Cosplay in the context of "Wonder Woman"

Science fantasy (abbreviated as sci-fantasy) is a hybrid genre within speculative fiction that simultaneously draws upon or combines tropes and elements from both science fiction and fantasy. In a conventional science fiction story, the world is presented as grounded by the laws of nature and comprehensible by science, while a conventional fantasy story contains mostly supernatural elements that do not obey the scientific laws of the real world. The world of science fantasy, however, is laid out to be scientifically logical and often supplied with hard science–like explanations of any supernatural elements.

During the Golden Age of Science Fiction, science fantasy stories were seen in sharp contrast to the terse, scientifically plausible material that came to dominate mainstream science fiction, typified by the magazine Astounding Science Fiction. Although science fantasy stories at that time were often relegated to the status of children's entertainment, their freedom of imagination and romance proved to be an early major influence on the "New Wave" writers of the 1960s, who became exasperated by the limitations of hard science fiction.

A Madonna impersonator is an entertainer who impersonates American singer-songwriter Madonna. Professional or dedicated Madonna impersonators have existed since at least the mid-1980s, and were sometimes sorted as "tribute acts". As an established artist, Madonna impersonators have seen a notable demand, many of them performing in front of thousands people and visiting several countries in their professional Madonna career as some media outlets have reported. Notable Madonna impersonators include Chris America, Denise Bella Vlasis and Venus D-Lite. Others impressionists have included Madonna in their repertoire, such as Tracey Bell, Charlie Hides and Véronic DiCaire, while Nadya Ginsburg and Alejandra Bogue dedicated Madonna-inspired monologues.

First impersonations on Madonna started with her fans, mainly young female audience when they copied and emulated her no later than 1985, and which were counted by thousands around the world. This phenomenon was later defined as the "Madonna wannabe". Prominent look-alikes contests were made and received press coverage. An example occurred in 1985 led by Macy's and had Andy Warhol and Nina Blackwood among others as judges. The winner gained nationwide briefly fame as "the best Madonna look-alike" according to MTV. Over the years, impersonations on Madonna have been documented among her fandom, through fan conventions, tours, and themed parties among other cultural manifestations, such as competitions and TV shows.

Costume design is the process of selecting or creating clothing for performers. A costume may be designed from scratch or may be designed by combining existing garments. "Costume" may also refer to the style of dress particular to a nation, a social class, or historical period. It is intended to contribute to the fullness of the artistic, visual world which is unique to a particular theatrical or cinematic production. Costumes can denote status, age, or personality of a character, or provide visual interest to a character. Costumes may be for a theater, cinema, musical performance, cosplay, parties, or other events.

A gauntlet is a type of glove that protects the hand and wrist of a combatant. Gauntlets were used particularly in Europe between the early fourteenth century and the early modern period and were often constructed of hardened leather or metal plates.

Gauntlets, which cover the hands, wrists, and sometimes forearms, are not to be confused with bracers, which cover the wrists and forearms but not the hands; bracers are common in medieval and fantasy cosplay.