Guest Blogger

Outside Voices Inside Opinions

Guest Blogger

Thanks for having me guest blog, my name is Alan and I am currently writing my own blog on Community Self-management in online games. I do enjoy watching anime and the people who put hard work into cosplaying as these characters. Although, personally I have never cosplayed before, unless you count dressing up as a power ranger during Halloween. But I have attended an A-Kon event in 2013, where I saw tons of cosplays and even had a few friends cosplaying themselves. I did not witness any harassment in my time there, but a friend of mine, who cosplays frequently, explained how people harassed for their physical appearance or the quality of their outfit designs. There were even people who would deliberately seek out cosplayers and harass them sexually. It is disappointing to see that people go out of their way to put other down, especially when that person worked on their costume for week’s maybe even months just to be insulted.  Since I am not all too familiar with the cosplay community, I asked my friend what she would suggest to prevent harassment:

1.       Don’t let yourself get knocked down

2.       Don’t start a fight, but politely tell the person to back off

3.       Leave the area if you need to

4.       Tell someone! The police, convention staff, someone. They will be taken care of appropriately

Don’t change who you are because someone else is putting you down, do cosplay for yourself and to have fun. Don’t let harassment stop you from cosplaying, especially if it is something you enjoy.

Con Patrol Podcast

Inside Con Patrol

A sneak peak at con patrol and convention volunteers

Link to Podcast 

This is a podcast in which a volunteer member of con patrol discusses the duties and beliefs of con patrol at conventions, and  how and why they protect. There has been a lot of talk that the members of con patrol do not do their job or duties at conventions. And that s lot of the time, officers are not on duty or even present at conventions. This podcast is for the member of con patrol to clear up any matters against them for con goers. 

The Do's & Dont's of Cosplay Ethics

Professionals Talk

Interview with a Professional Cosplayer

This is a segment where I get the inside scoop of the world of cosplay through the eyes of someone with years of experience.

Hi! My name is Teresa Bamburg, and it's a real treat to share my silly thoughts about the cosplay community!

1. How long have you been cosplaying? 

About 8 years

2. Have you ever competed in a cosplay contest? 

Yes, in 4 total

3. Have you ever cosplayed or witness a someone cosplay a character of a different race? How did it go?

I haven't personally cosplayed any other races. I have multiple friends that have, usually a darker skinned person cosplaying a lighter skinned character rather than the reverse. I've heard that they experience frequent comments pointing out their race or being unpleasant, such as calling them the black version of a character, applying racist stereotypes or saying that they're "pretty good for a black cosplayer". There was an very popular article about this subject fairly recently that addresses the issue more thoroughly than I ever could if you're interested: http://www.xojane.com/issues/mad-back-cosplayer-chaka-cumberbatch

4. Have you ever cosplayed or witness someone cosplaying a chracter of a different species? How did it go?

I've cosplayed as an alien with blue skin, but that's as far as I've personally gone, and I don't really have any friends that are skilled in making fursuits or anything of that nature. My experience with having blue skin was that it turned a few heads but I didn't experience any especially different treatment than normal.

5. Have you ever cosplayed or witness someone cosplaying someone with physical disabilities? What do you think about this type of cosplay?

I can't particularly think of any instances, perhaps apart from a few cosplays of Shinra from Final Fantasy VII, but I think there are very few characters with disabilities like that for people to choose from. Unless you count things like eyepatches or prosthetic limbs. In those cases, such as Big Boss from Metal Gear, I think that most people assume that it's part of the costume so it doesn't really receive much attention.

6. Have you ever witness or are a cosplayer with a physical disability? 

 The first person who comes to mind is a cosplayer who goes by "Misa on Wheels"(her facebook page is here: https://www.facebook.com/MisaOnWheels). She is so inspiring and doesn't let anything get in the way of her having fun. She has a beautifully positive spirit and shows that one person can make a big difference to many people. I'm sure that her work to promote positive attitudes within the cosplay community has touched and inspired many people who feel intimidated or down about difficulties with cosplay and even life in general.

7. In a cosplay contest, do cosplayers give credit to the creator of the character? 

I've never heard of this being done. Perhaps if the design is from a single picture by an artist or something the cosplayer would notify the judges and maybe provide a reference picture, but I doubt that it would be announced to the audience during the contest.

8. Do you believe the creator of the cartoon or character should get monetary compensation for having their characters likeness used to win a contest that offers cash prizes? 

No. In what I view as an optimal setting, the cosplayer is winning the contest through their own effort to create their outfit, not through the originality of the design itself. It requires a lot of experience, money, time, and acquired skills to create amazing cosplay, and the cosplayers that bring characters to life are providing publicity for the series or character that their portraying. Any cash they could offer for the use of the design pales in comparison to the exposure that the series gets from a great cosplay, in my opinion.

9. Do you know any history about the origins of cosplay? 

I do know a little bit. Since cosplay is not the most concretely defined term, it can be difficult to pin down its origins, but many people cite the first appearance of cosplayers at a fan event as being at the World Science Fiction Convention in New York in 1939. I've heard that the term itself was coined by a Japanese man, Nov Takahashi, in 1984.

10. What are some of the problems in the cosplay community that people who do not cosplay will never experience? 

Problems within the community range from personal remarks to attitudes about cosplay in general. I think one of the biggest overal issues is that there are some contributing factors that make cosplayers seem like they're not real people. The hero worship that some get, combined with the anonymity of the internet makes people post things they wouldn't say in real life and leads to both very negative comments and forgetting that these are just normal people like everyone else.

11. Do you believe if someone cosplayed their own original character they will have an equal chance of winning a cosplay contest?

 I think the design would have to be very detailed to have a decent chance, and I think that original designs are at a disadvantage.

12. Are their discrimination against cosplayer of different weight, say like if some one is really skinny, or someone is really fat? 

Yes, this happens frequently. I don't have much personal experience in this type of harassment, but overweight cosplayers receive many negative comments both in person and online. Given that the vast majority of characters are thin, this makes for a difficult environment for overweight cosplayers. I was actually recently part of a movement to remove a Facebook page dedicated to shaming "Fat Cosplayers", which thankfully was successful. I'd like to think that the community is slowly coming to discuss these issues more and being more accepting in general, but there are still some commenters who don't understand the very serious impact of their nasty words.

13. How do you feel about crossplaying?

 I am actually a frequent crossplayer. In fact I think I've cosplayed more male characters than female ones, so this is a topic I'm pretty invested in. I think that female to male crossplay is much more accepted in the community than the opposite. I think this is due to a number of reasons, including gender stereotypes and roles that unfortunately still pervade our society, as well as the character designs. Anime in particular tends to depict many feminine men while women tend to be feminine the majority of the time. I rarely have any issues at all when crossplaying, to the point that I forget sometimes that it would be considered odd outside of a cosplay setting. For myself, I don't even see it as an issue. Cosplaying gives you the ability to be a character completely different from yourself, so it's not a reflection of how feminine or masculine you see yourself as being. Crossplaying presents its own challenges and different cosplayers take it to different levels. For instance, many of the more dedicated ones, including myself, have specific makeup techniques and some strive to depict the mannerisms of the opposite gender. I personally get very proud when I manage to pass as male when crossplaying. I know it's a subject that some who are new to cosplaying may find odd, but I think that it's just not a big deal in the cosplay community so everyone kind of gets used to it. This is admittedly from a female to male perspective, though, and I've been told that the opposite carries much more controversy and opinionated comments. This goes back to the roots of gender issues, along the lines of it being completely acceptable for women to wear pants but eyebrow-raising if a man wears a skirt. This all ties in with gender roles, and I think it's a fascinating topic, if a bit dis-heartening at times.

14. Have you ever witnessed or experienced sexual harassment at a convention? 

Yes, unfortunately. I very rarely cosplay any outfit that's revealing at all, so I'm sure my experiences are even less than women who do, but I have been inappropriately touched and commented on in multiple instances. It was never anything insidious enough to report to con security, but things like guys putting their hands around my waist even after I've asked them not to and similar things. Practically any woman who has cosplayed at a convention has at least one story of being harassed in some way. Many conventions are taking a stand against this and there are movements to spread awareness, so I think the community is moving in the right direction, but we have a long way to go.

15. Do you believe con patrol is doing a good job in enforcing the convention rules? Or at least at protecting con goers? 

I think this varies widely between conventions, but at many of them con patrol does the best they can. But when you have tens of thousands of people spread over a huge area they can only catch so much that goes on. I've also heard so many stories of con security doing nothing or very little about harassment situations that I honestly think a lot of con-goers don't always trust them.

16. Do you believe pedophilia is on the rise at conventions? If so explain why or why not. 

I honestly wouldn't know. I haven't heard of any situations personally, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

17. Do you believe there is a rise in fetishism and cults in the cosplay community? Where do you think it is coming from? 

I honestly don't know that I can speak knowledgeably on that subject very much. I do know that there is a rampant amount of sexualizing cosplayers and a massive amount of controversy over the stigma of sexy cosplayers, how they're treated, and why they do what they do.
18. Do you believe there is a rise of prejudices against fandoms in the cosplay community? 

I think that with conventions growing as much as they are, many new issues are emerging, and one of them is megafandoms. There are many fandom groups that wind up with reputations among the community, with controversy about how much of it is deserved. When huge amounts of people wind up in a fandom and some of them behave badly it reflects on the group. Some fandoms attract certain age groups or types of fans, and this contributes to the stereotype and whether it's deserved or not. I personally know members of some of the more notorious fandoms that are wonderful, mature people, but I also know many that aren't. It's not really fair to apply a blanket statement to an entire fandom, but people do wind up tired of the shenanigans that one group is depicted as doing over and over. Some of this information spreads through rumors and stories, so one bad story can lead to a lot of negative "publicity" for a group. For instance, there was a very negative thing that a small group of Hetalia fans did, and whether deserved or not it added to the reputation that the fandom has.

19. With the increase of child pornography, do you believe that it is okay to take pictures of children in costumes? 

I think this is a very complicated and nuanced topic. For small children(like under 13) I think that unless the picture is provocative, which is obviously wrong, there's nothing wrong with taking a simple picture of their cosplay. People who misuse those innocent pictures are responsible for their own actions, and I think it's unnecessary to avoid taking normal pictures of child cosplayers just to cater to the possibilty of terrible people misusing them. For teenagers, the issue gets more complex, honestly to the point that I feel it would take several pages to address the issue properly.

If there is anything you would like to add please do so now. And if there is anything you would like me to address in my blog please do now. And if you feel you want to edit or work on the blog as well, I am always looking for help. I can't pay, but you will be doing the cosplay community a great service.

Comments: I think that it's important for members of the community to remember that these issues, like racism, sexism, and weight-shaming, seem insurmountable and rampant, but every individual makes an impact. You never know what effect you can have on someone, and every person's voice is important in changing how things are. Also, while there are people who make negative comments, and it's easy to focus on those, there are so many more that want others to succeed and support new cosplayers with all their hearts. There is so much positivity in this community, and it's important to focus on that instead of getting dragged down by the vocal few who spread negativity.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to speak on these issues. If you'll be including any cosplay pages mine is here: Sunlit Cosplay

			Sunlit Cosplay I'm a Texas-based cosplayer who's all about having fun and stretching the limits through cosplay....
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Coming from my Body

Body Odor

Staying Fresh in cosplay

When you find that outfit that looks really good on you and that you know you will turn heads in, part of you will like to wear that outfit or costume every single chance you get. Well at conventions you can. Everyone is allowed to dress like they want as long as its appropriate and it is a costume.

I’m talking to you people who wear nothing to Halloween parties and claiming the costume is my birthday suit. Here is a cosplay contest rules for the Triad Anime Convention, its under the dress code section of the rules which are short and easy to read. Majority of the rules apply during the rest of the convention, and usually the same rules are the same for every convention.   

The length of conventions can be from 1-2 days long or even 3-4, some even last a whole week. It really depends on how big the convention is and how long it has been around. Usually the longer conventions have been around the more days the convention last. But this is not always the case because conventions do vary. Anyway during these conventions most people would like to show off their costumes and outfit. Some even chose to wear this one costume for the entire convention. This is absolutely normal a lot of cosplayers do this.

Now the biggest thing with conventions is the dealer’s room. This is a place where people show off their costumes, purchase items from booths and gather to see their friends. Its usually the most crowded place at conventions and its usually really hot because of all the people their.

Hot dealers room + you in costume+ others in costume+food= a really smelly convention

Body odor is a natural thing, this article on Web MD explains this in a very light and well written article. This website includes ways to prevent body odor, and how to maintain a healthy and clean lifestyle.

As a cosplayer there are chances you would like to get your photograph taken in your costumes, or take pictures with friends. You wouldn't want to come off  sweaty looking on photos which could be uploaded online for millions to see. Also cosplayers love to “gloomp”, which is to hug surprisingly from behind. I wouldn't recommend doing any of this if you have B.O. or to another person who has it. This issue may seem trivial to some, but it is still an issue a lot of cosplayers face. And today we can put an end to it.  

References:

Triadanimecon.com.

Convention Rules | Triad Anime Convention

 Triadanimecon.com. 2014. Convention Rules | Triad Anime Convention. [online] Available at: http://triadanimecon.com/sample-page/convention-rules/ [Accessed: 16 Apr 2014].

Webmd.com.

Preventing Body Odor: Foot Odor, Odor From Sweating, Underarm Odor, and More

 Webmd.com. 2014. Preventing Body Odor: Foot Odor, Odor From Sweating, Underarm Odor, and More. [online] Available at: http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/preventing-body-odor [Accessed: 16 Apr 2014].

Size Matters

Weight Issues

Taboo #2

For cosplayers we use cosplay as a way to escape oppression and judgment that we usually get outside the convention wall. But lying right in front of us we see judgment even in our own kingdom. Not because we are doing anything wrong. Not because someone is ignorantly doing it. No, this is pure and unruly shaming because you weigh a certain size.

Now I know what you’re thinking. No one does that at conventions.

False.

It turns out lots of convention goers have been bullied at least once in their life, and this is by convention goers themselves. The sad thing about it is, these same people who are bullying convention goers watch, attend, and fan craze some of the same shows that the bullied watches. And most of the shows that convention goers cosplay are the most diverse and equal quality shows out there. For some, this is the reason why they like the shows in the first place.

But back to the topic at hand.

The situation with weight and cosplay has been at hand since the first costume contest at a convention. Because this actually caused the idea of judgment on costume for other cosplayer. The truth is, the judges are only judging the quality of the costume craft and how well you behave like the character you are cosplaying. Not if you and the character have the same weight.

    

From both sides of the scale too fat, too skinny, you can hear people saying this about cosplayers. Especially at conventions and meet ups. The fact that no one is doing anything about it is really the hard part of it all. I will  provide websites at the bottom of the page that actually have support groups to help con goers who have been bullied or are being bullied because of their physical features. 

If you have any stories about being bullied or know anyone who has been bullied in the cosplay community. Please feel free to comment below. 

References:

Tang, K.

How Not To Be A Geek Bully

 Tang, K. 2014. How Not To Be A Geek Bully. [online] Available at: http://www.buzzfeed.com/kevintang/how-not-to-be-a-geek-bully [Accessed: 16 Apr 2014].

Cosplayers-against-bullying.tumblr.com.

Anti Bullying In the Cosplay Community

Cosplayers-against-bullying.tumblr.com. 2014. Anti Bullying In the Cosplay Community. [online] Available at: http://cosplayers-against-bullying.tumblr.com/ [Accessed: 16 Apr 2014].

Facebook.

Cosplayers Against Bullying

Facebook. 2014. Cosplayers Against Bullying. [online] Available at: https://www.facebook.com/CosplayersAgainstBullying [Accessed: 16 Apr 2014].

Colorplay

Its Only Skin Deep

Colorism in Cosplay

People today seem to have a lot of excuses and problems for everything they see, do, or dislike. Take the website 4chan.com, that actually has a thread dedicated to belittling people who cosplay doesn't fit their standard. As a dark skinned cosplay, there are a few problems we face. And today I will do my absolute best to address and answer them all accordingly. But first, what is colorism?

“Colorism is a practice of discrimination by which those with lighter skin are treated more favorably than those with darker skin. In the African-American community, this traditionally played out via the paper bag test. Those lighter than the standard paper lunch bag were allowed entry into fraternities, sororities and other realms of black upper class life, while dark-skinned blacks were excluded. The Spike Lee film “School Daze” is an exploration of colorism.” About.com 

This is something a lot of countries associate themselves with, and unfortunately this has paved the way for discriminatory beauty standards. This is why America didn't really start adapting tanning as a beauty ideal until the 80s. Although times have change, the idea has unfortunately passed from generation to generation through the use of the media, family, and societal associations. But in the cosplay community this idea isn't as rampant as it is outside of cosplay, but nevertheless, it is still present. And must be address and resolved. How can we stop people from believing this idea? By speaking out against it. And if you witness it happening in front of you, do something about it. It is our duty in the cosplay community to stand up for what is right and be the hero not only outside but inside too. 

Here I will answer the 2 questions commonly asked by dark skinned cosplayers, and have answered them as best as possible. I am not the spokesperson for cosplay, but if society has showed us anything, it’s that one voice can make a difference. 

1. Can I cosplay a lighter skinned character, even if my skin is dark?

Yes, cosplay does not discriminate on color. If you want to cosplay someone and feel as though you are too dark to do it, that’s a terrible mind set to have, especially in a community who have various characters from various skin tones. Some even unreachable by humans. 

2. Am I allowed to change my skin color to depict a character that is not my race?

Depends. If you are cosplaying anything that is not human, and change your skin tone, then yes it is acceptable. But if you are cosplaying a human and the skin tone just happens to be lighter or darker, there is no need to change your skin color to better look like the character. As a thespian, you never really see anyone change their skin color to look like someone from another race. The reason is because it’s unnecessary and could be seen as racist. Especially with America’s history of minstrel shows and black face. 

Padgett, Ken 2014

That’s pretty much all you need to know about changing your skin tone to better look like a character you are portraying. If you feel wrong doing it, then maybe it is a bad idea. And even if you don’t feel bad. Maybe you should ask around, it never hurts.

References:

Writer, C.

The History of Tanning Beds | eHow

In-text: (Writer, 2014)

Bibliography: Writer, C. 2014. The History of Tanning Beds | eHow. [online] Available at: http://www.ehow.com/about_4805677_history-tanning-beds.html [Accessed: 5 Apr 2014].

Nittle, N.

Definition Colorism - What Is Colorism

In-text: (Nittle, 2014)

Bibliography: Nittle, N. 2014. Definition Colorism - What Is Colorism. [online] Available at: http://racerelations.about.com/od/understandingrac1/g/definitionofcolorism.htm [Accessed: 5 Apr 2014]

Padgett, Ken

Black-face.com.

Blackface! - A History of Minstrel Shows

In-text: (Black-face.com, 2014)

Bibliography: Black-face.com. 2014. Blackface! - A History of Minstrel Shows. [online] Available at: http://black-face.com/minstrel-shows.htm [Accessed: 5 Apr 2014]

Disabilities in Cosplay

Disabilities in Cosplay

Cosplay Taboo 1 continued..

In cosplay we like to dress like people we admire or like certain traits about them. But some characters we want to cosplay really question our ethics. In a thread on “http://www.cosplay.com/showthread.php?t=322753” one member discusses her interest to cosplay a character who is in a wheel chair. And asked the community for  their input in. This is very special because this is something a lot of cosplayers question, but because there is this standard in society that being physically impaired is a something that shouldn't be mimicked, it creates this sort of taboo when cosplayers do dress like a character with those certain feature. Which arises these sort of questions.

1. Is it okay to cosplay characters with physical or mental impairments? 

2. When is it crossing the line to cosplay characters with certain features? 

3. If a cosplay is done ignorantly and offends someone, is the culprit guilty? 

4. Is it possible for cosplayers with physical and mental disabilities be eligible to enter cosplay competitions, and not be judged based of their impairments? 

To be perfectly honest, there is no right answer for these questions because it all a matter of morals. Depending on what you think is right and what you think is wrong is based on your values and your beliefs. And even if art sometimes does things that sparks controversy, it gets the observers talking and questioning. Cosplay is supposed to be a thing anyone can do and be anyone they want to be. But if people are questioning whether they are allowed to cosplay certain characters because they feel it is morally unsound, then is it really a place of unquestioned costuming. What happens at the end of the day when you want to have an experience of happiness and fun from cosplaying your heroes?

Disabilities in Cosplay

                                                 Disabilities in Cosplay

 Cosplay Taboo 1

          

There are no rules in the cosplay community that says you can only dress like a character that looks similar to you. If that was the case cosplay would never exist in the first place. The amazing thing about anime and science fiction is there is no limitation on character looks in art. This is something we can all clearly see with the introduction of characters that didn't really fit the norm of what the media wanted to display as the everyday men and women. 

Like how before super heroes could not be women. Now we have hawk girl, wonder women, storm and she hulk.

Or the main lead couldn't be black, and now we have blade, spawn, static shock, and even yoruichi. 

And even characters with physical and mental Impairments, like Iron Man, Daredevil, Mr. Magoo, and even the three blind mice.

 I have provided a website link at the bottom that provides a very nice list of characters that have disabilities in comics and anime.

http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/tags/disabled

http://www.comicvine.com/profile/rawhidekid/lists/characters-with-disabilities/33278/

 But if you watch or read any of the shows you will that the disabilities that they have, actually improve their great abilities and made them into, well most into greater people. I say most because some characters in animation use their physical impairment as an excuse to turn evil.

Like every minority group suffers from discrimination at one time, the way the media represented characters within art and animation with physical and mental impairments was at one point terrible. In a report by Colin Barnes he mentions the way people gathered certain ideas and views about people with certain conditions based on the way the media portrayed them. 

“This study focuses on stereotype portrayals of disabled people in the media and provides a number of important recommendations which will contribute to their demise. Although the misrepresentation of disability in charity advertising is of particular concern this report deals with the media as a whole: notably books, films, television, radio and the press.” 

An excellent report that not only pointed out ideas that are very hurtful to people with the disabilities, but also talks about how the media is still following this standard and further teaching people to stereotype people with disabilities. These stereotypes unfortunately has found its way into the kingdom of cosplay.

References:

Psychologytoday.com.

Generic Love

In-text: (Psychologytoday.com, 2014)

Bibliography: Psychologytoday.com. 2014. Generic Love. [online] Available at: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-99th-monkey/201004/generic-love [Accessed: 4 Apr 2014]

Marvel Movies.

Ororo Munroe

In-text: (Marvel Movies, 2014)

Bibliography: Marvel Movies. 2014. Ororo Munroe. [online] Available at: http://marvel-movies.wikia.com/wiki/Ororo_Munroe [Accessed: 4 Apr 2014]

Comicvine.com.

Mr. Magoo (Character) - Comic Vine

In-text: (Comicvine.com, 2014)

Bibliography: Comicvine.com. 2014. Mr. Magoo (Character) - Comic Vine. [online] Available at: http://www.comicvine.com/mr-magoo/4005-60983/ [Accessed: 4 Apr 2014]

Barnes, Collins.

In-text: (Barnes, Collins, 2014)

Bibliography: Anonymous. 2014. [online] Available at: http://disability-studies.leeds.ac.uk/files/library/Barnes-disabling-imagery.pdf [Accessed: 4 Apr 2014]