...aka "how to behave in public..."
i am not a cosplayer. a part of me would LOVE to rock a korra costume, but alas, i don't have the time, funds, or energy to make 1 to wear at cons. & besides that, when i am at cons, i'm busy doing sketches or selling books (subliminal message***BUY JETTA: TALES OF THE TOSHIGAWA & TURRA: GUN ANGEL & DON'T FORGET TO SUPPORT THE TURRA INDYGOGO CAMPAIGN !!!*** end message).
recently there have been stories of the ugly side of cosplaying, where girls get harassed or put in compromising positions because of the costumes they wear. stuff like creeping, stalking, gropping, dropping crude remarks or request.
there are some who say the girls who claim harassment are overly sensitive or blowing things out of proportion, or even worse, are ASKING for it.
"comments & looks come w/ the territory if you cosplay as a sexy character. if you don't want attention, don't dress up. like i don’t leave my car or house door unlocked because i could get robbed.” that’s good thinking ahead. but even if you did forget to lock up & get robbed, do you get blamed for the robbery? or do they arrest the person who robbed you? who did the wrong thing here? & really, who asks for shit to happen to them? whether a girl cosplays as a frikkin tauntaun or as vampirella, that’s her business. & why she's dressed up as whatever, whether she wants attention or loves the character or is paid by a company to model, it is her business also. how you conduct yourself is yours. & you do know how to mind your own biz, rt? if you don’t know this, go home & slap yo mama for me, please & thank you. because she should’ve taught you better.
others argue that the characters that wear these skimpy outfits do it to fulfill some male fantasy. these are overly sexual characters in a world of make-believe. if you are aware of that, then you are also aware that a con is in our reality, & these girls who dress up are not the actual sexy characters you see in the books or on tv, but are people of our reality, just dressed in costume. & since this is the real world, you should know how to conduct yourself around others in a real world setting, right? if you don’t know this, go home & kick yo mama so hard in the kidneys for me that she pisses blood for a week, please & thank you. because, seriously, she should’ve taught you better.
you worry about what YOU do & how YOU behave, not about her because of the costume she chose to wear.
now, if you wanna tell me i should stfu because i've stated "i'm not a cosplayer" in my very 1st sentence of this post, let me show you how all this relates to the world outside cosplaying.
cosplay world: "comments & looks come w/ the territory if you cosplay as a sexy character. if you don't want attention, don't dress up."
real world: "if she didn't want it, she wouldn't have worn that short skirt or been out alone at night or gone to that party w/ alcohol."
translation: "she's a girl, & doesn't have actual thoughts or feelings, & it doesn't matter what she wears or doesn't wear or where she is or what situation she's in because i will conjure in my head an excuse to make it ok for me to do or say whatever to her. & in fact she should be THANKING me that i'm even paying her any attention."
cosplay world: "she's dressed up as a character that is a nympho. what does she expect?"
real world: "she's wearing red heels i saw a porn star wear once. what does she expect?"
translation: "she's a girl, & doesn't have actual thoughts or feelings, & it doesn't matter what she wears or doesn't wear or where she is or what situation she's in because i will conjure in my head an excuse to make it ok for me to do or say whatever to her. & in fact she should be THANKING me that i'm even paying her any attention."
so this is how the world is & we should be ok w/ it? this is why it's been suggested that women carry mace & guns w/ them to lessen the chance of them being raped. this is why scientists in india are busy inventing a shock bra to foil attackers & folks in south africa have made a contraption for a woman to put inside herself that would tear up a rapist's penis??
because it's just too damn hard to teach people how to conduct themselves in public & to treat others w/ respect, i guess.
