Once a niche habit relegated to only the most
elite of nerds, and the occasional Halloween,
cosplay has recently taken on a life of its
own.
As genre conventions dedicated to all things
geek grow in number like Tribbles, you can't
swing a lightsaber without hitting a cosplayer.
Many people still don't understand much about
this phenomenon, or the people who participate
in it.
Let's get dressed, peel back the curtain,
and check out some things that everyone gets
wrong about cosplay.
It's geek-exclusive
For an outsider looking in, it's easy to see
why some might think that cosplay is limited
only to the very finest geeks.
Between waiting out the miles of lines just
to get into Comic Con, and the level of detail
on some of the costumes you see, it's easy
to imagine that this is a hardcore, members-only
club.
Even within the cosplay community, there can
be some pushback against the notion of more
casual fans joining in, so the idea of exclusivity
isn't completely unfounded.
It's just totally out of place.
Whether you're in a head-to-toe Batman costume,
batarangs and all, or just The Doctor on casual
Friday, there's room for anyone who wants
to throw on some not-everyday wear, and don't
let anyone tell you otherwise.
It's a fetish thing
As more people than ever are getting into
the cosplay scene, there's more of a focus
than ever before on the sexier side of cosplay,
more or less bleeding over from the hundreds
of 'sexy' Halloween costumes you might see
at your local Spirit every year.
Sexy nurse, sexy anthropologist, sexy toaster
oven.
They've got 'em all.
The idea is fanned by groups like Cosplay
Deviants, who like to show off members dressed
in various revealing costumes.
Collectively, this gives rise to the idea
that everyone into cosplay is very kinky,
and that the whole affair is just a very specialized
form of exhibitionism.
Of course, this isn't true for everybody.
While there are certainly people who like
to show off their bodies, most of the people
involved are simply getting a kick out of
dressing up.
And even if anything carnal IS on their minds,
it usually doesn't work out too well.
Getting down with people in complicated armors
or coated in hotel-room-staining body paint
doesn't work out too well, even when everybody
is ready and willing.
We can guarantee you that it's going to take
Pajama Steampunk Bubble Vader a while to slip
out of that costume.
It's for kids
It's true that a lot of people enter the world
of cosplay when they're in high school, and
sometimes even earlier.
It's also true that young cosplayers have
become the most noticeable group in the community,
because that group is constantly growing.
And what's cuter than a two-foot-tall Predator?
The truth is that many cosplayers never exactly
grow out of it, and they don't have to.
Countless sci-fi heroes are closer to being
octogenarian Obi-Wans than whiny little Luke
Skywalkers, and seeing an age-appropriate
Gandalf, with actual grey hair, is the highlight
of any convention.
So, bring out your William Hartnell Doctors
and your Master Roshis.
You will be welcomed.
It's way too expensive
Every day, more and more vendors are selling
cosplay guns, costumes, and any every highly-specific
accessory you can dream of… and the pricetags
on these imaginary-items-made-real isn't usually cheap.
After all, hours of labor and research usually
go into every inch of every costume.
So, it's not hard to see where the idea that
most cosplayers spend way too much on their
costumes comes from.
"Too much" is obviously very relative, but
a majority of serious cosplayers pride themselves
on doing as much of their own costume fabrication
as possible.
"There's a process to it, because we like
to look the best that we can be.
And we don't wanna look like, "Oh, you got
it out of a Halloween costume store.'"
After all, you're not going to find a sassy,
pink Chewbacca on the rack.
Creative cosplayers can put together incredible
getups for a fraction of the price that a
pre-made costume might cost.
Sure, it takes time, but everyone needs a
hobby.
Even if it's destroying precious childhood
memories by dressing up as a zombie Teletubby.
This isn't even taking into account the people
who get into professional cosplay and make
money from it.
If you're really good, you can be hired to
appear at product launch events and become
an official spokesmodel for the game, which
is what happened with Bioshock Infinite.
For these cosplayers, money spent on a costume
is a career investment.
Some people buy stocks; others just buy stockings.
It's okay to photograph anyone in costume
It's pretty important to remember that even
if someone is dressed up as a fictional character,
there's still a real person inside.
The idea that all cosplayers want their photo
taken at all times, or even have their costume
touched, just because they're dressed up,
is dangerous.
It may be hard to resist a pic of that perfectly
executed Queen Amidala, but use the Force.
And force yourself to be a normal human being.
"Hahah!
What a wonderful novelty photo this will make!"
The plague of unwanted touching gave rise
to an organization called Cosplay Is Not Consent,
which seeks to educate people that, you know,
you should ask people before touching of photographing
them.
Kinda like anyone would.
Pretty obvious stuff, right?
Nerds gonna nerd.
Just ask first.
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