Halloween is Nigh... Do Cosplay Rules Apply?

Many people look forward to Halloween all year long.  It's a time when millions of people... adults and children alike... will be wearing costumes... and it's not limited to those who identify as cosplayers and costumers.


The majority of people who will be wearing costumes to celebrate the holiday would not characterize themselves as cosplayers.  Which is fair... while the definition of cosplay states it's "the practice of dressing up as a character from a movie, book, or video game, especially one from the Japanese genres of manga and anime"... and certainly Halloween celebrants might qualify... it's my opinion that the title of cosplayer is something one decides to take on.  It's a decision to be a cosplayer.


Am I saying that you can't be a cosplayer if you dress up in a costume for Halloween?  Am I saying that you can't be a cosplayer if you buy a Halloween costume from a store?  Absolutely not.  Cosplayers love to dress up for Halloween just as many others do... and wearing a costume, no matter the source, qualifies you to be considered a cosplayer.  I'm just saying it's your choice if you want to be considered a cosplayer.


So if anyone wearing a costume can be considered a cosplayer, does that mean anyone who wears a costume IS a cosplayer?  Someone actually said this would be the case.  But if you attend a Halloween party... that is attended by people who only wear a costume for Halloween parties... and ask them if they are a cosplayer, most of them will say no.  Some of them might even ask "what's a cosplayer?"


Traditionally, those who consider themselves cosplayers wear costumes at other times of year besides Halloween.  This is not a rule, just an observation.  There is no law that states you cannot call yourself a cosplayer if you only dress up for Halloween.  But there's also no law that states that you must call yourself a cosplayer if you dress up in a costume.


Halloween can be (and has been) a jumping off point for many cosplayers.  But for some, Halloween is the only time they care to wear a costume and might object to being called cosplayers.  While those of us in the community view the title with pride, those outside the community have varying views of what a cosplayer is.  Not everyone who wears a costume wants to join the cosplay community.


(Of course, anyone who does want to join is more than welcome... they are encouraged and applauded.)


So we will have a lot of people dressed in costume who do not call themselves cosplayers.  So do the cosplay rules apply?


For those who might not be sure, here are the rules for cosplay (as I see it):


1) Have fun
2) Respect other people
3) Respect other people's costumes and props
4) COSPLAY IS NOT CONSENT


These are the basic rules of cosplay. Anyone can cosplay whomever and whatever they want because it's all about fun.  What cosplay might mean to you individually is not a rule, it's your take on cosplay (such as making your costume, striving for screen accuracy, etc.).


You've probably figured it out, but all these rules STILL apply.


It should be obvious that they would apply, but in my opinion it's better to state the obvious than have someone say "I didn't know."


One rule I would like to point out especially is that cosplay is not consent.  It's the principle that just because someone is dressed in a costume, this gives no one the right to have any physical contact with them without their permission.


I've always found this rule, while laudable, to be a little narrow in it's focus.  A better rule would be that EXISTENCE is not consent.  Whether someone is wearing a costume, a bathing suit, a party dress, tight pants or any (or no) outfit... in any situation... this doesn't give anyone license to have any physical contact without their permission.  And with so many parties coming up for Halloween, to be clear, someone who is drunk to the point of impairment cannot give consent.


To force physical contact on someone, especially in regards to physical affection, is harassment, assault, sexual assault and even rape.  It's a violation of another person no matter what they are wearing.  It's not just breaking cosplay rules, it's breaking the law.


So by all means... put on a costume, call yourself a cosplayer or not, get out there and party! Have lots of fun!


Just remember that your fun should never take away from someone else's fun.

Can you judge a candidate by their supporters?

In what has to be one of the most vicious Presidential campaigns in history (at least until 2020), I have seen a lot of complaints about the morals and quality of Clinton supporters.


It doesn't matter who you support, but think about this.. Lindsay Lohan is supporting Hillary Clinton... and somehow this is supposed to reflect badly on Clinton.  Ann Coulter just confused Beyoncé with Nicki Minaj... and the point being that Beyoncé (really Nicki) had some very sexually explicit lyrics.  And as Beyoncé is a Clinton supporter... shame on Clinton.


I say... so what?  None of these supporters that are being singled out are doing anything illegal.  You may or may not care for their form of entertainment, but that's a matter of taste, not law.  But the real point is... this country is filled with people who can vote that others might not like.  As long as they are a U.S. Citizen who holds the right to vote, they can be anything. And they are.


Here are some groups who might support either candidate and can vote in the election.


Porn stars.  Attorneys.  Strippers.  Employees of the IRS.  Hunters.  Ivy League School graduates. Tattoo artists.  Walmart employees.  Tailors.  Star Trek fans.  Dog breeders.  Car salespeople.  Ballet dancers.  Stand up comedians.  Wall Street Brokers. Firefighters.  People who sing karaoke.  Eagles fans.  Dallas Cowboy fans.  People who don't like sports.  People who work out everyday.  People who will work out... someday.  Tall people.  Short people.  Rappers.  Jazz singers.  Military personnel. Hippies. Psychics. Vegans.


These are just some of the groups... and you may admire some of these groups and hate others.  But everyone in this country has the right to vote and support whomever they like.


Do we really want to start blaming a candidate for their supporters?  Okay, then.


If we are going to say Hillary Clinton is morally bankrupt because Lindsay Lohan supports her... what does that say about Donald Trump, who is supported by Andrew Anglin, a well known Neo Nazi?  Or "Don Black, a former grand dragon of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan and founder of the neo-Nazi site Stormfront; Rocky Suhayda, chair of the American Nazi Party; and Rachel Pendergraft, a national organizer for the Knights Party, the successor to David Duke's Knights of the Ku Klux Klan." (From How Trump Took Hate Groups Mainstream - The full story of his connection with far-right extremists by Sarah Posner and David Neiwert.)


No matter who is running for President, there are going to be supporters of that candidate that others don't like.


Trump supporters try to point at people they feel are "morally bankrupt" and support Hillary Clinton to show how "evil" she is.  Others say Clinton has the backing of Wall Street, which also makes her corrupt and evil. Brokers on Wall Street like to make money (which is so evil).  They back Clinton which may mean... that they feel her Presidency will be good for the economy so they can make money.  And a good economy means that others will make money too... by being employed, having money to spend, etc.  I'm not saying there aren't greedy, uncaring people who work on Wall Street.  Those are everywhere.  But if these guys make money when the country is in good shape financially and they support Clinton... think about it.


Which brings us to Donald Trump.  What does the endorsements of White Supremacists, Neo-Nazis, the Klu Klux Klan and other hate groups show about Trump?  If he is such a savvy businessman, why isn't he supported by financial analysts?


If you want to judge the candidates by their qualifications, experience and plans to deal with the issues we face as a nation, then good for you.  If you want to judge them by their supporters... well, go ahead.  I'll take twerking over hate crimes any day.

Cosplays that you SHOULD NOT wear

Those who know me realize I have long been an advocate of cosplay.  People might be sick of hearing me say "cosplay is about fun" or "cosplay whomever you want."  For many of my friends, I'm preaching to the choir when I state that you can cosplay anyone regardless of your age, gender, body type, skin color or species (yes, I have seen dogs cosplaying).

 

So why am I talking about cosplays you should not wear?

 

Recently there was quite a bit of online buzz about two people who were at DragonCon and cosplayed the twin towers of the World Trade Center.  They depicted the buildings on fire and used dolls to show people jumping to their deaths.  No matter your thoughts on the attack and subsequent collapse of those buildings, thousands of people lost their lives.  It was a tragedy that united a country and highlighted the heroic nature of those who responded to the crisis, sometimes at the cost of their own lives.

 

These "cosplayers" were exercising bad taste and poor judgment. I'm not quite exactly sure if it qualifies as cosplay at all.  Cosplay is a celebration of fandom, showing your enjoyment of a particular show, movie, video game or even a particular person (here I'm referring to those cosplayers who might portray Weird Al or Howard Stern).  Do the costumes worn by these people show them to be fans of a tragic event?  Are they celebrating it?  I would hope not.

 

Yes, you can cosplay whomever or whatever you want.  You don't have to cosplay a person... I've seen people cosplay the TARDIS, automobiles and starships.  These people were within their rights as guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States to cosplay these buildings.

 

However, it is also the right of others to respond to such a cosplay and express displeasure with the choice.

 

This does not mean, as I have seen some internet posts suggest, that these people should be physically attacked.  Lots of people said "If I'd been there, I would have done...." and then described whatever physical attack appealed to them the most.  Honestly, I think most of these people are full of it.  Plenty of people at DragonCon saw these people in costume and did not attack them and I think these people posting "what they would have done" would likely have done nothing.

 

It is my understanding (and please, if my information is incorrect, please correct me) that DragonCon sent security to remove these individuals from the con, but by then they had left.  Was DragonCon correct to (attempt to) take such an action?  Would they be violating the rights of these people?  No.  DragonCon is a private event and as such can eject someone from their convention for any or even no reason.  They are very tolerant of cosplay, but if they receive complaints (they did) about certain attendees or decide those attendees are disruptive (I believe they came to that conclusion) to other guests, they can remove that individual.  Rules for attendees can be stricter than legal requirements.

 

Is this censorship?  In a way.  But well within the rights of the con.

 

Getting back to these particular people who decided to portray the twin towers... they absolutely had the right to wear those costumes.  If I had encountered them (which was pretty unlikely, since I had to skip DragonCon this year), I would have... likely told them I felt their costumes were in bad taste and suggested they reconsider them.  Which I am sure many others did.

 

So what's the bottom line?  Just because you can wear a costume... doesn't mean you should.  The majority of cosplayers understand this.  The majority of cosplayers wear costumes that celebrate something they love.

 

For those who aren't sure... there are some things that you can do... but really shouldn't.  These are:

 

• Wear a costume depicting a tragedy such as the fall of the twin towers
• Wear blackface to portray a difference ethnicity.
• Wear the uniform of a group known for hate or atrocities. (Nazi unforms, Klu Klux Klan, etc.)
• Wear a costume that blatantly targets any group with the intent to offend

 

This isn't a comprehensive list.  But when putting together a costume, you should keep these things in mind... even if you might think it's funny or "people will get it."  You should think about whether your costume celebrates a fandom or celebrates a tragedy or hateful behavior.


Do people make mistakes?  Certainly.  There have been some who have used blackface to portray characters of a different ethnicity and caused a lot of outcry.  Some people say the offenders should have known better.  Frankly, there are a lot of people who aren't aware of the historical significance of blackface and were trying to be accurate.  Most of these people, when they make this mistake, apologize and don't do it again.  I respect that.  I would hope they might have friends to advise them against this, but maybe their friends don't know.  Making a mistake is understandable and can be forgiven.


Were the people wearing the offensive costumes at DragonCon just ignorant of their mistake?  Perhaps.  Were they insensitive to a tragedy?  Yes.  Maybe they realized their mistake and removed (and hopefully destroyed) those costumes.  One can hope.  Some feel these people were deliberately wearing the costumes to gain attention.  That's possible too, but I'm not sure that I would want to receive that kind of attention.  I haven't heard anything more about these people or their motivations... and frankly, it doesn't matter.  They are an excellent example of costumes you shouldn't be emulating.


Cosplay is about fun.  Even when you choose to portray a villain from a fandom, it's still about fun.  Let's bring it back to that.  And if you see someone in a costume that is offensive, you can tell them your feelings about the costume and move on.  Or just ignore them.  Don't let their costume choice dictate your enjoyment of the event you're attending.


In other words... have fun and cosplay on.




(NOTE: There are some people who might take telling someone their costume is offensive to mean if you don't think the person looks good in the costume you should tell them this.  That's downright rude and not the intent.  You can tell someone if the costume is offensive... do not take it as license to tell someone they don't have "the body" or "the right look" for the character they are portraying.  Yes, you have the right to say what you will.  Just because you can say something, doesn't mean you should. In other words... don't be an ass.)

Batman (feat. Drew Powell) - Captain Kyle's Cosplay Spotlight S02E01

Just a quick note that Captain Kyle's Cosplay Spotlight Season Two premieres on August 22nd.


Check out the trailer here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CLmWKoTg2E

The Ugliest Cosplayers

You've probably seen them at every con.  The Superman who's as thin as a rail who looks like a strong breeze would knock him down.  The girl dressed as  Wonder Woman who doesn't come close to qualifying as model thin.  The short and round Chewbacca.  The super thin Slave Leia with the crooked teeth.  The Batman with his belly sticking out over his utility belt.

These cosplayers are beautiful.

They go out on the con floor with bright smiles, proudly dressed as a character they love.  Some of them spent months getting their costume ready just for this moment.  Or saved every dime to buy that costume because they wanted to, for a short time, become the superhero, the video game character, the villain of their choice.  They practiced the walk, the talk and the attitude.  And you just can't beat the look in their eye when someone asks to take a picture of them.  They are truly beautiful.

I know what you're thinking.  This is supposed to be about the ugliest cosplayers.  Well, they are around as well.

You can't necessarily spot them by their appearance, but these cosplayers are the ones who sit in judgment over others.  They are the ones who say "You shouldn't dress in a costume like that with your body" or "You look nothing like the character " or "You're too ugly to cosplay."

These cosplayers are ugly on the inside.  I hate to even call them cosplayers, because while they may be in a costume, they just don't get it.  Cosplay is not about looking exactly like the character.  Cosplay is not about "dressing for your body type."  It's not about how you look in your costume.  It's about how you feel in your costume.

Cosplay is a celebration of fandom.  It's about showing love for a character.  It's about joining a community of like minded people who also love to cosplay.  It's about sharing tricks and tips, and sharing joys and passion. Cosplay is about fun.  There's no room for hate.

There are cosplayers who look almost exactly like a character.  There are cosplayers who don't.  But one thing they have in common is enjoying this awesome hobby where they can dress like their favorite hero, villain, anti-hero or whatever they like.  When cosplayers gather to share their passion, it's a fantastic experience for all of them.

But just as with any group, there are those who would rather tear down than build up.  Those who would rather tell someone they are too fat, too skinny or too ugly.  Perhaps this makes them feel better about themselves.  Perhaps it gives them a sense of superiority.

For those who understand cosplay, it just makes these people ugly.  And the worst part is… they choose to be ugly.  And that's just sad.

What kind of cosplayer do you choose to be?