Cosplaying has become a staple at all kinds of conventions, ranging from those focused on anime to those promoting gaming.
But along with the colourful characters and personalities, there can be a dark side
Many cosplayers feel the sexualization of individuals engaging in cosplay, and the subsequent crossing of boundaries, is a serious problem.
Conventions have implemented rules to combat this misconduct with a common one being, “Cosplay is not consent.” But even with rules in place, many cosplayers are harassed more frequently when they are dressed up than when they are not in costume.
Some examples of this are cat calling, being touched, inappropriate comments and even going as far as insults and threats.
“People aren’t afraid to do things at cons that they normally wouldn’t in public.” said Randy Tao, 25, a cosplayer for two years who has attended multiple conventions. “You’ll have people shout stupid things–like to get a laugh out of everyone. Sometimes you get people who just don’t really know how to interact”
Tao said he has never been touched inappropriately, but he has experienced people crossing his boundaries—including people taking his props and mistreating his personal items.
Rachel Frank, 23, has faced similar issues. She has been cosplaying since she was 11 years old, but took a six-year break when she was 15.
The first incident involved a trend called “glomping,” where a person runs at a cosplayer and hugs them holding them in place for a few minutes. At 12, Frank was cosplaying as Mello, a character from Death Note, when the incident occurred.
At the time, Frank said she thought this was normal behaviour at a convention, but looking back, she now considers it inappropriate.
The second incident occurred when she encountered a passerby while looking for figurines. The individual harassed Frank by repeatedly asking her to repeat the name of an anime. Her friends pulled her away and informed her that he was “being creepy.”
The latest incident was at a convention last year where Frank was cosplaying a controversial character named Edelgard. When she attended the convention, she had noticed people being mean.
“People were literally treating me like the character—snapping at me, giving me dirty looks.”
“I’m not Edelgard. Edelgard is not real,” she said.
