the changes can envolve "sexying" the costume to show more naked body, simplifying the costume because of inabilities or lack of funds, or just using too much phantasy (but as I said - phantasy can turn things in awesome new creations or on the other side - destory the character completely).
2) Body of a cosplayer
If you' re cosplay positive, you can agree everyone can cosplay whatever they want. 
First you have to think about if you can transform into the character, if you can achieve the first rule - to be similar, to look the same. And if your skin tone is white and you want to cosplay Lucian from League of Legends or Black Panther, you'll need a good makeup, or you will never be so convincing and so similar like the the cosplayers with natural black skin. The same works for your eyes, hair, weight, body type, height, ...If you want to have a nice cosplay and want to look like a character, you have to choose your cosplay wisely, think of your body weaknesses or adjustments, that would be necessary. You just have to choose the cosplay to ideally look (and behave) like you, to suit you.
For example, I'm quite high for a girl, i have black eyes, black long hair and "curvy-muscular" body. I am a serious person and love dark and strong willed chars. What character should I choose? Vayne from LoL or Lux from LoL? Yes, whatever I want - but for Lux i would have to buy blond wig, blue lenses, adjust my behaviour to a laughing naive girl and still - because of my rather strong and high body i wouldn't look convincing as Lux. So Vayne it is.
Second reason, why to wisely choose the cosplay corresponding to you and your body type, is just the decency. You have to be aware of your weak spots and hide them and to know your strong spots and show them. These are the rules, that apply the same on the real life and that should be held in cosplay.
For example - you are very curvy/have more kilograms than average/are fat and you are in the choosing of the character - what would you choose - the closefitting half naked cosplay showing your orange skin on the thighs and three tires on your belly, or your proud big breasts in a fitting cleavage and the rest of the body hidden in a sophisticated dress? Simply, if you have more kilos here and there, it's not necessary to show everyone. And the same can be applied on other people too - you don't have to show more (hair, skin, fat, ...) than is necessary, especially if it is not regarded as desirable for your character.
I didn't really wanted to post some example pictures, but if you look at the worldcosplay page of Matsu Sotome, she's really the kind of curvy cosplayer, that can choose a fitting costume and knows how to wear it, showing only her strong spots! (On the picture as Ursula from The Little Mermaid)
3) Cosplay borders
The cosplay has no borders like your imagination.Yes, but there are some borders between cosplay and bodypaint and halloween costume, ...
As you can see on the picture, the first on is a body painted model holding a helmet. I wouldn't look into if it is or isn't a cosplay, but I doubt she would spend a day on a con as a cosplayer, take part in a cosplay competition, or she would be let to go on some lectures with smaller children. But I consider it a piece of art and if someone calls it a cosplay, I wouldn't argue with him over that matter.
The second and third picture are halloween costumes. I think the cosplay and the halloween costume can merge together in some points, but they have a lot of own specifications, that split them. Halloween costume is often bought, dosn't cling to a level of accurancy, represents not only known but unknown characters and is weared only on Halloween. The cosplay on the other side is often made by the wearers, it should resemble or carry similarities with the character, represents only known characters (and their modifications) and is weared on different occasions like cons, gaming events, showcases, but definitely not to some kind of party.
The fourth picture is a example of a money, effort, sweat and tears invested in a great cosplay, fifth picture is already mentioned on the start of this article and the sixth costume should represent the "oversexying" of cosplays I've mentioned before, but it is actually a spot-on cosplay of Ironette - a hostess of Tony Stark. So it seems the one, who made this apparently cosplay-positive picture was the real jerk after all...
And why I've written this? I don't mind people having fun by cosplaying, i love the idea of cosplay positiveness, but if you don't follow the things I've mentioned in this article, you cannot be then offended by people critisising your cosplay, pointing at you at cons or saing they don't like your work. You have to count with it. If you're showing unnecessarly lot of skin, making someone's favourite character slutty, if you' re not decent or your cosplay doesn't resemble the character, don't be surprised, that the reactions on your work are not positive.
There are cosplayers, that are working hard to lose a weight to be able to cosplay something, that are undergoing a lot of uncomfortable things to be as much as similar to the character as they can, just to be proud of their costume and pay a tribute to their favourite character.Be decent, choose your cosplay wisely and try to make it as good as you possibly can - then you can be really proud of it and enjoy the most of fun!
And to be sure everything was understood well, I support invence by cosplayers, I support cosplayers making statements, breaking borders... I just hate these silly cosplay positive pictures, that distort the reality of cosplaying and are saying, that even your poop can be a great cosplay (only if it is Mr. Hankey!)
Have a nice day, cosplayers!
Yours GERMIA
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