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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