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Travelling to Conventions

A few weeks ago I attended a convention in Edinburgh called Capital Sifi Con.

Just like any over con day starts off I was sitting alone awkwardly on public transport dressed as if I am in the American army in the 1940s.

After I met my three friends, who were also attending the convention, in Glasgow City Centre we then preceded to spend nearly two hours on the train to Slateford, Edinburgh.

As my friends are not cosplayers I was still getting strange and confusing looks from every member of the public who saw me.

Journeys to conventions can be long, so I would always suggest bringing card games.

My traveling to convention game is top trumps, as it is fun to play in pairs or a group but it is also really funny.

As usually the cards make no sense and it is it is funny to laugh at the person who wrote the cards, as they have probably not seen the show or movie and is just guessing the character traits based on a bit of general knowledge and the pictures of them.

Note to the maker of star wars tops trumps: Chopper is the least reliable character in star was rebels why on earth is he the most reliable in the pack.

Anyway, moving on, another way to spend your time as you sit about looking insane on public transport is to play a portable video game console.

Make the whole squad bring their old Nintendo DS’s or bring a switch and all sit on the train kicking each other’s asses at Mario kart or smash bros.

Overall traveling to conventions on public transport can be a bit embarrassing but, you will look fabulous and you might as well own your amazing geeky side and flaunt your awesomeness.

Revamping Old Cosplays

After you have done a few cosplays you may look back on past cosplays and want to give them a revamp.

For example the first time I cosplayed Peggy Carter I thought I looked amazing, however comparing pictures of the first time I cosplayed her to the most recent pictures of me cosplaying her there is a huge amount of progress, especially with my hair and makeup.

My hair is styled in a way which more accurately represents Peggy and her 1950s pin up style and my makeup also more accurately resents the time period Peggy is from.

Another personal example of a cosplay revamp that I have done is my ‘Hufflepuff Student’ cosplay.

In early 2018 I started off with a hufflepuff tie and scarf and white shirt, however I used black socks and a black skirt and wore a black plain cardigan rather than a Hogwarts robe.

However a year and a half onwards in late 2019 I had redone my hufflepuff cosplay to include grey socks and a grey skirt and a proper Hogwarts robe, which made the character a lot more realistic to the uniforms the students wear in the Harry Potter movies.

Overall revamping an old cosplay can be funnier, quicker and cheaper than buying or making a whole new cosplay and spending more time/money on a new costume. I love revamping my favourite cosplays and improving them each time I wear them to make them more accurate and better representing of the character I am cosplaying.

Diversity within Cosplay

The cosplay community is full of a wide range of very diverse people.

No matter your age, gender, sexuality, religion, race, if you able bodied or not, body shape/size etc, no matter who you are, you can cosplay.

A question that is debated about a lot within the community is ‘Should a cosplayer cosplay a character who is not a member of that cosplayer’s race?’

The two usual arguments on each side of the debate are, that it is racist to represent a character who does not share the same race as you and the other side of the argument is that race should not matter to what character you cosplay.

I think that, if people are not painting their skin a different colour, to pretend to be a different race and no one is saying anything racist or trying to pose as someone of a different race, then there should be no problem.

Cosplaying is about representing a character not becoming them, so any character can have any skin tone.

People do not think twice about cosplaying someone of a different gender or age.

If we all had to cosplay characters that characteristics had to perfectly match each and every part of our identity, then no one would be able to cosplay anyone.

For example one of my favourite characters to cosplay is Elastagirl, we share the same race, hair colour and gender, but not much else. She is married, a mum, older than me, American and has superpowers, none of which I can relate too.

Over all the cosplay community being so beautifully diverse, means that anyone should be able to dress up and have fun being any character they love. No matter who you are and what you look like.

Featured Cosplayers – https://www.instagram.com/fezinavortex/ https://www.instagram.com/kellicosplay/ https://www.instagram.com/cosplayrebecca/ https://www.instagram.com/bulldog_cosplay/

The Stigma Around Cosplaying

Overall in society there is a stigma around cosplaying, many people feel as though they would get made fun of or be seen as ‘weird’ if they dress up as their favourite character.

A recent survey I conducted showed that 87% of people said they felt as though there is a stigma around cosplay.

I understand pressure that comes with telling non-cosplayers you cosplay, as people do judge cosplayers.

However on the other end of the spectrum people within the cosplay community love cosplayers.

If you cosplay at a convention, there is no weird looks just people in awe of your costume. People ask to take pictures with you and want to talk to you about the fandom you character is a part of.

Another Reason why people may choose to not cosplay is, people are sometimes more likely to face sexual harassment when in cosplay, especially women.

It is no surprise that many cosplayers may choose to represent their characters in a way that shows more skin than they would normally on a day to day bases, which is badass and empowering. However it is no excuse for stalking, unwanted touching or inappropriate comments no matter in cosplay or at any time.

– If you are at a experiencing any of these issues please report it to someone who works at the convention/center or the police. –

The last reason out of many reasons why someone would not want to cosplay is that they feel they are not confident enough or are too shy to bring attention to themselves.

However if you are a person who does not cosplay out of fear of judgment, harassment, or confidence, I would say at the end of the day the self-joy and self-confidence you get out of cosplaying makes everything all worth it.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/stories/SM-GHNC6WN7/

CREDIT TO FEATURED COSPLAYERS – https://www.instagram.com/ellocosplay/ https://www.instagram.com/princeofheartscosplays/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/gabbieabbie0_0/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/sophiedrew1501/