Quote Originally Posted by Phil View Post
I like the majority of cosplay.
It's nice to see people passionate about their fandoms.
However, I don't agree with the ones that don't pay to actually come into cons and just hang around outside, or that come and don't do anything but pose for photos; Embrace the entirety of what a con has to offer - buy some small press comics, get some art, try something new.
And the ones with GIANT props that continually knock into people or stalls/booths.
It's a double edged sword. (Not the prop)

A lot of cosplayers spend a lot - and I mean, a LOT - of money on their costumes. We're talking into the thousands of dollars. So when they go to a show - a few things happen. First, they're stopped, every five feet, by people to ask and take a photo. So their ability to actually go out and "enjoy the con for what it has to offer" is very difficult. (Photos I have taken with them, I always say, "If you have a moment, can I take a photo with you? If you're busy, I completely understand." - this gives them the option to bow out, and I am completely understanding when they do). The second problem is, as I said, a cosplayer can spend into the thousands of dollars for creating their costume. And for the most part, that's where most of their money sinks into. Because most of the "professional" (for lack of a better word) cosplayers, typically have more than one costume, and will go to the cons as a different character for each day. (Which is more than some male con goers, who don't change any of their clothes for the 4 days - or at least smell that way).

Now, I've only gone to one con and "dressed up" as a pirate (at DragonCon, many years ago). I was stopped about 20 times, and asked if someone could take a photo with me. (I wasn't dressed up as any particular pirate character - just a pirate - but PotC movie was popular at the time). I dumped about, in total, $400 on my costume (having upgraded it over time). And I absolutely loved when someone asked if they wanted a photo with me. I felt honored, that someone thought I looked cool enough to want to snap a photo with.

So, that may be also - exactly - what the cosplayers are going for. That's their enjoyment - knowing that their costume encourages people to want to take a photo with them. Each person pays their own ticket for the convention - they should enjoy it how they see fit, as long as they're not disrupting anyone else's enjoyment (say, with giant props that hit people - those people need to section them off in a less populated area - or out front - for photos).

And there's also the issue of...

How do I say it?

A lot (not all, by any means) of the "big" cosplayers suffer from "vanity" - for lack of a better word. They have their instagram accounts with 324.1K followers, who are, for the most part, male, who are salivating over posted photos, and throwing an endless barrage of comments about their beauty (the more skin, the better), and there ends up being 1.3K comments on these photos (why do these people comment, is beyond me, because do these people sincerely believe these female cosplayers read the comments?). So you get these cosplayers (again, I don't mean to say they're all female; but the female cosplayers tend to have the biggest fan bases, because comics, despite every company's attempt, is still primarily a male driven fan base).