Cosplay and Cyber Bullying
I havenāt been on here in awhile but with the closing of the newspaper I was writing for, I didnāt want this article to get lost. So I decided to share it on here since it is something that is important and a lot of people probably donāt realize it is going on.Ā So here is the article I wrote and I hope you enjoy it and decide to share it.
Bullying has been around for as long as anyone can remember. Ā But with the availability of the internet and being able to hide behind anonymity, there seems to be a surge in cyber bullying over the past few years. Ā The cosplay community has always been a place where cyber-bullying has been seen and sometimes run rampant with no way to make it stop.
The definition of bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose. Ā When it comes to cyber-bullying, the only difference is that the bullying takes place using electronic technology. Examples of cyber-bullying include mean text messages or emails, rumors sent by email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles.
Cyber-bullying can happen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with messages and images that can be posted anonymously and distributed quickly to a very wide audience. It can be difficult and sometimes impossible to trace the source. Ā Deleting inappropriate or harassing messages, texts, and pictures is extremely difficult after they have been posted or sent. Ā Sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have policies and functions in place to be able to report bullying or attempt to block or delete inappropriate content but once an image or a text has circulated it is difficult to completely remove it even with these in place.
Bullying has become an issue of growing concern as more and more stories are heard of people committing suicide because of being teased or bullied about something. Ā Self esteem issues are on the rise and many kids are faced with not liking who they are or how they look because of what people in life and online will say. Ā This is a serious issue and has spread more because of the ability to bully on the internet and to spread that hate to people you will never actually have to meet face to face.
Cosplayers have often had to face many varieties of cyber-bullying over the years. Ā Some websites have specific forums specifically focused at cosplay with constant threads based on shaming cosplayers for their weight, skill level, race, or age. Ā Websites like 4chan.org allow users to stay completely anonymous, which means there is no way for the victim to know who their attacker is or have any real way to confront them. Ā Many cosplayers have learned to just avoid the sites they know will be degrading, but there is always that desire to see what others think even if it means feeling hurt after finding out. Ā
For as long as Facebook has been around, there have been communities focused on bullying or making fun of cosplayers. Ā Pages dedicated to posting pictures making fun of overweight cosplayers was a focus of heated debate several years ago. Ā Many said that anyone who was over weight shouldn't cosplay, or should be restricted to characters with the same build. Ā Although the number of people who agreed with this was small, it was enough to cause an uproar across media to try and get it stopped. Facebook has tried to put in measures to stop the hate from spreading and has created a link that allows you to report inappropriate content. Ā But this doesn't stop people from going around the restrictions but it has decreased the number of pages aimed at bullying.
Recently there has been an increase in the amount of cyber bullying aimed at Kpop cosplayers. Ā Still a fairly new and small community, the number of kpop cosplayers is starting to grow thanks to events such as Kcon and anime conventions hosting various Kpop events. Ā However, as with anything getting more popular, there is also the growth of people wanting to promote hate of certain aspects of the culture. Ā Whether out of jealousy, being too young to understand what they are doing, or just because they don't fully understand the cosplay community there has been more and more attacks showing up, causing some people to question whether they really want to continue doing the things they love if they have to be worried about being torn apart online.
Instagram has become the most popular place for the cyber-bullying of Kpop cosplayers to occur, though Twitter has also allowed people to post pictures with tags to encourage a rush of retweets and favorites to circulate their bullying. Ā Search the #KpopCosplay tag on Instagram and you will see many kpop cosplayers, but then there is also the unfortunate side where people have taken photos without the original owners consent and re-posted them with degrading or insulting descriptions, encouraging followers to also spout hateful comments in response. Ā Even with the ability to report these images, it doesn't stop the hate from spreading.
Recently, cosplayers were secretly photographed at Kcon in New Jersey in June. Ā Pictures surfaced of cosplayers while they were standing in line, or pictures from behind where it was obvious that they were not asked permission before the photo was taken. Ā Twitter users then posted these photos with insulting comments that caused an explosion of re-tweets and replies as well as creating an awareness that cyber-bullying was in fact alive and fierce within the kpop community. The hurtful comments were spread and after hundreds of re-tweets, some of the images were eventually removed, however the damage was already done.
In some cases, it is merely a matter of misunderstanding. Ā People post hateful comments because they donāt understand what cosplay is or how it came to start. Ā In other instances it is purely bullying in its most basic of forms. Ā Insulting people because of their weight or age is something kids do all the time, sometimes not realizing how harmful the comments can be and other times not caring even though they do know. Ā Just because they are able to now hide behind a computer screen or cell phone and cannot actually receive any backlash for their actions, they are allowed to say what they want to whomever they want and it is becoming a growing epidemic of hate.
The kpop cosplay world has been attacked for being racist and people not thinking that real people should be cosplayed. Ā This is where the misunderstanding comes in. Ā Cosplay is wearing an outfit to portray a character, person, event, etc. Ā It is mostly associated with anime, video games, movies, tv shows and more but it has been growing and expanding at an amazing rate. Ā Real people are being cosplayed with more and more frequency. Ā If you attend Dragoncon in Atlanta each year you will see people cosplaying as musicians, actors, politicians, reality celebrities and more. Ā There is no shortage of Lady Gaga, Madonna, Prince, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, previous and current Presidents, Billy Mays and other real life people running around. Ā This is how the cosplay scene has evolved.
Musicians are often the most seen new cosplay at any given convention. Ā American artists are slowly becoming seen more and more as their outfits from their music videos and stage performances become more extravagant. Sometimes it is even done in tribute to the lost talent as cosplayers show off their respect for the musicians that are no longer with us. Ā In a way their legacy lives on in the various types of cosplay that gets done in love for the artist. Ā Visual Kei and J-rock and J-pop outfits have been cosplayed for years, as fans of the genre have enjoyed recreating those stage outfits at conventions and concerts all around the world. Ā Kpop cosplay was really just the next step in this growth as its popularity expanded across the globe.
The costumes that people are making and wearing are from the music videos that the artists are creating. Ā These videos are imaginary worlds, scenes and storylines where the idols are playing a role or a part. Ā In many ways this is just like any other tv show that you would cosplay from. Ā Kpop cosplayers are recreating the roles that these idols are playing to show their passion and support for the group, the music or simply for a love of the outfit. Ā As with all other forms of cosplay, the art of creating the costume is made in order to express just how much a fan is of the person they are portraying.
Perhaps over time, kpop cosplay will be accepted just as other forms of cosplay has been. Ā It is still young in its conception but Kpop continues to grow in its popularity, so will the cosplay community. Ā But overall, whether it is for Kpop cosplay or just anime and cosplay in general, the bullying needs to be stopped.Ā Steps need to be taken to try and cut down on the amount of bullying that is taking place, otherwise instead of growing like it should, cosplay could become an activity that people run away from for fear of being ridiculed. Ā If you see bullying or insulting images online either through Instagram, twitter or other social media then you should report it. Ā The more responses that these media sites receive, the more likely they are to take the offensive material down. Ā Show your support for the people who are being attacked. Ā By posting encouraging positive thoughts among the acidic and hurtful ones, it might open people's eyes to what is going on and start to quell the hate. Ā Be open minded to new things and not let your misunderstandings cloud your judgement. Ā Even if you don't like or understand something, that doesn't mean you need to tear down someone who has put in a lot of heart and effort into doing what they enjoy. Ā Try to be understanding even if you can't support it. Understanding and acceptance is the only way to make the bullying stop.
