How to be a Cosplayer (and Not Hate Yourself)
I’ve been cosplaying for a long time. I know how fun it is to bring a favorite character to life. How rewarding it is to construct a costume you’re proud of. How wonderful it is to meet other like-minded geeks through your hobby, some of whom become lifelong friends.
I also know how competitive, shallow, and negative the cosplay community can be. So for your reading pleasure, I present to you a friendly list of tips for a cosplay experience that’s more positive for you (and for everyone who has to put up with you!)
Put your real-life before your cosplay-life. For most of us, cosplay is a hobby, not a profession. Why should a hobby come at the expensive of a functional life? In fact, your cosplay-life will be richer and far more enjoyable if your real-life is under control. Don’t spend your rent/food money on fabric. Don’t shirk your responsibilities, be they familial, educational, or work-related, to go to a convention. Get all that important stuff out of the way first, and then cosplay to your heart’s content guilt-free. Work hard, play hard.
Remember why you cosplay. Is it an outlet for your insane craftsmanship skills? Is is a way to have fun dressing up with your friends, craftsmanship-be-damned? Is it to get attention on the internet? Is it some combination of all of these? Think about why you pour so much time into your hobby. Catch yourself when you start slipping into ‘cosplay attitudes’ that aren’t you. And if you realize that your attitude is falling further and further into the attention-seeking category, you may want to re-assess how much happiness internet fame really brings you.
Don’t engage haters. The haters will always be there, and as much as you may think that duking it out with them is the best way to make them go away, you are just, as they say, feeding the trolls. By acknowledging the hate, whether it’s jumping into a thread on /cgl/ that’s bashing your costume, responding to hateful asks on Tumblr, or getting into a comment war on DeviantArt, you are actually perpetuating the problem you claim you’re trying to solve. It’s a great way to waste time, feel victimized and frustrated, and establish yourself as an easy target for the future. If you feel you have to, respond once to say your piece, and let that be the end of it - after all, you’ve got better things to do.
Let go of your vendettas. Seriously. It probably makes you miserable, and it definitely makes your other cosplay friends feel awkward. You don’t have to like everyone in the community, but long-standing grudges are counterproductive in a hobby that should be collaborative and fun. Move on, don’t let one person you dislike ruin a great hobby for you!
Accept imperfection. Don’t bother being offended by other people’s less-than-perfect costumes. You’ll be offended all the damn time. What’s fun about that? Don’t attempt to coordinate large cosplay groups unless you can handle things not going perfectly. They won’t. Throwing a fit when cosplay plans fall through, or when someone’s costume is not up-to-par, makes no one happy - least of all you. Roll with it, baby, and just have fun anyway, even when your best-laid plans go awry.
For the record, I’m guilty of getting nearly every one of these wrong at some point or another. That’s why I know they work.
☆ Keep cool and keep cosplaying ☆
