Real Limitations, and How to Overcome Them

As I muse over my most recent entry, it occurs to me that maybe among my impassioned views I left something out. Don't get me wrong, I am a firm believer that there is no excuse for limiting yourself because you're afraid you aren't up to the challenge, but that doesn't mean there aren't some limitations that are less within our control. I suppose I will therefore amend my statement “You can accomplish any project you put your mind to,” and instead I offer this: “With enough time and money, you can accomplish any project you put your mind to.”

I hate to bring up the “m” word, but it's true. Cosplay is an expensive hobby. First with the cost of materials: though you can be resourceful and use some less traditional supplies, things like fabric, wonderflex, craft foam, paint, and other stuff needed to construct a costume aren't always that cheap and tend to add up. Then there's the convention ticket/badge/membership/etc., which even if purchased ahead of time can run pretty steep. After that you need to consider transportation and lodging, and also food. When you think about it, a weekend at a convention can run easily over $200, and that's not counting your costume!

Note that I said these things “less within our control,” though. That doesn't mean they are completely out of our control. Careful planning (both in terms of time and money) can help a lot. Be choosey with what conventions you attend. Do you have to go to 5 conventions this year? Which ones are closest? I try to avoid anything I have to fly to, both for ease and cost, though usually I try to save my pennies and treat myself to Dragon*Con if I can manage.

Another idea: consider alternate options for lodging: do you have a friend that lives 15 minutes from the convention? Now, obviously staying at the hotel is the easiest option, but when money is tight it's not always the best. Also consider how many days you need a hotel room. Again, Thursday through Sunday is easiest, but do you really need a hotel room all Friday and/or Sunday? Then of course, as many of us already do, there's splitting the cost of a hotel room a few ways. Let me pause here to remind everyone that most hotels have a 4 person per room limit. Going over this limit puts you at risk for being kicked out of the hotel. Also, personally I have never slept comfortably in a hotel room of more than 5 people anyway, so I would discourage anything over that.

Back on course now, let's talk badges. Most conventions offer discounts if you buy early. Some even have a special deal valid only the last day of the con to buy next year's membership. There are also ways to get your badge comped or reimbursed: volunteering is the most common way, be it traditional volunteering to help run the event, special performances (like key roles in Anime Boston's CosPlot), event judging (though that is usually invite-only), or panels (check individual conventions for specific guidelines). Secondly, if you happen to write/report for a legitimate news source (blog, podcast, magazine, etc.) and you want to report on the convention you can apply for a press badge, which is usually discounted if not free – if you want to enter a contest, though, check with the convention to see if you are allowed to do so on a press badge. Some cons also offer group rates if you can get 10 or more people to register together.

So, those are some ways to save money and decrease your cost for attending cons, but I feel the elephant in the room needs to be addressed: the easiest way to help afford conventions is (if you don't have one already) to get a job. Now, this is a very personal issue that I won't go into great detail on because there is no right answer for any one person, but one idea that my be right for you is to start commissioning. If you trust your skills enough and are dedicated enough to make costumes for hire (something to be perfectly honest I cannot do) this is a great way to hone your skills and make a little extra cash. You can have stock options of what you're able to do, or negotiate each project as you're hired. You can make whole costumes, just wigs, just props, just accessories, you can have pre-made “on-the-shelf” items, you can do artwork. If you trust yourself to be motivated enough by the payoff, this is a great way to help fund your hobby, just be sure to research it somewhere or thorough someone who, unlike me, actually has commissioning experience.

Now, to move away from the money issue (I really did not mean to talk about it at such length!), lets talk about the other major real limitation: time. Of course, I argue this isn't necessarily as strict a limitation as we imagine it to be. If you want your next costume done by your next convention and you don't finish it is it really the end of the world? No. Is it a huge disappointment and might you loose steam to get it done after the event? Probably. That doesn't mean you still can't finish it for the future, though. But let's backtrack a little bit: while I refuse to let imagined level of skill hold me back when it comes to making a costume I do use it as a factor as to how much time I need to leave. My biggest projects, like Soopy-Kun and Suzaku-no-miko Miaka, I started working on 2 to 4 months before the convention. My current major (and secret) project was stared over 5 months before the convention. If you think something is going to be difficult for you and you want it done a certain time, give yourself a big head start. Honestly, the biggest factor in ornate, amazing, difficult-looking costumes is TIME. And yes, to a lesser (but still notable) extent money.

So, to sum up: yes, there are real limitations that may hinder you in this hobby, but, as I said in my last post, whatever you perceive as your skill level should NOT be one of them! If you want to cosplay something, be it seemingly easy or hard to make, as long as you allow enough time and money you can truly make anything.

"Who should I cosplay?"

At this point in my cosplay “career” there is no question that baffles me so much as “who should I cosplay?”--not in terms of how to answer, but why this question is even being asked. If there's one thing that happens over years of cosplaying it is your “to-do” list grows exponentially, so the idea of not knowing what to make is very foreign to me now. That said, I do remember being new to the hobby and asking for myself, “who should I cosplay?” just

Gale's first (mostly) self-made costume
(Thanks to Mom for help!)

as many other newbies do still.

But what is so different about making a to do list at the start of your “career” as opposed to years into it? My best guess is confidence. When you're new to cosplay you are unsure of your abilities and therefore feel limitations. So the question you are asking (whether of yourself or others) is not so specifically “who should I cosplay” as “what am I capable of making?” Now, granted with over nine years of experience I've also gained some confidence in my abilities, and my technique has certainly improved, but I still look back at my younger self and ask “why are you holding yourself back?”

Personally, I have always been a perfectionist. When I was younger and less experienced this led me to severely limit myself in terms of what projects I took on because I couldn't bear the thought of the end result not being up to my own standards. Now I more often just drag my heals on certain projects because I overthink them into huge daunting tasks, but ultimately get them done eventually. Or maybe that last part is just wishful thinking. Either way, I'm a lot more open to challenging myself now than I used to be, and I truly wish I had learned to be that way sooner.

Gale's Kaylee Frye green jumpsuits
made in 2005 and 2011, respectively

The realization I had recently that I think is the most freeing is this: if you love the character enough and are disappointed in how the costume came out you can ALWAYS make the costume again. Maybe you do it immediately using what you learned the first time around for “what not to do” or maybe you wait several years until your skills have improved a bit more, either way there is NOTHING saying you can't re-make a costume. Honestly, when you think of it this is kind of a fun idea. Once you're done with version 2.0 you can look back and show off how much you've improved over the years.

I guess the point of this posting is to say to everyone out there stop holding yourself back and asking permission (of yourself or others) before you settle on what costume to make. Cosplay who you love. Cosplay who you want to be like and represent. Don't worry about your skill level or whether or not you look like a character (unless making yourself look like them causes a moral dilemma) or how popular the series is. Cosplay is about having fun and becoming someone else for a little while. Don't overthink it. Instead of asking yourself “who should I cosplay?” ask yourself “who do I want to cosplay?” then ask “how WILL I make this costume?” and then go research. You might surprise yourself with what you're able to do.

Also see my follow-up post to this: Real Limitations and How to Overcome Them.

Whitewashing in American Media, or Why I Won't Cosplay Katara

Katara

I am a big fan of the cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender. My favorite character is Katara. Naturally, then, I should cosplay her, right? Well, it's not that simple. You see, Katara is of a fictional race strongly based on and resembling that of the Inuit, whereas I am of western European decent...or in other words very very white. Now, race really shouldn't matter when it comes to cosplay, but knowing what I know about racial oppression in American media I just can't in good conscience cosplay a character of such a clearly defined different race than I am.

I didn't always have such strong feelings about this issue. Sure, having studied the atrocities of minstrel shows and blackface in my theater classes the idea of darkening my skin to represent a character of a different ethnicity always made me a little queasy, but if it's culturally acceptable for minorities to cosplay “white” characters without changing their skin color, why is it so different for white cosplayers dressing as “minority” characters? Then M. Knight Shyamalan announced the casting for his live action movie adaptation of Avatar: TLA and I discovered a website called racebending.com.

Now, I could have told you without visiting Racebending's website that M. Knight's casting was not only wrong but offensive. The movies are not cosplay and lead roles for minorities, especially indigenous or Asian peoples, are very hard to come by. Usually such actors are limited to token characters, so an opportunity to cast a big budget movie with all minorities in the leads would be huge. Racebending.com, however, opened up my eyes to how extensive this problem is. You see, in Hollywood, even today, there is this technique called “whitewashing,” whereby casting agents cast white people in what might otherwise be ethnic roles because supposedly a cast of all or mostly minorities makes a film a “minority film” and therefore does not get much white viewership. Now, when it comes to a movie like Barbershop I might agree with that idea, but a movie that has nothing to do with race as we know it and takes place in a fantasy world that is already popular based on its source material? I have to call BS on that theory.

M. Knight Shyamala's Avatar: The Last Airbender
Sokka and Katara in foreground, the water tribe in background
Note how the lead actors are white and the extras are ethnic

Unlike cosplay, in the movies only one person gets to be any given character, and to whitewash an ethnic role just because it supposedly might make the white “majority” less interested in the film is totally unfair. For me, as an actor and fan of Asian culture as well as fan of the Avatar cartoon wanting it to be retold accurately, the idea of whitewashing really hit a nerve. Sure, in cosplay the sky is the limit and you can be anything you set your mind to make, but with the knowledge of whitewashing in our media the idea of cosplaying an ethnic character just makes me feel dirty. On some level I feel like I would perpetuating the practice of whitewashing and therefore discriminating against others.

Maybe on some level it's a sort of solidarity thing, a silent protest that I won't cosplay an ethnic character until minorities get better representation in the media. When you get down to it though, for reasons I can't quite articulate, it just plain feels wrong. I'm not saying it's wrong for white people to cosplay dark skinned characters, but for ME it feels wrong to do so myself. Like I said, in cosplay you should be able to dress as anything with nothing to limit you but your own creativity and hard work, but this isn't a perfect world. Some people discriminate. Some people are bullies. Some concepts carry with them baggage of what should be unrelated issues. Maybe some day in my lifetime minorities will get equal representation in the media. Or maybe I'll just get over the issue, tired of it since it doesn't so directly affect me. Whatever the case, for the moment I'm going to hold my ground in my silent protest and leave ethnic characters, even those I love, for others to cosplay.

Haters

It is a sad but true fact that once you've started cosplaying in public one thing is inevitable: your photo will end up in a public forum, and soon after all sorts of bullies will come out of the woodwork to rip you apart. No matter your skill level, weight, or attractiveness you will be criticized for poor craftsmanship, being fat, and being ugly. If heaven forbid you are too tall, too short, a different ethnicity, or a different body type than character you are trying to portray, this will be pointed out as a negative factor. It's almost bad enough I might suggest to never read the comments on a public photo of yourself, especially if you did not post it, however at some point we all get curious. It is my hope, though, that before that happens you can have a little perspective and a think skin toward such stupidity, because it honestly means NOTHING.

One of the very worst things to come out of the internet is the false bravado it gives people. Things they would never dream of saying to someone's face suddenly roll off the tongue (or fingers, as it were) with ease because they don't have to directly confront the reality that those photos are of real people with real feelings. It disconnects them from the situation so that they can build themselves up without consequences.

I've always been told that bullies are insecure or jealous of their targets. They feel threatened some how, so they put others down so they can delude themselves into thinking they're better. I don't have any sort of degree in psychology so I can't say for sure, but it sure makes sense. Chances are, that girl calling you fat is actually paranoid about HER weight even more than you, and that boy who called you ugly is jealous he can't pull off an awesome costume like yours. For every negative comment you might see, remember all the positive ones you've gotten, and remember all the friends you have who love and admire you. What should you care about what some stupid anonymous person on the internet thinks? They don't have the guts to talk to you in person, so they don't matter.

Bullies only have as much power over you as you let them. Outside of your emotional reaction, anonymous cyber bullies don't have any real way to affect your life: they don't interact with you in person, they can't influence your friends, they don't talk to your boss/teachers/etc. If you don't see what they write it's as if it was never written. That doesn't mean it never hurts, but keep things in perspective.

Bullying is a horrible aspect of our society. On some level I think it is a symptom of how desensitized we've become by all this technology. A picture is not a person, it is a picture. Pictures don't have feelings. We forget that picture represents a person, and that person does have feelings, feelings which can be hurt. I truly hope none of my readers have ever stooped so low as to put down another cosplayer in a public forum on the internet. If you have posted, or ever consider posting rude insults of another cosplayer (or heck, any person) in a public forum on the internet please think for a second. Remember this is a real person. Remember they can see what you're writing. Think about how your words will make them feel. Think about how YOU would feel if someone wrote those words about you. If you see a friend posting bullying comments remind them to think about what they're doing. As much as we can grow a thick skin and shake these things off, they DO hurt. As silly as it can sound, there really is something to be said about that old cliche: If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.

I hope if you ever come across someone else ignorantly insulting your image on the internet you won't take it to heart. It's not worth it.