The Dangers of Cosplay: A blog about the dangers cosplay poses to those involved. (Including those making the costumes.)
Don’t let the name fool you, this blog is as serious as a heart attack.
From the first post: “I didn’t really think this through. I mean, I knew there would be some danger, but I didn’t think it would be that bad. I don’t know what I was thinking. Why did I join the Empire? My therapist says it’s because of my mom, but that’s crazy right? Mom can’t do anything from beyond the grave!”
You might think it’s an elaborate joke or that it was created by someone who just wanted to make fun of cosplay fans, but you couldn’t be more wrong. This blog is all too real and has been posting some of the most interesting articles we have come across in a while. It has even been featured in The New York Times and Time Magazine (though both called the blog “a hoax designed to trick people into thinking cosplayers were dangerous psychopaths who needed to be stopped at all costs.”)
The Dangers of Cosplay
Cosplay is the act of dressing up as a character from a movie, show, book, or video game. The majority of cosplayers are women, and female cosplayers are often sexualized. These women, who may or may not be comfortable in their own skin and confident with their own body image, have a unique problem: cosplaying makes them feel sexy by making them dress up like another person who they see as sexy. This can be mentally detrimental to how they see themselves.
Costume design is subjective. One person may find a costume to be vulgar while another person may find it to be cute. Some people can pull off looking good in anything while others struggle to look good even in normal clothes. What’s ‘sexy’ to one person may not be ‘sexy’ to another, especially when it comes to cosplaying female superheroes. While some characters are designed to ‘look good’ on paper, the real-life versions often end up looking ridiculous or simply don’t work at all. Likewise, some costumes don’t translate well into the real world and look silly at best or downright slutty at worst; these costumes only serve to objectify the wearer and make people uncomfortable rather than enjoy what they see.
The dangers of cosplay are often not taken seriously. People think that because it’s a hobby, it can’t be dangerous. This is simply not true. Cosplay is a very dangerous activity.
First, there are the costumes themselves. Most cosplayers create their own costumes and as such, they tend to use materials that would otherwise be considered unsafe, or they use safe materials in unsafe ways. For example, using rubber cement to hold pieces of fabric together, or making full body suits out of latex and then wearing them for an entire convention. And those are just two examples from my own experiences!
But the costumes are not the only danger. There’s also the issue of social expectations and pressures. Cosplay is supposed to be fun, but there’s more to it than that. It’s become this huge social event where people show off their costumes and compete with one another for attention and praise. I’ve seen some pretty nasty stuff happen at cons because someone wasn’t getting enough attention or they felt like they were being judged unfairly by others in the community who didn’t know them well enough yet to judge them fairly on their costume choice (or lack thereof).
And then there’s the issue of safety when you’re at a convention surrounded by thousands of other people
Cosplay is a dangerous and potentially deadly activity. The most common exceptions to this are performance-related accidents. The following is a list of the top 10 cosplay-related deaths from the past decade:
Cosplay is the practice of dressing up as a character from a movie, book, or video game, especially one from the Japanese genres of manga or anime.
The practice has become popular in the last several decades. Cosplay is not restricted to just anime and manga. Costumes such as Disney characters are often seen at conventions. With the popularity of Marvel and DC films and shows, many people have also taken to cosplaying their favorite “superheroes.”
Cosplay is a major part of many comic-cons and geek conventions. Nowadays, it’s not uncommon to find whole families dressed up as their favorite characters.
A simple visit to google can reveal how elaborate costumes can be. Many people that dress up as their favorite character invest quite a bit into creating an authentic costume. Some even go so far as having an accurate replica weapon made.
To cosplay, or not to cosplay? That is the question.
Should you choose to cosplay, be sure to follow all of the safety guidelines for proper costume construction and usage. This includes but is not limited to:
Wearing a helmet at all times when in costume.
Utilizing breathable fabric in areas where suffocation may occur (i.e. mask).
Ensuring that any electronics used in the creation of your costume are functioning properly and tested to withstand the stresses of a convention setting.
Only wearing your cosplay in locations that allow it.
What is Cosplay?
Cosplay is a performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture centered on role play. A broader use of the term cosplay applies to any costumed role play in venues apart from the stage, regardless of the cultural context.
Myths About Cosplay
Myth