The Real Problem With Sexy Cosplay
Editor’s Note: This is a transcript of a video hosted by Ardella Cosplay. Ardella Cosplay is a wonderful cosplayer from Australia and recently she made a video that tackles the controversial topic of sexual cosplays in the cosplay community. The video is available below for those that prefer to watch it. You can find out more about Ardella Cosplay here.
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Sex sells. It’s a fact. Everyone is attracted to good-looking people. That’s why they call it “attractive.” It’s evident in almost every aspet of our lives. From the permanence of beautiful celebrities that we admire mostly for their appearance and charisma to the scandalous sex-driven plot lines of TV shows. It is no surprise then that most widely known cosplayers tend to be beautiful women known for their choices of revealing costumes. This isn’t a problem in itself. I’m all for supporting the sexy ladies. If you have come here for a cleavage bashing rant, you’re in the wrong place.
The issue actually begins when the wider world sees those types of costumes as being the one and only type of cosplay. They see these images of scantily clad ladies pushed forward as cosplay and understandibly assume this is all that cosplay means. There will only be a serious problem though if the entire cosplay community succumbs to the notion that it’s all about erotic dress-up. Cosplay is the perfect hobby for bringing together fans from every walk of life but the negative stigma of it being just a sexualized romp has the potential to be totally damaging. So how do we stop that from happening? Do we call out the cosplayers who decide to portray sexually provocative characters? Do we attack every person we see flashing a bit of clevage and striking a suggestive pose? Hardly.
We need to understand that sexy cosplay does have its place in the cosplay community. And it’s an important one. We also need to accept that sex sells and that’s not likely to change anytime soon. We need to agree that the wider world becoming more familiar with this previously very niche hobby is a good thing. But what about the amazingly talented people who are creating some incredibly costumes that are not quite “sexy” and therefore not getting as much recognition? What about the people who toil away from months creating amazing totally accurate costumes who are pushed aside in favor of a hot piece of ass?
Well if these are the sorts of people who you would like to present to the rest of the world as being the epitome of cosplay, you need to show them your support. Now that certainly doesn’t mean dragging down other people to do so. Saying you are so much better that so and so never helped anyone. Very few things bother me more than being told that I am a “real cosplayer.” There are no guidelines to being a “real cosplayer.” Nothing makes you more of a cosplayer or less of a cosplayer. It’s a hobby. Instead of building people up by dragging people down, why not share their photos on Facebook, do a blog post about them, even suggest them as a guest to your local convention.
Be the change that you want to see in the community. Bring balance to the force. It all starts with you!
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