([please read entire post here if you read the link before commenting. It will help keep the negativity to a minimum thanks!) ****Sigh**** Sadly, Another comic book artist shying away from the cosplay community and seeing it in a negative way. You guys know Im all about thoughtful discussions, equality in costuming (and well pretty much everywhere) and listening to all sides of each argument. *I do not agree with his point of view on cosplayers or the cosplay community. I feel that cosplay helps the industry because people are clearly showing support of a certain character by -cosplaying- them and its also bringing more FEMALES into teh comic book fandom** BUT THE WAY COSPLAYERS ARE RESPONDING TO THIS IS -NOT- HELPING PAINT US IN A POSITIVE LIGHT. The gut response people have when they feel as though they have been insulted is to A- insult back, B- get angry and blow things out of the water in scale. Lets take a step back and really look at the situation. 1-A respected artist is not a fan of the cosplay community or cosplayers and wishes not to be contacted further by convention bookers who advertise about cosplay being a draw to their convention. 2- He is speaking strictly to the bookers and not to the actual cosplayers in this POST (comments not withstanding). Now. People have been REALLY heated about this and being... quite frankly.... horrible in their responses. Not saying his comments or others have made in his thread against cosplayers is ok or warrented BUT... an eye for an eye guys makes the whole world blind. In the comments cosplayers are covered by blanket statements that dont really show the truth behind cosplay (remember I and many others use it as therapy and as an outlet) but yes some of us do behave poorly, do it only for attention and sure some of us cause some serious issues with media and demands. SOME OF THE COMMENTS WERE DOWNRIGHT TERRIBLE NONSENSE, BODY SHAMING AND WRONG.... but....NOBODY CAN CHANGE PEOPLES PERCEPTIONS BUT US. Even though we have been covered with blanket statements lets not do that in reverse. there are plenty of comic book artists that embrace their fans dressing up as their creations. George Perez is a GREAT example ElfQuest® the official page creator Wendy Pini loves her fans Bone (Jeff Smith) said he loved the cosplay photo I showed him of a set I did from his comics and even Neil Gaiman gets down with Death and sandman coslayers.... SO DONT GET JADED ABOUT COMIC BOOK ARTISTS! look at @table titans!!!!!!!!!!!!!! tabletitans/proclamations/post/please-cosplay-us (PLEASE COSPLAY US YAY!!!) I hope that maybe Mr. Broerick and those in support of a less cosplay heavy convention maybe just had some bad experiences with cosplayers and maybe that ship will turn around over time. BUT LETS LOOK IN THE MIRROR NOT OUT THE WINDOW. There are artists who are blaming cosplayers for empty artist alleys, low sales on autographs and poor attendance to panels. I would like to see the science behind that (not sarcasm , I really would!) My years in retail management made me realize we are more in control of our environment than we think. YES. there will be bad days. YES. there will be bad attendance/ customers. YES. there will be times where you will ask is this worth my time? YES. there are times many things will be out of your control And YES it is easier to point the finger at outside influences and say it is their fault. What is harder is asking yourself WHAT CAN I DO TO MAKE THIS BETTER? WHAT CAN I DO TO MAKE THIS WORK? Its -tough- and it takes time, research, energy and sometimes a vast amount of CHANGE. (scary right?) As cosplayers, lets take this negativity and turn our gaze from the window to the mirror. WHY are people seeing us this way? WHEN did we hit the big turn around from being seen as fun to being seen as attention grabbing and selfie obsessed ? WHO would be best to sit down and talk to about this change? What large cosplay heads would have thoughtful input? What comic book artists could offer pointers and tips on how to get along with their culture better? WHAT is the best way for ME to help do my part in changing this ship around? WHERE is it acceptable to behave certain ways and where is it not acceptable? (cosplayers causing public drama, being drunk in public etc) NO. YOU may not be causing the issues and no YOU may not be a person who paints cosplay negativity among older artists and convention guests... BUT WE ARE ALL PART OF IT. Just like in any group a few bad apples can ruin the bunch. Im not saying any one person needs to make the change happen. What Im saying is lets look in the mirror and not out the window. Lets work together to make this something more artists WANT to see happening. There are many people who are of the mind of: If you dont like it then leave. or This is the way we are, accept us or dont just dont bother me. NOT the right kind of attitude for a positive change. Kicking, screaming, yelling, raging, complaining, bad-mouthing and general nastiness only perpetuates the negative view many people have on the cosplay culture. Be thoughtful , do your research and realize that YES what others do in the community -does- reflect on each and every one of us.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Dec 2014 20:22:20 +0000
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