I have found a similar topic on cosplay.com, so i think it is worth to ask you the same question on this forum. As i have understood, there are many cosplayers that go on a diet in order to look more like Mana/other jrockers/anime. Do you think it is worth to do that? Have you ever tried to do this? Or do you think it is a nonsense? It would be nice to share our opinions and experience.

That sounds really ridiculous to me and kinda tragic.

I really think people should choose cosplays that works with there body over dieting for one that may not suit them. Dieting isn't exactly a good thing.

However i do fully support people who decide to lead a healthier lifesyle that was inspired by cosplay (If that makes sense). Dieting for con season then giving up any healthy alteration after after just sounds so....weak to me.

lol cosplay isin't healthy......
mana cosplay -
diet
makeup (bad fer ja skin)
Leather outfits
corsets....

etc... XD

I think dieting is bad in general!
Now working out/running/swimming a few months before a convention is good.
I think that as long as you still lead a healthy lifestyle and don't go overboard, limiting your selection of food is a good way to prep for a con--but not eating or liquid diets will only make you unhappy in the end. x_x

Kinda like bounding your chest to flatten it. It is ok to try restrict the size, but taping them down?! That is kinda too much?

idk i think to alot of people that body size is unrealistic, because alot of people have bigger bones or a different... like... shape. but if it makes you happy... i've done things to change my body, and i know anyone is capable of getting a skinny body, even if it isn't the same as whoever you want to cosplay. but i've lost... probably 30 pounds since i started dieting that i've been able to keep off... thats the thing, when you diet it goes away right away but then if you break down and eat a bunch of junk food it comes back instantly, so it's hard to find a balance between eating enough to stay satisfied and keeping your weight down... thats why i think alot of people struggle.

I think diet is not a bad think when it is healthy. But sometimes people just can't stop doing it... For example, me. When i was 13 i decided i am too fat and i went on diet. When i was 17, my weigh was 49 kg/108 lbs. Then i understood something is bad with me because this weigh is the way too low for me... i am happy now i am healthy but i am on diet again (but it is healthy :P ). But it is not for cosplay. it is for me :D .

Fair enough if it were profession, like models have to diet, but you rarely see professional cosplayers in the west.
Yet, i think if its excessive as it can be like it is with models.... yeah that's bad

I don't really see anything wrong with slimming up for a cosplay.
I guess I'm misunderstanding why everyone sees it as a bad thing, because if you're a little over weight for the cosplay, why not diet just a little bit? I used to do it a couple years ago, but really all I did was eat healthy enough to take off maybe a couple pounds, nothing big. I guess if it was something that was out of control or you're dieting too much when you're already a healthy weight, that wouldn't be good. Otherwise, I don't see anything wrong with just slimming down for some occasion you want to look good for. The main thing is to know your limit and how to do it in a healthy way rather than obsessively trying to cut back.

If it's not too drastic I don't see what's wrong with it. I lost over 65 pounds just to fit Moitié and it was the only thing that drove me to do it.... well aside from not eating for a few months cause of panic attacks but that's another story.... Now I can't eat as much as I used to but the cool thing is when I do feel like eating junk I don't have to worry about it cause I usually end up not eating that much whatever it is.

What I really don't get about dieting is the low fat food. I'm not talking about food that's inherently low fat (fruits, vegetables, tortilla bread, jell-o, homemade jerky etc.) but low fat versions of normal food. The usually add loads of additives to improve the taste and texture and I'm sure all that crap isn't healthy at all... Only thing that has to be low fat for me is milk. Can't stand 3.25% milk! Ewwwwwww!!!!!

i'm agree with Izumi, if you live from cosplay then you must care about doing the most perfect cosplay and be really simmilar in all ways caues it's your job,

but if you are starting a diet just because you want to look like someone else, i think there's something wrong with the self esteem of the person that try that, i think if someone want to start a diet or lose weight that must be only because the person decide it to her/his own health and self welfner (?) , not because he or she could say "i'm too fat to look like Mana", Mana is Mana, me is me and you is you and so everyone, after all a good cosplay is creative work with make up and dress, so the last important thing is the weight.

After all it depends on what are you understanding a cosplay is and what perception you have of your own body,

beauty is relative and it'll always be, Oscar Wilde used to say the fashion is so ephimeral and meaningless that have to change every year or every season.