CONVENTION CREEPERS… ARE THERE AS MANY AS YOU THINK?

It seems there is a lot of outrage nowadays about creepers at conventions. If you aren't familiar
with what a creeper is, it's usually someone (in most cases a guy) who attempts to grope
someone (in most cases a girl), touch them inappropriately, makes unwelcome comments about
someone's physical attributes or tries to take pictures at angles designed to show more than the
subject of the picture is comfortable showing (like up the skirt shots or closeups of cleavage).
Creepers are a definite problem at conventions, there is no doubt. People who treat others as
objects are a problem everywhere.

I can't help wonder, though, if some of those labeled as creepers are not actually creepers. I'm not
saying in all cases… they are out there. But I do have to wonder if some convention goers…
usually cosplayers… are so worried about creepers that they see them where they don't exist.
There are definite actions that make one a creeper. Unwanted physical contact is definitely one
of them. There can be no debate that creeping has occurred if a butt is grabbed or a breast is
touched.

But consider the following scenario. Let's say we have a nineteen year old female cosplayer. She
is dressed in a costume that reveals a lot of leg and cleavage. She is approached by a couple
different guys. Here's how the interactions go:

A 20 year old guy who would be considered "good looking" by many women, approaches the
cosplayer. He looks her over from head to toe and, since he's a heterosexual male, his gaze
lingers a little longer on the exposed cleavage. He then looks the cosplayer in the eye.
"Nice costume," he says.
"Thank you!" The cosplayer then proceeds to chat with him and pose for a picture.

Now, same scenario, only instead of it being a 20 year old guy, let's put in a 45 year old guy. The
years haven't been that kind, he's losing some hair, has a bit of a paunch. He too approaches and
looks the cosplayer over from head to toe and, since he's a heterosexual male, his gaze lingers a
little longer on the exposed cleavage. He then looks the cosplayer in the eye.
"Nice costume," he says.
"Ugh. Creeper." The cosplayer walks away, feeling violated.

In both situations the actions were the same. However, in the first case the cosplayer enjoyed the
attention from someone she thought might be "cute." In the second… this guy was older and not
good looking (to the cosplayer), so it was creepy.

Sure, there are plenty of subtleties in these interactions. Tone of voice, facial expressions and
more can definitely affect the outcome. But if all things are equal, this scenario results in the
same two different reactions from the cosplayer depending on the person who is approaching
them.

Again, I don't state for a moment that creepers aren't out there and cosplayers don't need to be
aware of them. However, some cosplayers dress in sexy outfits not just for the fun of it… but
because they enjoy the reactions of some of the people they meet. Some don't stop to think that
some of the people they meet might give the desired reaction… but may not be the one they want
the reaction from.

To further delve into this issue, let's take a look at the book and film series Twilight. In the first
book and film, Edward admits to entering Bella's room without her knowledge to watch her
sleep. She doesn't find this creepy… she seems to find it romantic. Because Edward looks like a
very attractive boy of seventeen. But he is over 100 years old. Imagine instead of looking like a
seventeen year old, he looked like a fifty year old. Instead of being slim, tall and attractive, he
has a beer gut, thinning hair, he's short in stature and looking like he hadn't shaved in a week.
Would that be romantic? Or would it be creepy?

The majority of cosplayers enjoy attention when they are at an event. Which is fine. I'm a
cosplayer and I love it when someone tells me I look good and wants a picture with me. I also
realize that I might get enthusiastic attention from some people that I might not consider
attractive. Yes, as a male cosplayer I do not get nearly the same amount of "creepers" that
female cosplayers do (though I do get some). I would just like cosplayers to consider… is the
person you're dealing with doing something that would be acceptable if they were younger or
better looking? Is it really the kind of attention you received that's offensive or is it that you
didn't like the person giving you the attention? Should people who are older or less attractive be
held to a different set of standards than younger, more attractive people?

While legitimate cases of cosplayers or even just convention attendees in general being
victimized by creepers do exist in more numbers than there should be, it is my belief than some
people are so oversensitive to the possibility of being "creeped on" that they see creepers where
they don't exist.

I would love to hear some thoughts… what do you consider being "creeped on" at a convention?
Are some people oversensitive? Where do you draw the line?