Checking Your Stitches: The Insane Scrutiny of Cosplay
Guest post by Abby Dark-Star
Recently, it seems like uproar after uproar has erupted concerning the cosplay/costuming hobby. Blogs, articles, and tweets all directed at naming what qualifies individuals as “true” geeks, what is okay to costume as, what are “legitimate” reasons to costume, and of course the ever-present mockery of the hobby. With the popularity of the scene now becoming mainstream, these topics need to be addressed.
First, the outcry about true geeks and what qualifies someone to hold that title. Answering this question is as easy as turning to page 23 in the Almighty Geek Reference Book and referring to section 2.3’s Requisites of Geek Checklist. What? There isn’t an international standard of what qualifies one to be called a geek?
Exactly.
Standards of geek don’t exist. There is no red rope or leveling program. Maybe some people at conventions are just working and not in the culture, but it’s the same concept as any job. Someone who works at a clothing store doesn’t mean they need to have an intense knowledge of the history of Coco Chanel, just what sweater is in style at the moment. Knowing who died in Infinite Crisis and then was reborn in issue… It’s no different. It isn’t up to others to judge why someone can be cosplaying. They may have different interests, be new to the hobby, or perhaps just there. Instead of negative commentary and judging, we should share our hobby, the love of it, and make it a more positive experience.
Next, what can one costume as? I have personally had so many comments directed at myself and friends for doing “sexy” versions of costumes. In fact, I was accused of “butchering the character” when I decided to do my female Spartan costume from Halo. When the costume appeared on Kotaku, the comments just got nastier.
For approximately 82 years, comics has been a male-dominated industry. Even with the influx of female writers and artists recently, sexy is still the standard by which the genre is done. So if women embrace this sexuality and their own, or do something original or creative with a costume, we are now to be championed as sluts and attention-whores? To quote Spock, “illogical.” Girls have many different reasons for wearing a sexy costume. Without knowing her reasoning, it’s unfair to make a determination about any individual.
Consider these comments from the FANgirl post about Slave Leia, a costume that has been used as an example of skimpy attention-whoring:
Wearing skimpy clothing does not automatically mean that a woman (or man, for that matter) is vulnerable or giving up their personal power.
…
Leia refuses to give up her power. She is absolutely sure of who she is and confident in her ability to deal with any situation. Clothing, or lack of it, does not change her fundamental character.
You said it well, FANgirl. Just because a costume is sexy doesn’t mean that the woman or man inside it is a slut, or that a costume gives consent to harassment or worse.
Consider Black Widow, one of the sexiest spies in comics. She is portrayed often wearing skimpy outfits or her suit unzipped in the comics, but I bet if she was real and someone made a comment about her breasts, he or she would probably be on the floor in pain in twenty seconds flat. Or if Thor’s junk got grabbed by someone walking by, I’m pretty sure the result would be a mjolnir splat.
A word of advice to the ladies and gentlemen either wearing that sexy costume, or any costume: own it. Just because you might be showing some skin doesn’t mean you deserve disrespect. You feel confident enough to show that thigh or be in the spandex? Own it.
It’s also important for everyone to remember that just because a person is in costume doesn’t mean they are a professional cosplayer. It may be a person that just wants to have fun; it may be a person who is trying it for the first time. Those cosplayers are just as legitimate as the devoted ones, and they aren’t deserving of any disrespect, male or female. Everyone has a different reason to don a costume, and to judge all of them along one set of criteria is unfair.
Finally, I have to address the mockery of the cosplay scene, both by those in and out of the costuming hobby. The truth is, people are going to judge. The costuming hobby can get called tons of names on a blog by a person who makes fun of us for dressing up, but then goes to scream at a bunch of men in tight pants throwing a ball around. (See what I did there?) The point is, everything we do, in this hobby or not, might be judged.
So each cosplayer has to remember their goals. Why are they in this hobby? Why do they do it? Is that dedication and passion enough to encourage them when people are being hateful? Cruel remarks may hide behind free speech or “this is my opinion,” but let’s call it like what it is: meanness. Meanness can be hurtful and shouldn’t be expected, but it can be handled with reasoning and discussion.
We are not all going to get along all the time. Instead of tearing a person down, why not try the old adage, “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” Sure we all compare, and we all to some degree judge. But there’s no good reason to be mean to another human being?
Those of us who are passionate about the community, who enjoy it, should work to make it a positive place to be the geeks that we are. We’re all here to enjoy the hobby and what we love in it, all for different reasons. Let’s celebrate the awesome costume that someone wears, and if we’re jealous about something ask ourselves why and fix it. If someone is acting snooty, maybe they are just having a bad day. Once a cosplayer I knew was short with me at a con, then a week later sent me a message and apologized; her grandmother had been diagnosed with cancer, and she was having a hard time keeping it together. Let’s be nice, polite, and kind to one another. Talk to one another, not about. Remember that no one is perfect. Sometimes we use bad judgment and make mistakes. Apologies can go a long way in helping to have a positive community environment, and so does forgiveness. Now let’s join hands and sing kumbayah – I mean, have a drink at Dragon*Con.
Abby is a costumer out of the San Francisco Bay Area in California. She got into costuming by way of being a theater geek. Influenced by her stay at home Dad, afternoons were filled with cartoons, comics and old television shows like Battlestar Galactica and Dr. Who. She enjoys passing on the joys that she experienced as a child to people and families at conventions. She enjoys costuming with her other half, Zen, as they work to bring different geek mediums to life.
You can find Abby online on Twitter, Facebook, and her website.
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Nicely done Abby. I really used to enjoy dressing up in costume, but as I have gotten older I have put on weight that simply refuses to go away so I do much less costuming than before. I also was a member of a costuming group that can be quite nasty to other costumers and that too turned me off to actually putting on a costume myself. I still enjoy making costumes for others, but it is important to let everyone enjoy their level of costuming without feeling obligated to do more than they are currently comfortable with. It is important to let it be fun whether a “bathrobe Jedi” or a “walked off the set” version of the costume. We have high enough obligations in our work-a-day world and costuming should continue to be the “great escape from the Mundane.”
Thank you Abby! This was very well written and spells out the issues in cosplaying. I really love the hobby, but haven’t had the courage to really get into it very much. Sometimes the “elitist” make it scary, with crazy unrealistic expectations. Not everyone can sew amazingly(no matter how much “elitist” claim that it;s “easy”) or has a super crafty talent; not to mention the funds that are needed. This is a hobby for crying out loud and should be enjoyed! <3 If someone buys their costume online, they deserve just as much credit for doing research to get the best cosplay and having the energy and courage to rock it!!!
On that note, I did buy a cosplay (alice:madness returns) and an amazing cosplayer asked if she could give me a bit of advice, I answered that I would love her advice. She gave me some ideas on what I could add or tweak to make the cosplay "mine" and I took the advice. I appreciated her encouragement and ideas.
So dear cosplayers, let's share our ideas! Lets all have fun together, even if you don't like a cosplay, don't be nasty about it. Like Thumpers Dad said (bambi quote ^^ ) "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all" (My rents used this one my entire childhood) SORRY FOR THE LONG COMMENT @_@
Well-said, Abby!
After reading an article where a person commenting on it compare a convention to visiting the pope and therefore outlaw fake geeks girls from wearing skimpy outfits for that reasoning alone with those who wish the convention was only males again, this make me feel alot better especially because this was directed to men and women and face the real problem the fact that geeks no longer look like what they used too and people cant handle it. There are others who also say that this is only becuase attractive girls are cosplaying but wjo are you to decide who pretty? What are you media? Im sorry its jsut all this attention is starting to make me not wanna cosplay either
“Cruel remarks may hide behind free speech or “this is my opinion,” but let’s call it like what it is: meanness.”
Well said!
Also, I agree that it’s funny that comics have been doing sexy (and sometimes exploitative) costumes on women pretty much since their inception, but it’s not ok for women themselves to play with that?
Whatever ladies, rock that Thor bunny suit.
Thanks for voicing your thoughts. I have a similar cosplay style as you do, take a male character from a series you’re in love with and make a female version b/c the industry doesn’t make enough female characters for a woman to portray(especially in the video game realm)and have gotten negative remarks about changing the character. I absolutely love your Spartan cosplay and find it ridiculous that people are saying you butchered the character. I am personally tired of seeing the same spartan cosplays over and over and am glad you have brought something new and creative to the table. I find interpretations much more intriguing than exact replication cosplays. I am curious about criticisms in person vs on the internet. I see negative cosplay remarks everywhere on the internet, but have yet to encounter someone face to face at a con speaking negatively about my cosplays.(I’m sure there have been some behind my back though.) Anyway, Keep doing what you are doing. I love your work and can say that there are a lot of nice people out there who respect what you are doing. There are a lot of negative people out there who are going to try to tear your work apart because they have nothing better to do. I bet most of them have never even attempted to make a cosplay and really don’t have the standards to be critics. The opinion of such a person would have no worth to me.
If you find the controversy over sexy cosplays intriguing you should check out some of the articles on race and cosplay and body size and cosplay. A lot of controversy in those areas as well and sadly, more negativity from the cosplay community.
Well said. However you do look insanely sexy in that Poison Ivy getup.
Great article Abby Dark-Star.
It’s really sad these thoughts actually needed to be written down for people to read. This are you a geek/nerd argument needs to just stop. Cons should be a place where anyone who is passionate about anything can go and dress up as whatever they are passionate about. The thought that our own peers are causing anyone to feel bad about cosplaying whatever they want is just really sad to me.
Well written, but again I find that only the “hot/sexy” people are being defended. My biggest bummer when I cosplay is that I spend countless hours crafting a costume that is complex and beautiful, but I am not heralded the same way as a skinnier girl would be in a much-less quality costume (made by her or not) that is revealing/tight fitting.
To understand why people put others down, we need to get into their shoes. Just saying it is wrong does no good. The questioning of the “quality” of geekdom and all of these mentioned things is coming about because the origin of geek were the outcasts, the unwelcome, and quite frequently the less-than-stellar-looking. Therefore, these folks are feeling threatened and outcast again in their own comfort zones. Lashing out is a natural reaction, whether or not it is the right thing to do.
Another bummer coming from the “not hot” side of the coin is that even if a bigger person wishes to claim one’s sexuality and wear a revealing costume such as Leia’s slave outfit, I can guarantee that that person will be harassed and made fun of 10x more than the hot girl in that costume, even if the big girl’s costume is hand-casted out of metal and the silk loincloth is specially dyed to match the movie while the hot girl is wearing a bikini with extra details added here or there that at least makes it mildly look like Leia. Back when there were less “hot” people at these conventions, there was far closer camaraderie amongst the crowd and those individuals were less made fun of within. You can at least still see this a lot more at Sci-Fi conventions (as in not comics). Some of these individuals may also be thinking they are getting their revenge by making fun of a type of person (by looks, not necessarily anything else) that once were the ones making their lives miserable (either making fun of their fandom at school or people making fun of their passion to dress up).
I think one thing that can be agreed on is that cosplayers want to be photographed in their costume. That is the reward for expressing one’s fandom at a convention. Being recognized for the character they choose to replicate and having someone think their replication is worthy of being immortalized in photograph. Hot people will be photographed more, especially if they choose to wear something revealing. Sex sells. That is part of the reason why comic books and video games and the like all sell.
In the end, I am not trying to say that it is right for the sexy women to be put down for their choices, but at least we can understand the mindset of those that are likely the ones to be saying such things. So when we defend cosplay, I think all shapes and sizes need to be defended. At the very least the people with hot bodies/faces can relish the gift that they have been given which can be a comfort even when being harassed. What do the “original” geeks have to comfort themselves with?
Anyhoo, I am trying to build a blog that helps give credit to people who are great at making costumes who may not be “hot bodies.” http://fabulousfatcosplay.tumblr.com . I need submissions. Can you help?
I think that Abby does reference all costumes and not just sexy costumes. (see below)
“A word of advice to the ladies and gentlemen either wearing that sexy costume, or any costume: own it”
“It’s also important for everyone to remember that just because a person is in costume doesn’t mean they are a professional cosplayer. It may be a person that just wants to have fun; it may be a person who is trying it for the first time. Those cosplayers are just as legitimate as the devoted ones, and they aren’t deserving of any disrespect, male or female. Everyone has a different reason to don a costume, and to judge all of them along one set of criteria is unfair”
“Finally, I have to address the mockery of the cosplay scene, both by those in and out of the costuming hobby. The truth is, people are going to judge. The costuming hobby can get called tons of names on a blog by a person who makes fun of us for dressing up, but then goes to scream at a bunch of men in tight pants throwing a ball around. (See what I did there?) The point is, everything we do, in this hobby or not, might be judged.”
As far as not being heralded the same way other people might be, the thing that I notice is that when it comes to knowledge of a costume and the time and effort that are put into said costume…the only people who are really going to know are the costumers/cosplayers themselves. They are more than likely the ones who will appreciate the effort. But the majority of con goers and internet followers are not costumers. They tend to not care about the effort and probably won’t ever fully understand. In that case people are going to give the attention to whatever catches their eye which tends to be anything shiny
I know that it’s frustrating but I have personally given up worrying about outsiders appreciating my work. What counts is that the people who know what it took to get to the point of completion can appreciate it.
“It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances. The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible….”
? Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray