Rhaethe

The shade of animated uniforms are always a pain to nail down. I try to compare them to references like things we know are a certain color, like "blasters are black", and so forth.

The way many people see it, myself included, is that you are doing charity work while cosplaying. Surely you were drawn to the 501st for the costumes, and not solely for the charity it does? Because you can do charity out of costume. I understand you have a negative view because of some people, but those people are not the sum of the word, and by saying something that could be construed as "cosplay is lesser" is shaming those who work hard, the professionals who also do charity work, the people whose entire lives are centered around it. Costuming is a hobby wherein you make costumes. Cosplay is a hobby wherein you wear those costumes (whether you made them or not) and act a certain way.
 
 
I'm not offended, personally, but I am very defensive of my professional friends who have put so much of their time, money, blood, sweat, and tears into making high quality costumes that they then wear for cosplay - often while doing charity works. Every region is different, and I think that the presence of some very large conventions in my region have certainly helped ease people into the idea of cosplay.
 
But, let's face it - some people join the 501st just so they can dress up and look nice, and hardly take part in charity events at all, and simply go to the conventions so they can look nice and be complimented on. Not everyone is here for the charity works, and not every cosplayer is in it for the attention. This is definitely a two way street that both groups travel.
 
Whether you like the term or not, the idea of it is here to stay, and the word is increasingly seen in mainstream media.
 
The long and short of it is, as was stated previously by myself and some others:
 
Costumers are people who make costumes.
Cosplayers are people who wear costumes.
 
You can be both, or either.
 
If you make your money making costumes, but don't ever dress up in those costumes, you are a (professional) costumer. Costume designers for theaters, Hollywood, television shows, etc - they are all costumers. Not all of them are cosplayers.
 
If you dress up in costumes that you've commissioned from a costumer, and especially if you go around acting and posing as that character, you are a cosplayer. I am sorry to say there really is no other word that is used in today's media to describe it (beyond actor, maybe.)
 
My recommendation? If you don't like being called a cosplayer, then call yourself an actor. If you are going as an original character (as opposed to Darth Vader or Admiral Daala), then it fits well enough.
 
But be prepared for mainstream media to call you a cosplayer, because as the term picks up and spreads further and further out into society, that is what people will associate with someone who dresses up in a costume on any day that isn't Halloween.

Cosplayers at Charity Events
 
More Cosplayers
 
Superheroes at Children's Hospitals
 
 
Actually, a lot of cosplayers not only get invited, but also willingly volunteer. 
 
For example:
 
- Superhero cosplayers at children's hospitals
- Superhero (and other) cosplayers at various Walk for [Charity]'s
- Anime cosplayers at similar events
 
Sure, not all cosplayers get paid (only professionals)... but why is payment so important? Isn't the act of charity what we're really aiming for? Why do we need to paid to show up and represent? 
 
I am proud to be a costumer and a cosplayer. The word does not have any negative meanings. It does not diminish what we do in any way. In fact, cosplay has started to grow such a wonderful association that the word is becoming mainstream and accepted in many circles. 
 
My anime cosplay can serve exactly the same purpose as my 501st. My superhero cosplay would not only be more recognizable by some, but also more accepted than the 501st. And I don't require an invitation, nor do I have to jump through bureaucratic hoops, to show up at a charity event - dressed as, say, Dark Phoenix - to garner more attention for the charity.

As someone who has been exposed to the costuming and cosplay forum (I was a costume design major) for quite a long time, I would like to describe how many of the serious costumers/cosplayers (and the professionals) see it:
 
Costuming is the art and act of creating a costume, usually from scratch, but in some cases by putting together modern clothes to create a 'costume'. Costume designers for stage and theater do not always have to create extravagant costumes. Sometimes a costume is just a pair of jeans, a nice shirt, and the accessories. Every movie, every stage production, broadway play, and even circus act has a costume designer. 
 
Cosplay is a bit more specific. It is a mish-mash of the words "costume" and "play". That does not mean that cosplayers don't take it seriously. There are several professional cosplayers out there (Cupcake Cosplay, Yaya Han, etc) who make very high quality, top of the line costume builds. The clothing itself is costume. The act of dressing up and acting as the character you are dressing as is cosplay.
 
The way I see it, the act of making our uniforms, armor, et cetera for the 501st is costuming.
 
However, once we get into character (especially those who are playing specific characters, like Asajj Ventress, or Mara Jade, or Darth Vader) are cosplaying the character. 
 
The words are not interchangeable, but are, in fact, quite symbiotic. I am a costumer, because I design and create costumes; in other words, a costume designer. However, I am also a cosplayer, because when I dress in those costumes, I am taking on the persona of the character I am dressed as.

I have always viewed it as if you are playing a part, in costume, you are cosplaying. If you are only wearing or making a costume, then you are a costumer. But that is just my opinion, and likely to be wrong.