#cosfame

As cosplay has become more and more mainstream, some personalities will certainly become really well known and over the past few years it’s undeniable that this has happened. People outside of the convention scene know what cosplay is and become fans of their favorite models and cosplayers. There are tons of really amazing opportunities that come with this kind of popularity, not just for the…

#TipTuesday May 23 2017: CosFam of Action

While we’ve said it multiple times in the past, and we’ve tried to live by this saying, and especially in the cosplay community it’s very important: “If you see something, say something!” This week, our Tip Tuesday is about taking action when you see cosplayers being either bullied, harassed or worse, say something or get involved if you can. Even if its just pretending to be their friend, or…

Here's a quote I think about a lot:

“But remember, there are two ways to dehumanize someone: by dismissing them, and by idolizing them.” - David Wong

Now, let's talk about cosplay fame.

I'll start by saying that I'm terrible at idolising people. I am fully capable of recognising talent when I see it, but I've never understood the whole "screaming and fainting at the sight of a complete stranger just because they were in a film/band/TV show that one time" thing. I find the concept of being excited about someone writing their name on a piece of paper to be completely baffling. I mean, Tyler Hoechlin (I went to a Teen Wolf convention and it was weird, ok) called me "sweetie" once, and my first reaction was to be slightly offended, because dude, I'm older than you and we only just met (I know he's what Tumblr would call "a cinnamon roll", and was just being nice, but the anecdote is here to demonstrate just how much I am incapable of idolising people). I would much rather sit down with the person or people I admire and pick their brains a little, than to wait outside in the rain to have them sign my arm.

And this leads me to cosplay and cosplay fame. Or cosfame, because apparently portmanteaus are cool.

Back in the days of old, the people I hung out with in conventions in Finland were lovingly referred to as "the cosplay elitists". We were like the cool, popular kids in a group of nerds, and that is pretty much how I define cosfamous people, even now: the cool ones in a group of nerds.

Cosplay still is the pastime of a minority. Regardless of how much media exposure the hobby gets, and how much positive press we manage to generate, we still are the weird bunch of people who dress up as cartoon characters. And that's completely fine. It's perfect! We do what we like, because we like doing it, and that's cool.

"But what about cosfame, Elina?" you ask, "What's so wrong about cosfame?"

Well, my sweet summer children, let me tell you: nothing. There's absolutely nothing wrong with cosfame itself. It's its consequences I have a problem with: it makes it seem like these mythical cosfamous people are somehow above all the other cosplayers. That they are better, more beautiful and more successful than all the rest of us. That they can do nothing wrong, that they're the ultimate role models and the inspiration for what every cosplayer should aspire to be.

The problem is that while all this might seem true from an outsider perspective, it has three major issues:

1. Cosfamous people poop too. This is to say that while you may see them as everything I just typed up there, they really are just human beings with imperfections and bowel movements, and by being labeled as cosfamous and perfect, they are turned into ideas rather than human beings, and we begin to expect more of them than we would of the regular folk we consider our equals. So when a cosfamous (I'm starting to hate that word so much, oh my god) person has a bad day and might not feel like chatting with strangers for extended periods of time, or turns down an excited photographer, they're labelled as an evil bitch. Would YOU like to be widely regarded as a bitch because you had one bad day? Didn't think so.

2. Thoughts become things and, at least in my opinion, one of the worst things that can happen is for a cosfamous person to start believing they actually ARE the mythical creature their adoring fans make them up to be. And I'm pretty sure I don't need to tell you why that's a bad thing. (I'll tell you anyway: "fame corrupts" is not just an empty saying. It's true. I'm sure you've all seen at least a few of those overly dramatic True Hollywood Stories. I'm sure that you know at least a few people who have let things get to their heads, be it academic success or just their stunning good looks.)

3. Because cosplay fame exists, it makes it seem like something anyone can achieve. Which, technically, IS true, but really, really unlikely. But it does make cosplayers think that things like the amount of likes you have on your Facebook page or the number of followers you have on Instagram somehow define your worth and talents as a cosplayer, when it truly has more to do with chance and exposure than anything else. 

And I'm not talking about skin exposure here, although that's also a thing that people seem to think helps you achieve cosplay fame. Get your tits/abs out and you instantly gain followers, hoorah! (Feel free to get your tits/abs out, if that's what you're into. But if you actually would like to have people appreciate your, say, craftsmanship, then maybe focus on that. Or do both, if you want, I'm not your mother.)

There's not much we can do about the fact that cosfamous people exist. Hell, I'm not even saying that cosplay fame is bad, because it's not. I have huge amounts of respect for cosplayers who have either managed to turn a hobby they love into a business like Yaya Han, or use their popularity as a platform to do more than just share pretty pictures of themselves. It's not the fame that's bad or good, it's what you do with it, and how others perceive it.

What I want you to take away from this is this: all cosplayers poop. All cosplayers have terrible days, and all cosplayers are probably just as nerdy as you are. We're all essentially outsiders who just happened to find a hobby that makes us look vaguely cool. Just because someone has a huge following, doesn't mean they're an amazing person. Just because YOU have a huge following, doesn't mean you're better than anyone else. We're all human. Let's not forget that.