Week 6: Is Cosplay Still A Hobby?
Until two weeks ago, I talked about thermoplastics and how they’re used in cosplays. They are very useful, of course; they can help to improve on cosplay costumes or props with details.
However, today, I want to talk about a serious topic regarding cosplay.
Throughout the years I’ve been cosplaying, I’ve heard these questions pop up everyday:
"How can I be a successful cosplayer?”
“Can I only cosplay a character if I have the right face and body for them?”
“Is my work not interesting? I’m only getting a few likes and comments on my Instagram.”
As some people know, I’ve been cosplaying since 2006, and throughout all the years, I met amazing people and befriended a lot of them as well in conventions and local events. Cosplay was only considered a hobby back then, and now it’s an international community with people full of passionate artists and fans while becoming more competitive with shows such as Heroes of Cosplay that aired three years ago along with people who are considered “professional” cosplayers who make money just by cosplaying. More people feel the need to upgrade their costumes over time, but is it really for your own accomplishment? Is it for challenging yourself for your achievement? Or do you want to improve just because you can get “famous”?
When I started cosplaying, I didn’t care that I didn’t know how to sew at all. I put together clothes with fabrics hot glued or stapled, and I was happy with how I made the costume without sewing. Even when I knew how to sew, I didn’t care if my threads were loose or visible. I was happy with not styling wigs certain ways that made it “accurate to the model,” and I didn’t start wearing wigs for cosplays until 2013. If my costume looked good to me, it was good to go. I didn’t have any professional photoshoots done, and I was happy with pictures I took of my costumes on my phone, and that was it, sorted. Even when I opened up my cosplay page in 2011, I didn’t care that I got barely any likes or comments on my cosplays. I just wanted to upload there for my cosplay portfolio and work in progress pictures for my family and friends who wanted to see them. I didn’t really care about being a famous cosplayer; I just wanted to do what I loved to do.
Now, being a famous cosplayer is something that people in the cosplay community are trying their hardest to achieve. What is a famous cosplayer, you ask? It is when a cosplayer makes his or her living out of making costumes and attending conventions. “Professional” cosplayers are seen as role models or idols, but there are those “professional” cosplayers who still cosplay for fun who were randomnly spotted in the limelight, and there are those who do it solely for the money and fame.
Conventions are the best place to go to show off the finalized costumes, but the most important thing, in my opinion, is about having fun and catching up with friends who you aren’t able to talk to due to distance. That’s the reason why I love going to conventions and cosplaying. However, there are people who are going to conventions only for getting professional photos taken and be a guest at conventions. Because of this, there has to be at least one comment on someone’s photo of a cosplay that is judgemental saying that they are not “accurate” to the comics or video game.
Everyone’s bodies are different, but you don’t have to look like Snow White to dress up as Snow White; you can have any skin tone, body shape, or even facial structure as long as you’re enjoying portraying that character. Don’t compare yourself to others if you’re scared of being judged by other people telling you that it’s not “accurate.”
Cosplay should always be about yourself. Just have fun. If your cosplay photo is with judgemental comments by strangers, don’t take it personally. Make sure it’s about you and only you. The strangers might be just a random person who were looking at some “CosFamous (Cosplay Famous)” celebrities’ pages. Do you really care about what that stranger thinks about your cosplays when you don’t even know who they are? I’ve been there before. Due to my “non-accurate” body portions, I’ve gotten numerous comments saying that I’m a “Fat” Alena (The name of the character) despite working on the costume for over 100 hours before completion. As much as the comments don’t bother me anymore, it’s human nature to see more negativity than positivity. However, why have those comments consume you when you don’t even know those people? Your cosplay friends will love and appreciate the hard work you have put to YOUR costume, and that’s the true beauty of cosplay achievement. It doesn’t have to be about likes and comments, and it doesn’t have to be about getting professional photos taken. If you were asked to have your photos taken by fans, more power to you, but fans should not be the main reason why you should be cosplaying; it should ONLY be for yourself.
And finally, if you’re not having fun cosplaying, then why bother? You don’t have to cosplay at all, and a lot of people in the cosplay community are tired of having their hobby turned into a competition that isn’t really necessary. This isn’t right for people who are truly fans of dressing up.
