Ah, the age-old question (pun intended) of whether you’re getting too old to dress up in cosplay. You’re either approaching 30 or past that age. Maybe you feel a bit mature to be dressing up in a costume these days. Or you feel weird cosplaying with a bunch of teenagers at a convention. Or cosplaying Sakura from Naruto doesn’t feel the same as it did 10 years ago. Or you truly think it’s time to move on from this hobby.

Well, let’s get this question out of the way…

Is 30 too old to cosplay? Absolutely Not!

As you get older, you’ll definitely have doubts of whether it’s time to hang up the costume/boots and quit cosplay for good. After all, you’ll have more responsibilities in your life and some characters won’t feel the same cosplaying them now as you did 10-15 years ago. But rest assured that cosplay isn’t going anywhere and that you’re NEVER too old to cosplay!

In this post, I’ll give you 5 reasons why you don’t ever have to worry about getting too old to cosplay. Let’s get started.

1. Being older = more confidence

Being older = more confidence! Photo by 7S Photography. Cosplayer: allure_cosplay.

Is 30 too old to cosplay? When we think of getting older, we tend to only think about our appearance. Yes, we may not look as pretty as we did our 20s. But we also gain a LOT of experience and confidence along the way. If you’ve been cosplaying for a long time, you’ll be far more experienced to know what to do, and have the confidence because you’ve done this so many times. And that in itself is a pretty enjoyable thing about cosplay; being able to dress up without the stress and drama.

Cowbutt Crunchies Cosplay is one of the most popular and talent cosplayers out there! She made a short YouTube video on her 37th birthday, talking about how you’re never too old to cosplay. The video is less than a minute long, but it perfectly sums why getting older is not that big of a deal in the cosplay world.

In the video, she mentions how she’s having more fun creating cosplays now vs what she was making 10 years ago. That makes sense, as your inexperience with costume-making can definitely lead to frustrating moments at times. But when you’re older and more experienced, you have less of that.

2. You’ll be better at cosplay when you’re older

KDA League of Legends Cosplay
The more you cosplay, the better you get at it. That comes naturally as you get older. 🙂 Cosplayer: zhang.mao.mao.cosplay.

This relates to point #1. When you’ve been cosplaying for a very long time, you’re naturally going to get better at it!

Some characters might look different on you in your 20s than say your 30s. But really, a lot of it has to do with your skills and application. That has more importance than your actual age.

So when you’re cosplaying in your 30s and beyond, you’re probably going to look even better than you did in your 20s, despite being “older.” A good example is Kamui Cosplay. When I see her cosplay photos from when she started vs now, her cosplay is 100x better because she’s had the experience and knowledge to make epic costumes now.

Being “old” is a great thing because you’ll be damn good at cosplaying!

3. You have more money to spend on a variety of cosplay projects

Edelgard (Kitsu Cosplay)
When you’re older, you can afford more expensive cosplays like the ones with armor! Cosplayer: kitsu_cosplay. Photo taken by j.a.vilches.

When you’re older, you’re going to have a LOT more money now than when you were in your teens and 20s. And trust me; it makes things much easier to do when it comes to cosplay.

So when you’re older, no more:

  • Having to buy off eBay (or not as often)
  • Sleeping on the floor with 10 other people in a convention hotel room
  • Eating ramen every day (unless you want to)

When you’re older, you’ll have more money to make life easier and more enjoyable, especially when cosplaying. You’ll have the means to fix easy issues that would be difficult when you’re in your 20s having no money at all.

4. Not every con is catered towards a younger audience

Senpai Joker (is 30 too old to cosplay?)
No matter what age you are, Anime conventions always make you feel young. I certainly feel that way!

I feel like there’s a stereotype where Anime conventions are geared towards younger people. And to some extent, it’s true. However, in general conventions are for all ages. Some of the activities are meant for specific age groups. But attendees young and old can attend any convention.

Also, from my experience there are many cosplay conventions that are catered towards an older audience. For example, Anime Central in Chicago has both kid-friendly activities and a huge party scene, especially in the evening. Dragon Con has a much older demographic than usual, catering towards attendees 30 and up. Fan Expo has a wide age range of audience, from kids, teenagers, young adults, parents and even older people!

Since the pandemic started, things have been wonky on the Anime convention scene. But when things get back to normal, you will see even more conventions popping up. So as attendees get older, there will definitely be even more conventions that cater towards an older audience, including you!

5. There are plenty of other opportunities to get involved with cosplay

You can always volunteer at a convention like Anime North and contribute to the community!

Being an attendee cosplaying at a convention is only one part of the scene. If you get bored or tired of cosplaying, you can still become involved in many other ways, including being part of a convention. You can volunteer or join the staff of a cosplay convention. Not only do you get to experience something new, but this allows to still be taking part in the cosplaying world…by helping out with an event.

You can also start doing commissions for other cosplayers who could use your help. Just because you don’t want to cosplay anymore, doesn’t mean you can’t help others do the same. In fact, you can make a good side income by accepting cosplay commissions. Just keep in mind that the more commissions you accept, the more labor and time it takes to do so.

If you are a cosplay expert, you should also consider hosting panels as well! Don’t get me wrong, you can be any age to host a panel. But with age comes experience, so I feel you will have much more to share. 🙂

BONUS – Old people cosplay too, you know?

Gandalf (is 30 too old to cosplay?)
Image by Franck Barske from Pixabay.

Forget the question, is 30 too old to cosplay? There are people even older than that cosplay! Nuff said.

And there you have your questioned answered: Is 30 too old to cosplay? Not at all!

What do you think of all this? Is 30 too old to cosplay for YOU? Let me know in the comments. 🙂

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