Doing things for the first time is a double-edged sword. I mean on the one hand, there's nothing more thrilling than the adrenaline of going on pure instinct (like that time when I thought I had invented muffin french toast). On the other hand you definitely get those, "Oh shiii...." moments where you wish you'd had a shred of guidance before flinging yourself into the fire (like that time when I climbed Mt. Fuji in a blizzard.)
From the outside, cosplay might seem like a pretty straight forward thing that doesn't need much forethought. You get or make a costume. You wear it. You take pics. That's it.
But for what ever reason it can seem a lot more intimidating than that, which is why I'm so excited to bring you PART I of Magdalena Auditore's advice for first time cosplayers.
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Magdalena:
Before I dive into things, I need to thank all of the people on my Facebook
for their beta reading, their suggestions and contribution, and their support.
We love cosplay, we love attending conventions and we hope newcomers will enjoy
it as much as we do. I also want to extend my love and thanks to the cosplayers
I've met over the years who have inspired me and encouraged me, and of course
special thanks to Cailleah for allowing me to write about this on the She Got
Game blog!
Some
would argue that I'm not exactly the person to give advice when it comes to
attending anime and video game conventions. I only attend one convention a year
since 2008 and don't make my own costumes. I usually take existing store bought
costumes or clothes, put them together, and either make a costume of my own
design (a school girl Harley Quinn) or try to get as close to the character's
appearance as possible (Jeanette Voerman and Tifa Lockhart). Only recently have
I decided to spend a little extra money to have costumes commissioned and
learned how to apply theatre make up. I have no idea how to make my own costume
and I have no idea how to make props or cosplay armor from scratch.
The point I am trying to get
across, using myself for an example, is that attending conventions isn't
reserved for a certain group of people. You can wear anything you like, may it
be store bought, commissioned, or created with your own two hands. While there
are rules for competing, there are no rules for buying a weekend pass and
actually attending the convention.
I feel that it is important to
stress this fact because there are elitists in everything, especially in nerd,
geek, and gaming communities. Naturally, that elitism seeps into the cosplay
community and most notably has had the spotlight shined on it in SyFy's Heroes of Cosplay. This idea is reinforced on social media outlets and sends a harmful
and negative message that only certain people are allowed to cosplay or have
the right to cosplay. This can be intimidating for those who've always wanted
to attend a convention but are afraid of rejection and humiliation. I
personally feel that this community can only get better if we are more
supportive and welcoming rather than closed off and exclusive.
Here are a few things you should remember when you are attending your
convention:
1. Make sure you go with the right people.
Safety regulations aside, going with a group of
people, or going in on a room with a group of people, will make or break your
convention-going experience. I've roomed with people I've really clicked with
and roomed with people I did NOT click with and it has a direct effect on
whether or not I enjoy my time there. I understand that everybody is different
and likes to spend their time in different ways. I personally like to wake up
early, get dressed up in my costume and then go out and spend the entire day
running around the convention. Some people prefer to stay in the hotel room and
drink alcohol and throw room parties and maybe occasionally go out and see the
convention. Whatever feels more comfortable for you, go for it!
I would suggest that if you go
in on a room with someone, you go with people you trust and know you'll be safe
with. You usually can't go wrong with close friends and family members. If you
decide to room with strangers, it is important that you all decide, as a group,
what the "rules" for the hotel room are: no strangers in the room,
agree not to go through anybody's stuff, etc. And do NOT stay in a room with
someone you feel uncomfortable with. Trust your gut with this one and you
should know the difference between whether or not your personality just clashes
with this person or if this person is a potential threat to you.
Remember that you're going to be
with these people for about three to four days. You want to make sure that you
are safe and happy with these people. You deserve to be.
2. The cosplay community is very diverse.
Perhaps one of the biggest
mistakes the producers of Heroes of Cosplay could have done was not represent
the vast diversity of conventions. I live in the Metro Detroit area which is
already a huge, multicultural location (mostly African American, Latino
American, and Arab American). Every year when I attend the Youmacon convention
in Detroit, there is a huge, diverse community of people of all races, all
ages, different body types, different sexual orientations and gender
identities, people from the area and people from out of town.
You are going to meet a lot of
different people. Do not let this intimidate you, but instead acknowledge the
fact that so many different people all share the same love and enthusiasm that
you have for video games, anime, comic books, and other media. You have a great
opportunity to make a lot of new friends. If you want to keep in contact with
these friends, it helps if you look up and join the convention's community
pages on Facebook or join the convention's forum. This is a good way to stay
connected, to find out what other conventions they'll be attending in the future,
you'll have access to a lot of information about how they made their costumes,
and you'll have someone to meet up with at the next convention.
The most important thing about
the diversity of conventions is the fact that it is living proof that
conventions are not these closed off, exclusive clubs for one particular type
of cosplayer or fan. It is something that needs to be celebrated because it
does bring different people all together.
3. Do not expect your first costume to be perfect. It might be rough at
first, but if you stick with it, you will improve over time.
I remember when I wore my first
costume to a convention. I also remember the backlash and the teasing I got for
it on the online community because of it. I think it's important to know that
whatever you wear in public is going to be open for conversation and not all of
that conversation is going to be pleasant. Do not let that dishearten you if
this is your first time attending a convention or wearing a costume. Everybody
starts from somewhere and as you keep going to conventions, you start learning
new things about what to apply to your future costumes.
It's important not to be
motivated by what other people personally think of your costume. However, I've
discovered that certain cosplayers have inspired me to push myself when it
comes to dressing up as certain characters. If you give up in the beginning,
you'll never have an opportunity to grow. Cosplay is for fun, but it can also
be a learning experience if you stick with it long enough. Always keep those
embarrassing first-cosplay pictures of yourself because you'll look back one
day and see just how far you've come! Trust me, there will be huge differences
between now and then!
Also be aware that if you keep
cosplaying and attending conventions, there will always be newcomers and
beginners. Remember how you felt when you first cosplayed and make a conscious
effort to be supportive and encouraging.
4. There are no rules for cosplaying.
You will hear a lot of people say "Black
girls shouldn't cosplay as Sailor Scouts!" or "Fat girls shouldn't
cosplay skinny characters!" or "Guys shouldn't dress up as Faye
Valentine!" or "If a woman is
going to cosplay a guy she should bind her boobs!" and a myriad of other
judgmental and nasty things. Sadly, these things are said and repeated and
hotly debated a lot, both at the convention and on online communities (how many
times have we heard the "You're not a REAL fan" accusation before?) There
is nothing wrong with giving constructive criticism for how to make a costume
look better, but nobody has the right to tell you that you are not allowed to
wear something (unless of course you are wearing a costume of some kind of
racist caricature, which has happened quite a few times before).
What is important is that you
want to be absolutely comfortable in whatever it is you are wearing. Cosplay
should make you feel good about yourself. You should want to have as much fun
as possible in your costume. It's okay to be a little nervous in the beginning,
but if you start feeling overwhelmingly self-conscious or anxious because of
your costume, try something different next time. Comfort is more important than
becoming an exact replica of a fictional character. Even if you do not look
exactly like the person you are cosplaying, you can still look great and feel
great about yourself.
In the event where you meet
someone who has absolutely nothing nice to say about anything you wear, think
of it in this light: if nothing you are going to do is going to impress them,
you do not have to live up to their expectations. You already know that they'll
be disappointed in you, you already know what they're going to think of you, so
just go with whatever you wanted to do anyways. You have nothing to lose. There
will be just as many people who will be happy to help and would like to see you
improve over time.
(Photo by Jason Laboy)
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Back in a jiffy with Part II. Thanks for reading and comments always welcome.
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