How Parents Can Support Your Cosplaying
From what I have seen on the Internet, there are a lot of teenagers out there who have difficulty with gaining support from their parents when it comes to cosplaying. I want to start off by saying that I do NOT have any personal experience with this. I am lucky enough to have a mother who supports what I do. However, I wish to try and help those who are not so fortunate as I am. I am going to list various things you can do to try and gain the support of your parents/guardian(s):
List the benefits of cosplaying
My friend gave me a story about how Cosplaying has helped her with her self confidence. She says that she wears cuter clothes and actually wore her first bikini top this past year! The same friend also informed me that she learned how to save money because of cosplay. She would put money aside to afford the cosplay outfits and cons. You can utilize this skill into other real-life situations, such as buying a house or a car, and even paying bills! Cosplaying offers a lot of benefits that I will cover in a different blog entry, but just let your parent/guardian know them!
Inform them that Cosplaying is NOT a bad/dangerous hobby
Unlike other hobbies that teenagers are partaking in, cosplaying is not dangerous or unhealthy. It is a lot better than going out to parties and drinking, smoking, doing drugs, etc… While there are people who do this at the con, you can avoid it very easily by knowing who you should and shouldn’t hangout with. Cosplaying can actually be healthy as well! Personally, I started to work out because of cosplay. It’s allowed me to have a more toned body, motivated me to eat healthier, and just be all around more healthy than I was before.
Explain what goes on at conventions
There is no point in lying about what happens at conventions. It is a gathering of a bunch of nerds who have things in common and a great way to make friends. Of course there are the “creepers” that you should avoid, but the conventions in general are extremely safe. Use the Buddy System if your parent/guardian is concerned with your safety…but that shouldn’t really be a problem since not many people attend conventions alone! Heck, maybe even take your parent/guardian TO a convention so he/she can experience it for themselves!
Introduce them to your friends
Parents always want to know who their kids are being friends with, so introduce your parent/guardian to your cosplay friends! That way they know who you are hanging out with. Heck, your friends may be even able to give another perspective on cosplay that might convince your parent/guardian to support you!
I really hope this advice helps someone, I truly do. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to message me on Facebook.
