As Phoenix Comicon, Comic Con International: San Diego, New York City Comic Con and Dragon Con peer over the costumed horizon, cosplayers across the nation are dusting off their Boba Fett guns and priming their spandex for another year of photographs and championing their favorite characters. For the uninitiated, cosplay is the act of dressing up like your favorite character from a movies, tv shows, book, comics and/or manga. With shows like Heroes of Cosplay on the (poorly rebranded) SyFy Network and many people now making cosplay a career, the convention floor has become less like a gathering of friends and more a fierce competition of entering a pleather-and-plastic cosplay Thunderdome.
If you are looking for internet fame or merely to stand out this year at your favorite fan convention, here are the top 10 costumes to leave in the closet for 2014:
10. Na’vi from James Cameron’s Avatar
In 2009, the internet exploded with a new costume fascination as James Cameron’s Avatar highlighted the dangers of human and military interactions on the environment of a fantastical and allegorical alien planet. Five years later the Avatar fan-love of the Na’vi, the semi-nude blue-skinned dwellers of the planet Pandora, simply will not die.
A nearly nude blue body suit and five hours of makeup is just the beginning for those wearing the Na’vi costume. Ear extensions, contacts and false teeth make the Na’Vi cosplay the Bataan Death March of costume preparation. Na’vi cosplayers are dedicated and willing to spend that much time and effort on a costume seemingly for nothing. In a culture known for abandoning the current latest and greatest for the next thing, the Na’Vi has lost its allure and now seems more like an outfit designed with gluttons for punishment in mind.
At the 2014 WonderCon in Anaheim, CA two separate entries to the Masquerade Competition were Na’vi and neither earned so much as an honorable mention or a head nod. The dedication of these cosplayers is admirable, but unfortunately they will spend a good chunk of the convention hearing small children asking “Hey mommy, what’s that blue thing?”
9. Wolverine
Wolverine is one of the most overdone costumes of all time in the world of cosplay. Every possible combination of outfit and attitude for Wolverine has been played out on the convention floor. Unfortunately, the new movie X-Men: Days of Future Past is sparking yet another surge of popularity to the grumpy regenerative claw-wielder on the convention floor. Standard leather jacket to blue and yellow spandex suit, bone or adamantium claws, Wolverine is seemingly everywhere when it comes to cosplay.
If you need even more proof that your argument to play this famous character is invalid, even Hugh Jackman has cosplayed as Wolverine and failed. At the 2013 San Diego Comic Con, Hugh Jackman walked the Dealer’s Floor in the full Wolverine costume. In his X-Men panel discussion later in the day Jackman surprised the crowd when he told them that he was told by one convention attendee he was too tall, and another that the costume was “not bad.” If even Hugh Jackman is getting flack for his Wolverine attire, it might be time to leave the spandex back at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.
8. Black Widow
Natasha Romanov is beautiful, deadly, and able to talk her way out of almost any situation. Born in Stalingrad, Russia, Black Widow defected from the Soviet Union and joining S.H.I.E.L.D. for love, or revenge, or…well, you know how often Marvel changes the story. The only thing that truly stays consistent for the femme-fatale is her form-fitting outfits and sassy attitude. As the Avengers franchise launched, Black Widow has discovered an explosion of popularity in the cosplay arena; black latex, vinyl, leather or spandex suits are cropping up all over the floor and all emblazoned with the trademark red hour glass of her character.
This year the popularity of the costume has turned comic conventions into a nest of pseudo-assassins. Fake guns and terrible red wigs are now in every nook and cranny of the the more popular nerd gatherings. It’s difficult to make this cosplay stick without a long time at the gym and a Victoria’s Secret models’ diet. It has been done well, but even actress Scarlett Johansen has made comments about the difficulty of looking good in a form-fitting catsuit. The costume is not something that can be easily slapped together or sewn at home in a timely manner either. Unfortunately with a wealth of Widows this year, reserve this one for a year you can devote to the gym.
7. Deadpool
Who could hate the alter ego of alliteratively-named mercenary Wade Wilson? Deadpool is the taco-loving, “Merc with a Mouth” and has perfected the art of sarcasm, while killing anyone who stands in the way of his murderous profits. Loud-mouthed cosplayers have found a sanctuary for their sarcasm hiding behind snide comments by taking on Deadpool’s black and red guise. The costume offers both anonymity and inclusion in the cosplay world by giving the wearer an outfit that covers the entire body, from head-to-toe.
Unfortunately, Deadpool is everywhere in the costume world and often portrayed poorly. As with the Black Widow cosplay, spandex is a harsh and restrictive mistress; without a body created by serious time at the gym or strong shapewear the red suit can turn a minimal stomach bulge into a sizeable one. Cosplayers are slowly realizing that the iconic skintight spandex costume has overwhelmed the floor in the past few years and are now adding a variety of props to the costume to spark variety. Tuxedo jackets and tutus are a cute way to change it up, but the Deadpool look is far too overdone for 2014. You can risk it with a varietal of Deadpool, but I recommend choosing something with less spandex this season.
6. Harley Quinn and The Joker
Harley Quinn and the Joker are one of the most cosplayed couple-costumes in nerd history. The murderous lovebirds have captured the hearts and attentions of nerds the world over and no place is it more obvious than a major comic book convention.
Unlike many Batman characters, this incarnation of Harley Quinn has not been around since the days of Bob Kane. Harley Quinn appeared on screen September 11, 1992 in Batman: The Animated Series. The Joker’s lady friend soon developed an insanely close fan following and began showing up in the Batman comic books in 1993. Sexy, murderous and absolutely out of her mind, the popularity of this therapist turned killer has spread to the point where one cannot walk a convention floor without nearly running into her giant mallet or being whipped in the face with her trademark blonde pigtails.
Of course, Harley Quinn would not exist without the madness of the Joker. The purple suit-wearing villain is as popular and iconic as Batman himself. The Clown Prince of Crime, Joker has found even more popularity after Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the insane mastermind in 2008’s The Dark Night. Video games, comics and cartoons offer variations on the classic costume, but in the end there are always far too many Jokers of any type at major comic conventions.
I love couples cosplaying together, but 2014 is the year to leave this costume to the criminally insane.
5. Daenerys Targaryen
George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series has gained an extremely loyal following thanks to HBO’s popular adaptation Game of Thrones. Few characters on the hit television show are as popular as the dragon-rearing Daenerys Targaryen. Willowy, blonde, and the badass “Mother of Dragons,” the Khaleesi of the Dothraki tribe is not a woman to be trifled with. Her popularity has gone from a few readers enjoying a book to an entire weekly audience of television viewers drooling over her latest adventure.
Last year in the United States, 146 newborn girls were given the royal name of Khaleesi. One-hundred, forty-six girls named Khaleesi may seem like a lot of babies, but it doesn’t compare to the number of young (and not so young) women who are opting to play the Stormborn. The costume ranges from a blue dress and matching cape to the more traditional Dothraki attire of fake animal hides. Most of the outfit choices depend how far into the book or television show the cosplayer has ventured into. Daenerys Targaryen has captured the attention of costumers everywhere, and has lost its unique nature to a slew of bad long blonde wigs. Cosplayers trying to stand out on the convention floor this year should back away from the dragons for now or risk getting burned.
4. Elsa from Disney’s Frozen
If the early convention costumes of the season have been an indicator, Disney’s Frozen is more popular for adult costumes than the animation subdivision of Walt Disney Pictures could have ever imagined. A frightened Snow Queen with ice powers she cannot control, Elsa is known for her haunting ice crystal blue dress and white blonde hair. Parents of small children across the world will recognize the now famous sparkling costume and the obnoxiously popular Idina Menzel near operatic “Let it Go.”
At the 2014 WonderCon in Anaheim, CA it was nearly impossible to walk the floor without running into at least one woman or child portraying the Disney Snow Queen every few minutes. Dark blue and light blue sequins lined bodices topped off with either bad blonde wigs or really bleached blond hair with loads of hairspray have taken over conventions across the world. What started off as one or two costumers with a good sewing machine has become a veritable Elsa Army.
This is not about the cute 3-year-old girls dressing up in tiaras and blue tulle; small children can still rock a Disney Princess costume without ridicule or comment. This is about the large number of adult women taking yet another Disney character into overdrive in the costume world. By next year this fan following should slow down to an icy trickle. For 2014 do what the song says, ladies; LET. IT. GO!!!
3. The Cast of Adventure Time
Pendleton Ward’s Adventure Time is colorful American children’s program featuring moments of obvious adult humor and occasionally inappropriate sight gags. It has recently developed an international following now that the first two seasons are readily available to view with the online streaming service Netflix. The main character, Finn the Human, is a young adventurer from the Land of Ooo. Armed with a cheerful nature and a save-the-day mentality, Finn is a natural draw for the young man who wants to cosplay but also wants to put as little effort and money as possible into the creation of a costume. Finn’s outfit is a white hat with bunny ears, a blue shirt and pair of blue pants. Make a simple trip to your closet, grab a green backpack and you’re done.
While there is only one human in the Land of Ooo, there are often 100 or more Finn’s at San Diego Comic Con International. Now, with a female addition to the show, the similarly dress Fiona offers a female counterpart to add even more blue to the costume traffic congestion. The cheap and easy nature of the costumes has led to an overzealous cosplay following that now chokes conventions in a sea of blue shirts and green backpacks. It is now possible to get hit in the face by the backpacks of hundreds of young folks in costume instead of just the overlarge swag bags given at conventions. This year leave the bunny hat and backpack at home, as school’s out for summer.
2. ANY Incarnation of The Doctor from Doctor Who
If you’ve been to a comic book or movie convention in the past five years you have no doubt seen the creepy guy wrapped in a scarf that is far too long and multicolored to a fault. Often accompanying him are a man in a long brown trench coat wearing black glasses or a young gangly man wearing a tweed jacket and bow tie. Call the fashion police because this Time Lord has out lived his time on the cosplay circuit.
Doctor Who has one of the most extensive and fiercely loyal fan bases on the planet. Without arguing the semantics, there are about 13 Doctor variants to choose from for this cosplay and all of these Time Lords have been portrayed to death. Some cosplayers are already portraying Peter Capaldi’s Doctor before the episodes have even finished filming in Cardiff.
At this point, The Day of the Doctor 50th Anniversary special has come and gone, England has cleaned up its celebrations and BBC has gone back to focusing on cutting the Doctor Who budget again. There are far too many people portraying the wandering Time Lord, and the over-saturation of scarves, bow ties and fez has become a point of mockery and no longer a celebration of love for a long standing character. Hang up the jacket and put the fez on a hat rack until this trek through the time vortex has ended.
1. Slave Leia
If there’s one costume that needs to be thrown into a Sarlacc pit and never recovered, it would be the BDSM inspired chains of the Slave Leia costume. The Star Wars franchise has provided the convention floor with a wealth of more original costumes, but unfortunately none are as popular as the Slave Leia ensemble.
The costume is ridiculously hard to wear properly or safely. Horror stories are abound where someone accidentally stepped on the cloth portions of the metal bikini, leaving cosplayers bare from the waist down. These stories do not even begin to number of occasions where the bikini top coming undone somehow.
Running a simple Google search for Slave Leia will reveal photo after photo of large groupings of Leia’s gathering together in their chains and bikini tops after a convention. It is not only the women that are overwhelming conventions with the Slave Leia cosplay; men are dominating the scene in the scantly clad costume at conventions in droves, displaying an over abundance of chest hair and belly fat to the world. At this point, it would be safer to take out the Darth Maul costume you buried in the closet four years ago and wear that.
If you do choose to wear this most popular of cosplays, may the force be with you and the integrity of your costume’s materials.
Fear not cosplayers, there are still a couple months before the major cons. If you aren’t vying for the next spot on Heroes of Cosplay or trying to sell a calendar you will likely still get your fair share of attendees asking for your photo if you choose to rep on of the above costumes. Internet fame favors the bold and unusual. Have fun, stay classy, and don’t be Slave Leia.
I have closed the comments section on this editorial as not only have they become incessantly redundant but have become threatening and hostile. Feel free to read other posts and share your comments about the subject matter in those particular columns.
Homestuck should be in this list.
So basically, what you’re saying is that we shouldn’t cosplay characters we love, have gotten attached to, or put hard work into portraying, right?
I will literally never stop cosplaying as Black Widow or Harley Quinn.
The entire focus has the tone of saying she is sick of seeing these characters, as they are either done poorly or too many being done. I did not get the vibe that she was simply warning those that want to stand out to simply avoid these, and the very core of cosplay is to do what you want and have fun. If you weigh 400 pounds and want to be Sailor Moon then go for it! The fat shaming and dislike for something just because it is popular has no place in our culture. BS.
I think, while Lady Victoria is entitled to her opinion..she should be finger waggled at Cosplay shaming! People live out their heroes by cosplay and for YOU to make these bold statements ‘what not to do’ ..well you should be stuck with your nose in a corner, with a big ACME anvil hanging above your head if you move! Shame on you for ‘poo pooing’ peoples right to go out and have a good time at the con’s.
Are you suggesting that because I’m over 40 I can’t cosplay something that is not in my age bracket? Because if you are, my poppit, you are in for an earful. I deal with my anxiety issues by cosplaying what makes me happy..and reading your article, I now feel ‘unworthy’ to even attempt to cosplay something that *gasp* heaven FORBID might give you a wrinkle on your face!
Shame Shame Shame on you.
This article is ONLY for those who don’t want to be in the same costume as a lot of other people, right?? Because if that’s not an issue for them, they will wear what they want. I appreciate your effort writing this, but it doesn’t quite sit right with me. Whatever it’s turning into, cosplay is supposed to a hobby – it welcomes all levels of skill, all body types. You made a mention near the beginning about conventions becoming less and less like a fun costumed gathering for friends. We feel it, too, but articles like this don’t really improve the situation. You wouldn’t boot your friends from a party if they looked unfit, or if three of them showed up in the same shirt.
Nope. #1 is false. That is all. Go back and try again.
Your post was aimed at the small percentage of cosplayers who look to gain the big spotlight and the get judged in the contests
First of all, anyone looking to do that knows not to go mainstream so the people this is aimed at will read this and say no duh. But the real issue is that you come off as condescending to anyone who would want to cosplay as these characters which is the other 90% of us. If your goal was to make the high level cosplayers sound elitist, mission accomplished.
Most of us who cosplay are part attention whore, part craftsman and all fan. We cosplay as X because we love that character. Sure we like our picture taken. Some of us have really good skills and want to be recognized for it, but most of all we do it because it FUN. you do know what fun is right?
I won’t disagree that the are lots of jokers, Harley’s, wolverines and other and who gives a flying leap? If it’s done well I say so, and if they aren’t talented to do a fantastic job again who gives a flying leap? They’re there to have fun.
You want to be judged? Fine. Enter a contest. I don’t because a) I know there are a lot more talented people out there and b) I get all the validation I need from the smiles when people see me as whoever I am. And I’m perfectly fine with that as are 90% of the other cosplayers.
Putting on a Na’Vi Cosplay does not even compare how brutal, how horrible the Bataan Death March was.
My late grandfather was part of that march. He survived the whole grueling experience and came out with severe PTSD and a whole lot of nightmares.
It’s better you try to compare putting on a hard cosplay to something more that is not insulting to those Filipino and US soldiers who did the march and those who survived.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this extensive an exercise in missing the point. Go to hell
One thing that dictates what MANY cosplayers choose to wear are CELEBRITY GUESTS.
John Barrowman will be at Boston Comic Con. You can’t tell me that the amount if DW cosplayers won’t triple because of that.
I get the gist of this article. But personally, I worked my arse off on my Mr. Clever costume. Idc if no one wants anymore Doctor Who cosplayers – I love that character, so screw the haters.
I might be willing to believe the author’s statements about how she was trying to help “people who are trying to be center stage, not for people who just love the character and want to dress up as it regardless” if it weren’t for the insulting tone she takes throughout her article.
To quote a few choice portions…
“Unfortunately with a wealth of Widows this year, reserve this one for a year you can devote to the gym.”
“As with the Black Widow cosplay, spandex is a harsh and restrictive mistress; without a body created by serious time at the gym or strong shape wear the red suit can turn a minimal stomach bulge into a sizeable one”
“…you have no doubt seen the creepy guy wrapped in a scarf that is far too long and multicolored to a fault. Often accompanying him are a man in a long brown trench coat wearing black glasses or a young gangly man wearing a tweed jacket and bow tie.”
“It is not only the women that are overwhelming conventions with the Slave Leia cosplay; men are dominating the scene in the scantly clad costume at conventions in droves, displaying an over abundance of chest hair and belly fat to the world”
These are not the words of someone trying to be helpful. They are the words of a mean girl who can’t bear to think that people are not doing things the way she wants them done.
Sorry not sorry my long scarf and curly hair creep you out.
Okay I’m not going to be one of “those” people attacking the blogger because I disagree with her.
I do, however, feel that most of the cosplays she advises to avoid are very difficult to pull off, and there might be a little bit of jealousy there based on the blogger feeling insecure in said cosplays. Deadpool really does require a fit body, it’s not true to the character if someone whose fitness is… shall we say not athlete-level cosplays him. HOWEVER, the vast majority of his fans aren’t exactly athletes, and is it fair to say they shouldn’t cosplay him just because they don’t look exactly like the comics?
I do not personally find excess weight to be especially attractive, but some people do. To each their own, and if someone is confident enough in their body to wear form-fitting spandex, latex or leather? More power to them! I am TINY and I’m not sure I would go there!
I cosplay as a genderbent 11th Doctor, because 11 is the Doctor who got me into the show. Yes, he’s overdone. But that won’t change my love of him and I will always acknowledge that he is the reason I’m even in the fandom in the first place. There are a few others I would like to cosplay who aren’t so incredibly overdone – I want to genderbend Alucard, proper red coat Alucard, and I’d like to have a shot at Jinx [from League of Legends] but I’m not certain I’m brave enough for such a revealing cosplay.
I’m quite happy with my Fem!11 cosplay. It isn’t completely accurate but it’s not meant to be. It’s meant to suit me, to cater to my body type and to look GOOD on.
Not everyone cosplay to get “famous” or to make a living out of it. Unlike the writer here who tends to write just about anything controversial in subculture to get attention. It really is sad to see a whole page go to waste, rather than giving us some in sites or knowledge they go about ranting how they’ve seen too much of or are too disappointed with the quality of so and so cosplay.
If the writers dream is to “spread the word about amazing comic books, good novels and television shows that deserve a long look”
then doing things like this is just an insult to the amazing subculture of ours.
For those who love the challenge, dressing up as the same character as another is both a compliment and a challenge. IF everyone wanted to dress differently, what is the point of cosplaying? Cosplaying is for those who have a shared love of a character and want to display this love. Fashion is for being unique, cosplay is for being united. Challenge comes when you can compare your outfits with another person on the same character in a friendly comparison and to see what improvements you can make as a cosplayer for the future or what you alone or even your competitor has done well in.
The whole, you gotta be unique in cosplay to get famous is just stupid. and lastly I want to ask, what HAS this author ever cosplayed as?
What a strange list. I’ve never seen a Slave Leia in person, yet I’ve seen a zillion Darth Vaders, Stormtroopers, and Boba Fetts. I’ve only seen maybe a couple of Black Widows, but I’ve seen a zillion Lokis, Iron Mans and Tony Starks, and Thors. I’ve seen way more Phoenixes than Wolverines. In my area, a Na’vi cosplay is rare, and I’ve only seen a couple in over five years. It can’t be the body paint, because Homestuck is everywhere.
Maybe this writer needs to get to more cons. Her perspective seems rather limited. And let’s all face reality, the costumes that get the most attention are the ones that everyone recognizes. You know, the ones that are really popular. It’s the nature of the beast, so why wouldn’t someone want to do a recognizable costume, rather than some character from a source that most people won’t recognize on sight?
As for getting on trash shows like Heroes of Cosplay, well, remember that HoC brought us such wonderful stuff as that silly Cats internet meme that nobody would ever understand without a long explanation. HoC would have died after three eps without all the sexy skimpy costumes, and it is so “real” it ought to be performed by professional actors. It’s not exactly a high bar for anyone to aspire to.
So I read this article. I found it to be informative and helpful if you are of the mindset that you are cosplaying for the whole, “LOOK AT ME, I AM UNIQUE” mindset. As somebody posted earlier, sarcasm is not something that works well in a written format if you are not seeing it. Based on the rather vicious attacking replies from 3/4 of those who posted, it is patently obvious to even the most casual followers of things geek that not a single damn one of you who chose to harass, belittle, and be generally inconsiderate and rude to the author bothered to read anything else in said article once you saw YOUR personal favorite whatever be critiqued from a CERTAIN point of view. I was under the impression that the geek culture was more, shall we say, open and willing to accept differences of opinion, seeing as how those of us who claim to be geeks were often ridiculed for being different, strange, socially unacceptable, etc etc etc.
I understand the knee jerk reaction to say, “nah nah nah boo boo, stick your head in doo doo”. (is this an apporpriate phrase Editor?) However, as a Whovian, a fan of the Canucklehead, and even D-piddy, I get the point of the article. I have seen Slave Leias, and plenty of that white blonde haired dragon loving Khaleesi from GOT….and I don’t even have the time to GO to cons. I have never seen Frozen, and I have no real interest in it as I have had it beaten over my head for what feels eternity (thanks Disney). Loving something with such passion that it hurts to hear criticism is understandable, but last time I checked, cosplayers are often criticized, looked at with confusion, and depending on the character in question bullied and harassed outside of cons far worse than anything you perceived in this article.
“But I love being So and so. He/She/It is my most favoritest thing ever.” Fine, be that thing. Dress up as that thing. Cosplay as that thing. This article isn’t about you. But for the love of all that is Geektastic be creative. Have I seen a million and one Stormtroopers? Absolutely, but I saw a Samurai Stormtrooper once – and it was awesome.
If you want to be bitter and hateful – go right ahead and live a bitter and hateful life. if you want to spend hours in Cosplay Alley at a con getting photographed by tons of people go for it. The point the author was making though is nobody is going to care about you being Deadpool, or you running around screaming, “bow ties are cool” if there are a half dozen other people dressed just like you.
Hopefully somebody will read this and understand.
This article reeks of elitism. “I don’t like these costumes, so you should avoid them”. Accurate, no?
In four words: NO.
Welcome to another installment of “Cosplayers can’t take a joke” theater! Seriously people, do those costumes come with a pole up the butt?
The problem with this article is… okay, so it actually has a lot of problems. But the core problem is that the writer’s click-bait headline and the bulk of the overwhelmingly negative opinion in this article is completely contrary to the opening premise of the article.
I’ll tell you what you should really avoid in the future: the narrow-minded, snobbish, subjective commentary.
And yes, I read the full article. Every painful word of it. There’s no defending this. It’s not a list of suggestions on what to avoid to get noticed or win contests. It’s almost entirely a list of what this person personally doesn’t like and frankly appears to despise.
Just this statement alone (which I have copy/pasted below) is so full of bias and snobbery that it makes me ashamed to see that you call yourself a Doctor Who fan:
“There are far too many people portraying the wandering Time Lord, and the over-saturation of scarves, bow ties and fez has become a point of mockery and no longer a celebration of love for a long standing character. Hang up the jacket and put the fez on a hat rack until this trek through the time vortex has ended.”
Doctor Who fans dressing as the various incarnations of The Doctor may indeed be overdone, but calling it a “mockery” and “no longer a celebration of love” is subjective crap.
Doctor Who has a lot of fans. And a lot of fans choose to dress as The Doctor(s). There is no avoiding this. As a Doctor Who fan, I embrace this. I don’t care how many fans I see masquerading as Time Lords. I will always smile and nod and give a thumbs up to any fan dressed as The Doctor as I pass them.
People should feel free to wear whatever makes them happy, regardless of how “overdone” anyone feels it might be.
While I may or may not agree with what the author said or the way they said it, or how commentors responded; I will defend to the death your rights to say it.
So I can honestly say that while I get why this is getting a lot of hate, it could have been mitigated if people had read the beginning. It’s not about people who cosplay for fun, nor is it about just regular cosplaying. It’s about people who specifically want to stand out or who are expecting to take their cosplay to the next level. She even directly states that right before going down the list.
Unless you guys want to be the next Jessica Nigri or something, this list isn’t exactly relevant except to see who people have seen done a thousand times over. No one’s saying to not cosplay what you love, and no one’s saying to just abandon those characters. By all means, continue to cosplay them! Just don’t expect to end up becoming a fantastic cosplay star because of it.
Article tl;dr summary: if you want to stand out at whatever con you’re going to, you won’t accomplish that by being one of 50 Deadpools (or slave Leias, or Doctor Whos, etc.)
Lady Victoria Irwin, you have expressed your opinion on this subject. Fine. I reciprocate by expressing my opinion that it reads as condescending, rude, and as an authoritative statement of fact, rather than the statement of opinion it actually is. It comes off as you looking down your nose at individuals who decide to cosplay as the characters you’ve arbitrarily chosen as overdone. I don’t wear costumes at conventions often enough to feel I can identify as a cosplayer, and I still found the article to be insulting and self-important.
I don’t understand all the vitriol. This article wasn’t written for people who cosplay for the love of it. If you’re showing up at cons in costume because you’re a fan, great! Do that! This article wasn’t written for you.
Do you seriously think there are people who DON’T cosplay for the love of it?
Thanks for letting me know which costumes are overdone this cosplay season. If I didn’t want to read your opinion, I would do just that, NOT READ YOUR opinion. Looks like you woke up a cave of sleeping trolls though. For people who are so eager to express themselves so much to the point of claiming any comment on their “scene” is an attack, they sure don’t seem to enjoy articles where people express themselves. It’s like they want to express themselves, but everyone else needs to just shut up and leave them alone. Turns out when you write an article, you have done just that. You’ve left them alone, and if there’s anything drama troll hates, it’s being ignored. Take it or leave it this is a decent article with some decent opinions, and a solid disclaimer that, “If you are looking for internet fame or merely to stand out this year at your favorite fan convention, here are the top 10 costumes to leave in the closet for 2014:”. I’m sure the OP Isn’t going to go cry over a box of costumes, and I’m sure these trolls really don’t care that much that someone has an opinion they don’t agree with, and I’m sure most people reading this article agree with some or all of the opinion expressed, but I think we can all agree that trolls suck. 🙂 Whatever you’re fandom is, trolls suck. Whatever you’re motivation for cosplay is, trolls suck. Whether you believe you have a personal duty to point out when you think someone is wrong. . . on the internet. . . cuz you’re an e-thug. . .trolls suck.
Decently written article, for the type that it is, but the title is misleading. The article title sounds more like it’s trying to simply insult certain costumes and tell people they are terrible for cosplaying certain characters when in reality it’s trying to tell people that if they want to stand out and have a good convention, avoid certain costumes. Don’t wear the ones that everyone wears or are from movies too old or require you to be in perfect shape or will cause you to overheat and drop dead on the dealer floor.
The article is alright, but the headline is offputting.
Seriously?! Cosplay is about having FUN; whatever character you choose, in whatever ever form you desire. Everyone who cosplays starts somewhere – and that is not “poor” quality. I have no idea why you think you’re such an authority on this subject; but you’ve clearly missed the point of cosplay – and that is to enjoy yourself and have FUN. in whatever costume you feel like; popular or not. done by everyone or not. who cares if there are 20 deadpools and 35 elsa’s, they’re all going to have their own interpretation and spin on the character anyways!
In a word, NO.
I will cosplay the characters I want, for reasons that I want, and while you may certainly say that I shouldn’t because I am too fat or the character is too overdone or that you just don’t think I should, I may certainly ignore you and have my cosplay fun anyway.
I don’t cosplay. I’ve never been to a convention. I’m here because someone said “please, go comment on this. She’s drowning in threats of violence.”
So… I don’t cosplay. I’ve never been to a convention. But what the actual is wrong with you? Stop that. Immediately. off. If you like Deadpool a lot or you don’t think it’s her place to talk about which costumes are overdone or you don’t think women should talk in public, off. Immediately.
You’re a if you threaten violence to someone who disagrees with you. That’s not how to behave. Quit it.
Otherwise, continue with your flame war. Good day sirs.
-Humorless [misogynistic pejorative]
As adults who cosplay it’s very easy to be hyper sensitive and not read any article carefully and overlook things. Look she’s just giving a list of the popular characters everyone wears. I don’t agree with some parts but it’s just an article based on her entitled opinion. Besides we’re adults if you’re here to read an article it’s because you like reading her opinions. She’s not going to force you and make sure you don’t wear any of these. So settle down. If you don’t like what she says then leave it behind you. Life moves on. You still get to cosplay whatever you want.
This is some condescending [expletive] .
I’m gonna be buried in my Consuela the Maid costume wearing gloves holding a sponge and a can of Lemon Pledge. Why? Because I can.
Do you boo boo.
There is no such thing as an overdone costume, because there will never be any arbiters of what’s right or wrong to wear. If you’re happy with your costume ROCK THAT [expletive]!!!
I don’t care how many Deadpools, Wolverine’s Naavi’s or Doctors I see at con, I will enjoy the spectacle and support my fellow costumers.
DO…YOU…BOO…BOO!!!
Signed,
A TRUE fan, friend, and supporter of Cosplayers/Costumers.
You simple minded [misogynistic pejorative]! Someone remove this piece of [expletive] article from the internet and remove this stupid woman from cosplay!
Its people like you that piss me off. Don’t give a [expletive] what your article intended, all you have done is insult the people that have already organised one of those costumes.
I understand that some people may have been skipping the first paragraph and going straight for the list, which yes the first paragraph points out this list is for people that want to stand out more. But the descriptions of the people that like to do these particular cosplays seems very mean spirited. Personally, I would be very sad if I saw a drop in the number of Doctors I see at cons.
Always sad to see women geeks get get looked down upon because [misogynistic pejorative] like this author here acts like shes an entitled [expletive] queen and convention know it all. Please kindly get struck by a truck
I understand the general point you’re (poorly) attempting to make here, but the body-shaming (and borderline slut-shaming) contained in this “article” is disgusting and should be apologized for immediately. I also think your choice of language when talking about the people who choose to do these costumes is fairly, and unnecessarily, aggressive.
Also, also any list that talks about “overdone” costumes and includes Na’vi and The Doctor, but leaves out Leeloo and homestuck trolls is automatically invalid. just sayin’.
Many people have missed this part: “If you are looking for internet fame or merely to stand out this year at your favorite fan convention, here are the top 10 costumes to leave in the closet for 2014:”
She’s trying to help cosplayers dress to impress at the Cons this year. If you are one of 250 War Doctors or 900 Elsas, you won’t stand out. I don’t understand the outrage.
I don’t cosplay, but if I did, I’d want to stand out. Great advice!!!
For the love of everything holy, calm down, people.
This isn’t about policing the cosplay community or body shaming. Get your critical reading skills together and realize that this list was written as suggestion for cosplayers who are looking for recognition or to go viral.
How about we not be feminine hygiene products and respond by not attempting to body shame or call the author names?
I agree with many of these, but especially the Leia costume. It’s been overdone for years. And if you’re gonna go with Leia, why not pick the classic white tunic with cinnamon roll buns instead?
I think a lot of people missed the point, which is just her listing a lot of the super popular costumes people wear and going “if you want to stand out, try something else.” Humor and sarcasm don’t always come through so well in a text-only medium.
But I do have to agree with a few other commentors that a few of the comments in the piece did come across as slightly fat shaming, although I’m sure they were not intended to be, and those bits did detract a bit from the overall humor of the piece.
Wow!! seriously folks, this article is a commentary about the cosplays you Constantly will see at conventions nowadays. No Where does it say, “never ever cosplay these characters.” Pay attention.
it’s a good article that’s is merely stating facts and suggesting to the reader that “If you are looking for internet fame or merely to stand out” you should probably not wear something that you are guaranteed to see a lot of at the con. simple
So you feel her saying that larger people should never cosplay and body shaming is ok? She says right there Don’t Cosplay black widow unless you are a gym rat. She also states the same thing for Deadpool. The whole article attacks regular people in Cosplay that walk around the COn’s and not people who are in contest.
“This year the popularity of the costume has turned comic conventions into a nest of pseudo-assassins. Fake guns and terrible red wigs are now in every nook and cranny of the the more popular nerd gatherings. It’s difficult to make this cosplay stick without a long time at the gym and a Victoria’s Secret models’ diet. It has been done well, but even actress Scarlett Johansen has made comments about the difficulty of looking good in a form-fitting catsuit. The costume is not something that can be easily slapped together or sewn at home in a timely manner either. Unfortunately with a wealth of Widows this year, reserve this one for a year you can devote to the gym.”
Lady Irwin is as entitled to her opinion as you are to yours. However that all rests on the assumption that she actually told you what not to cosplay or that you were too fat to, which she did none of. Reading is key here. Her article was about trying to stand out amidst the mass of other cosplayers and then some suggestions on which characters she felt were the top ten popular ones and thus to avoid. But I digress past what should be obvious and need to remark that even if you didn’t read or disagree with her it gives you no right to call her names, or insult her or her dedication or authority. Maybe you feel entitled to do so, but you arent. And with all that being said I will say something she did not. I actually am tired of seeing princess leia and the frozen girls. A little originality would be refreshing and id sure vote for that.
A pretty decent list as to which costumes will get left in the dust for those wishing to stand out. Still, I’ll probably pick up one or two of those when I get into the art. 🙂
Hey u cannot tell me what cosplay to wear how dare you tell me I cannot wear doctor who or deadpool or even wolverine who are you to be a judge of me do u think ur so high and mighty why do put lists like this are you 5 years old or something stop putting list like this there stupid and demeaning GROW UP
What about Homestuck? They should have been at #1. Have you see people with grey skin, candy corn-like horns, and zodiac shirts? They outnumber every other franchises out there, at least in anime cons despite not being anime at all but a webcomic. It’s probably because Homestuck fan demographic are largely teens and anime cons’ median age is lower than comic cons. Not to mention all the hate they receive and the amount of damage caused by unsealed bodypaint.
I don’t think people cosplay Slave Leia anymore. Possibly, you’ll see more from Kill la Kill cosplayers at comic book conventions. It’s more risque. You’ll probably encounter more Attack on Titan cosplayers. At least that’s manga/anime. I have to find out at SDCC.
This article [expletive], I’ll cosplay whatever I damn well please and no can tell me otherwise.
Not a fan of this article. This is part of the elitist idiots in the costly community. Fellow cosplayers, do what you want and if you feel the love for the character, then costume the hell out of it.
I just got back from Houston’s Comicpalooza and guess what? I saw every single one of these costumes, some in multiple incarnations/interpretations. Further, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing every single one of them! I even enjoyed seeing costumes from fandoms I personally dislike! Why is that, your article asks because you truly do not get it. Cosplay is not about pleasing anyone else. It’s about expressing yourself.
Cosplay exists as a reflection of each individual’s own passions, artistic style, budget and talent. No one, not even you Lady Victoria Irwin self-appointed expert, has any right to criticize someone whose inner fire was lit by Avatar, Frozen, Star Wars, Dr Who (there can never BE enough Doctors!), Marvel or DC. Your attitude raises a question in my mind, to wit: Do you cosplay, Vickie? What characters do you portray? I’ve never seen or heard of you before being led to this site so I’m asking, who makes those outfits and where do you display them? I’m betting wherever it is there are people who won’t like what you’re wearing for reasons of their own. Hopefully they’re more polite about it than you have been.
This mean-spirited article is utterly unnecessary and very nearly as cruel as those yahoos who think that a person shouldn’t cosplay anyone who doesn’t match their gender, size, age or figure type. In case you’ve forgotten allow me to remind you, those people you saw poured their hearts and talents into their costumes and they don’t deserve ridicule just because you’ve seen similar ones elsewhere.
To the idiot who wrote this article, go [expletive] yourself you daft [misogynistic pejorative]. All the cosplays you mentioned are popular because the cosplayers make them popular. Now do us a favor and go learn the definition of cosplay and learns what it really means to be a cosplayer. None of the stuff of this article is helpful or relevant. In all, you come off as nothing but dumb, judgmental [misogynistic pejorative].
Also, as the step sibling of children whose father was a decorated Marine and Bataan survivor, [expletive] YOU for using it to compare your personal hatred of full makeup costumes to.
While I get that the cosplay world has been inundated (unfortunately in my opinion) with many people seeking fame, fortune, notoriety and trying to make a career out of cosplaying, I still call b.s. on this. I (as well as most others) cosplay for myself and dont give a crap if what I choose to cosplay is *hip* and *current* enough for anyone else. So what if its been over done, if I havent done it, that means nothing to me and I’ll still do it if that character speaks to me. Its amazing how many judgmental people are in the cosplay world, these are the same people who think you should only cosplay your body type and think you should only cosplay if you have hundreds even thousands to spend on your cosplay. Its ridiculous, cosplay is about passion, creativity, expression, and fun! Heck I cosplayed as Jughead from Archie comics once and I’m a fat female who spent ten bucks on supplies, and it was awesome, so suck it cosplay elitists 🙂 I’ll take a thrift store cosplayer with passion over an elitist snob who is in it for the money any day.
This list lost any and all credibility when it listed Deadpool. No convention is complete with out a deadpool. As the Holy Pope of Geekdom you can hand in your geek pass. I have revoked it.
So this is basically a “here are the things you should cosplay if you want to be an attention whore” article.
Which I guess…Is fine…If that’s what you want to do? However, the majority of us will cosplay what we want regardless of the attention it brings – because cosplay is and has always been about my personal entertainment. The instant you think you have to start dressing like everyone else just to be cool, you’ve lost the entire point.
Don’t tell me what to do!
Victoria Irwin… You are no “Lady” !
I don’t cosplay for your entertainment! I don’t care about your opinion of my cosplay. Frankly, mean people, such as yourself, who try to tell others what is cool and acceptable are the least cool and acceptable people of all!
waaah waahhhh waaaaaahhhhhh someone pushed me in the sandbox!
I think this entire article could have been summed up in one quick sentence.
If you’re going to do a popular cosplay and you want to stand out, put your own spin on it and give people something to awe over.
Don’t hate. Appreciate!
Looks like most of those rushing here to comment with hurt feelings have entirely missed the point of this article.
The author is making a passing list of really popular cosplays at the moment and commenting several times throughout that unless you are on HoC or vying for internet fame that these are totally fine – because those things “favor the bold”. This article notes that if you want to really stand out, you might want to go for something thats not so common that I can swing a boot and hit 15 of them. Nowhere does she say OMG DONT COSPLAY THIS THING OR YOU CAN DIE IN A FIRE.
She’s not telling you what to cosplay. She is making humorous observations on what is popular at the moment. Chill the hell out, STAT.
No, she’s not, but she is being incredibly rude and body-shaming. Even if she is just talking about what will get you noticed at the start, the rest of the article is just whining about how she doesn’t like it when people dress up as -insert character here- for their own enjoyment.
How can you claim to be a whovian and then turn around and never cosplay as the doctor? Here’s an idea. Let ppl cosplay what they want
How can you question her level of dedication to being a whovian? Are you not making the same accusatory statement that you claim Miss Irwin did? For the record, I added the word “ANY” to the Dr. Who’s instead of just the top three cosplayed.
While I do agree with your point that these are “overdone”. I disagree with the rest of your post, A single person should not, should not and will NEVER have the right to tell people what they can can not cosplay.
I get the gist of this article. It’s for cosplayers who want to win competitions, stand out from the crowd, etc. However, I don’t get the body shaming and am of the opinion that if anyone wants to cosplay something and are not a size 0, they should still be able to cosplay that. Seriously, if you’re passionate about something and can put together the costume, IT SHOULD NOT MATTER.
10) I actually haven’t seen that many cosplays from James Cameron’s Avatar. I’ve really only seen it at Dragon Con, and even then, not in droves. I’ve seen COUNTLESS more for the other Avatar series (the one about the air bender), though. There’s far more costumes I can think of that get done at cons way more than Avatar Na’vis, including Legend of Zelda Na’vis. And the whole, “Ugh, it’s a fad, kids don’t even know what it is” argument against wearing it is just STUPID. You should cosplay something because you like it and want to cosplay it, not just because it’s the latest fad that everyone will recognize. Cosplaying something just because it’s the newest fad is one of the worst reasons to cosplay something, and saying that you shouldn’t cosplay something because kids won’t recognize it goes against the rest of the reasoning used behind this list. In fact, sometimes it’s more fun to go as something a little older/less known because people get really excited when they see stuff that the general crowd seems to have forgotten.
8) I can see why this argument made the list, but there are characters I’ve seen from the Avengers done just as much, if not more, and none of them are on this list. Why not pick on the guys, too? There’s just as many Tony Starks and Lokis, actually more. And Widow is the only female Avenger we’ve had in the movies so far, so for people who prefer to stick with female characters and don’t necessarily feel like gender-bending one but want to do something from an Avengers movie, there’s not a whole lot of options. Not to mention that if we’re going to get more movies with female superheroes, support for them needs to be out in droves. So yes, I’m actually arguing that the glut of Black Widow cosplayers may be a good thing if this contributes to studios realizing there’s support for female superheroes. And seriously, black catsuits are easy to gloss over if you’re so tired of seeing her. Just shift your gaze to something more colourful (though in your case, perhaps not blue).
4) Frozen just came out and is massively popular; are you seriously expecting people to heed the suggestion to not cosplay her when she’s so fresh in their minds and hearts? I understand the “agh, it’s EVERYWHERE” thing, but it’s also brand new (remember – not everywhere has local cons in winter and spring – summer cons are literally the first opportunity that some people are having to show off their sparkly new Elsa). Stuff tends to be everywhere when it’s new. It’s a fact of life; whining about it just makes you seem bratty. (Oh, and thinking it’ll die down to a trickle by next year? HAH! Someone doesn’t get Elsa cosplay. A looooooooot of people feel a connection to her, and a good Elsa takes time, and some people haven’t had enough time to finish theirs yet. We’re in for at least a couple years of Elsa, whether you like it or not.) Not to mention that this point kinda contradicts 10 and 2 – in those points, it was argued that, “ugh, it’s not fresh, move onto something new” yet here’s something new that you’re saying not to do. Make up your mind.
2) Any? That’s harsh. There’s some incarnations I’ve personally never seen cosplayed in person (I mean, I’ve seen some photos online of some of the rarer ones, but that’s it). Would it really be all that horrible to see a few 1s, 2s, 3s, or 8s running around (come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve seen 6 either)? I mean, yes, 4, 10, 11, 9, and soon 12 get done quite a bit, but others are pretty neglected. You’re really arguing that I should drop my plans to do 8 just because 11’s been done to death and just because the 50th anniversary has come and gone, despite the fact that 8 is so rarely done?
1) I can see your point, but Slave Leia isn’t the only Star Wars costume that gets done to death and back. Like Black Widow, I must ask, why are you only calling her out? Why aren’t you calling out all the Storm Troopers and Boba Fetts? I really only see Slave Leias at Dragon Con. I see Vaders, Troopers and Fetts EVERYWHERE else, in addition to Dragon.
I agree with this article because there are thousands of characters out there to cosplay, so why limit yourself to characters that everyone is dressing as. I would love to see people think outside the box, and come up with something that I haven’t seen a million times. At Wondercon the only cosplayers I remember are the Bazooka from G.I. Joe and a kid dressed as Lion Force Voltron, because they stuck out from the swarms of Doctors and Jokers. It’s similar to cover songs. Everyone covers The Pixies’ Where Is My Mind, and it’s gotten boring, not because it’s a bad song, but because they have a whole catalog of great songs that could be covered instead.
So I must ask were did you get your information about England and the BBC moving on and cutting the Doctor Who budget. I’m guessing you have never actually been to England or Wales because if had then you will know this simple fact that not only is Dr Who alive and well in England the BBC is adding money to the BBC Wales Dr Who production Company and in London when the new Doctor Eps is going to be played they plan on doing what they did with the 50th live broadcast in theaters. Also by taking a quick look at your profile pic I’m guessing your in your mid 20s and haven’t done allot of Cons well my ear I’m pushing 50 and have gone or work over 500 Cons since 1977 and one thing I cantell you is that you can’t tell someone what they should or shouldn’t cosplay why because we have this little Adm called the 1st Adm which bascially give us the right to do what every the hell we want to do.
Seriously [expletive] you and [expletive] this article. You’re absolutely no one to say what cosplays should or shouldn’t be done. If you’re tired of seeing the same cosplays, then just stop going to conventions then, easy as that.
Please refrain from cursing as this site is PG-13 and we would not like to add a disclaimer for coarse language. Your opinion is valued.
Even if someone is looking to be recognized doesn’t mean you can tell them what not to do. I would still stop an amazingly cosplayed Na’vi or Dany, regardless if there were a million others! It’s the concept of trying to be the best to be recognized as the best, REGARDLESS if what they’re cosplaying is overdone or not! I stopped reading after you began whining about cosplayers who aren’t perfect, with ‘terrible red wigs’ or whatever under Black Widow. As a BW cosplayer myself I leap at the chance to see someone cosplaying her as well because we both love the character, not because they spent a [expletive] load of money on a screen-accurate wig or whatever. As a cosplayer yourself you should have worded this entire article a heck of a lot differently, or even avoided writing it altogether.
THIS IS SARCASM, RIGHT?? :3
I think everyone just needs to stop being so [expletive] hurt and taking things so personal. Some people cosplay for fun and some do it for fame and contests. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, so if u dont like it then dont put your two cents in if its so negative. Im sure the writer spent a lot of time constructing this article so if you don’t like it then keep it moving.
Stephan, while I will appreciate your effort in what you shared with your opinion, as a seasoned journalist there are certain standards in writing an article. The journalist is responsible to provide qualified sources in the article to validate what they have written, or make it clear that the information provided is purely personal opinion. This article was published presenting it as fact, not opinion, and some of the information is inaccurate and misleading. For many, cosplay is a very serious thing. While for many it is just for fun, if one is going to publish an article, it cannot be assumed proper research has been done.
In all honesty, I will normally respect any qualified journalist’s opinion, but in this case, this girl has a serious loss of credibility for her article to even be considered well researched and of any significant value. She may have a minimal amount of accuracy in some details, but she needs to read up on the definition of cosplay! Maybe this will help her…
* CosPlay™ – Cos (Costume or attire be it virtual, material, cosmetic or any combination of such), combined simultanenously with Play (The act of one’s communicating ideas, feelings, and/or exhibiting an infinite number of possible personal creative characteristics or characterizations of another person or object, that are self chosen, self directed, and intrinsically motivate; completed with the method maintaining a higher priority than the end result.)
A cosplayer does it for their own personal reasons. One individual’s opinions such as shown in this article do not necessarily represent the industry trends was a whole. Every cosplayer has their own reason for their style and choice of cosplay and not all are of characters. Whatever a cosplayer wears is what works for them and should be given the same respect as anyone else. I think this girl needs to really do her homework before writing such an appalling collage of misinformation; but this is purely my personal viewpoint from 40+ years of journalism.
I run a Gotham City-Themed Shoot and I love the mass turn out for characters like Joker, Ivy etc. I love when people get shots of a variety of Harleys together.
People shouldn’t be told to avoid cosplaying a character for ANY reason. Period.
Who the hell are you to tell people what they can and cannot cosplay? Nice job body shaming and segregating the nerd community even more. I agree that some of these are overdone, but it doesn’t matter. If somebody want to and is having fun, that’s all that matters. Shame on you.
Well you knew the hate would come for an article like this. All the cosplayers I know do it for the love of that character or they relate to that character. I started doing this because I was told so many times I look like Thor so I started Cosplaying Thor. Sense then I’ve messed around with other characters like Deadpool, Dexter, Joker, and working on Brandon Lees The Crow. Why? I don’t look like them, but I relate to them. It’s all about having fun and us feeling comfortable with expressing ourselves. Judging by this article you seem to maybe have lost touch with what it’s all really about. I don’t care if everyone dressed as Deadpool I like seeing everyone’s versions, different version costumes, personalities.
In the end no matter how you slice and dice it you are writing an article that seems very insulting to the masses. Cosplayers are artist. Artists are emotional and temperamental. We take pretty much everything to heart. So to this I say…
“I DO WHAT I WANT!” – Loki
ThorTV
With all due respect, you’re taking something that many of do for fun way too seriously. You are entitled to your opinion, but the fact that you are saying that popular cosplay needs to stop, undermines the fun aspect. You are free to judge, but this is my opinion… this list=not cool.
What Byron said!! Cosplay isn’t about competition. If you want to cosplay, cosplay who you love. If you want to enter a costume competition you don’t care about the character anymore. You now care about competing. Your personality and preferences have nothing to do with it.
This article is just ridiculous. How about you let people cosplay as whoever the hell they want and don’t [expletive] about how they might be over done or not too good. Cosplay is about being yourself and happy with yourself… when is this going to get into people’s thick heads?!
Amen
Thank you
When your thick head actually comprehends what is being said instead of nitpicking what you want to attack.
I like it. I thought it was quite humorous. Come on, who isn’t tired of seeing tired Doctors, and size 8 characters being worn by size 20 players. And how many bad Harley Quinns does there need to be? Lighten up people, you’re taking yourselves way too seriously.
And if cosplay is about being yourself Kiira, then why is everyone dressed like someone else?
🙂
Sabrinadubh don’t be a butt, your taking yourself to seriously. Cosplaying is about having fun and letting yourself be creative. It doesn’t matter what size a person is, they can dress as what ever or who ever they want to and they shouldn’t be shot down and criticized by people like you. Its is your right to have an opinion but you don’t always need to voice (or type) it.
ANY version of Doctor Who? Because the cosplay floors are overflowing with people dressed as Jon Pertwee huh?
In all fairness, I added the ANY part. That’s what editors do.
Having a single sentence saying “If you want to stand out don’t do this” doesn’t defend the outright attacking of those who choose to do it. This is over done and here’s why is a good answer.
As far as “The Doctor” is done a lot can agree that 4, 10, and 11 are cosplayed quite a bit. The other numbers? Not so much. 12 will be there soon. But to see a really good 1,2,3,5,6 (especially 6),7 or 8 is exceedingly rare. And there’s a cosplayer who goes to Wizard World cons as a guest that is known only for his 10th Doctor and has gotten cosplay fame to a degree from it.
Your arguments are completely invalid and poorly thought out.
You lost me at the body-shaming.
[Expletive]…. [expletive]
People can cosplay what they want, how ever they want. This article was extremely insulting and frankly….dumb.
So, I’m starting to realize people don’t read anymore?
“Oh look, a cosplay list of what not to do…”
“[Expletive]? bish doesn’t know anything… I can be wolverine all I want, screw you.”
no, no… she said, and I quote, “If you are looking for internet fame or merely to stand out this year at your favorite fan convention, here are the top 10 costumes to leave in the closet for 2014”
AKA, here’s your spoonful of vitameatavegemin. If you want to stand out and get noticed, DON’T DO these things. If you want to blend in, or if you have a wolverine cosplay you really love, then do it. She’s not telling you to NOT do these things because she hates you, she’s saying don’t do them if you want to stand out.
It’s very basic, and most of you seem to be taking it up the rear.
LOOK! SOMEONE POSTED AN OPINION! GET ‘EM!
calm down, internet.
You guys need to get a life and come by and pick up your [expletive] hurt pills STAT. I thought her article was dead on. How many Deadpools or Spidermen or Matt Smiths do I have to wade through to get to an original, fascinating not overdone costume?
I would trade 10,000 Wolverines for one well made Blazing Saddles cosplay…
Then do it yourself. If you can’t sew, commission it.
She said there are people cosplaying the 4th Dr who that wears the scarf that are too old to be the 4th Dr. Do you know how old the 4th Dr is? Between 40 and 50. Can you agree this statement makes her not just a bad authority on this subject but down and out STUPID. If not tell me why this one part isn’t stupid. Show me one instance where someone was too old to be the 4th Dr. So it’s not about being hurt by her. I have seen her so it’s not possible she could hurt me about appearance. It’s about what an incredibly stupid article this is.
Wow; what a pretentious, high-on-herself, [pejorative insult]!! Who the [expletive] made her the Queen of Cosplay!? Cosplaying is about emulating a character that impresses you, for one reason or another. Whether there have been a hundred million people, or just one person, whose done a character; if you love that character, and want to recreate him/her, then the (where the bad people go) with some [misogynistic comment] who thinks she knows better.
Bob, your comment was mean and misogynistic, and offended me greatly. However, please PLEASE tell me that you’re the one who wrote “place where the bad people go,” not a censorship bot or overzealous moderator. That word is in PG movies and its use shouldn’t offend anyone.
How about you take this list and shove it. People can cosplay whoever the [expletive] they want. Critics over cosplays need to get the [expletive] out of this community, it’s what’s poisoning a once safe haven of nerds.
This whole [expletive] of cosplaying needs to stop. Despite height, weight, race, gender, and popularity of the character, it all boils down to every single one of us are just nerds in a costume. [Expletive] your competitive nonsense and let us people who don’t care to compete have fun in our costumes, devoting our con time to portraying our favorite characters.
Feel free to express yourself, but please refrain from the use of expletives as this is a PG-13 site and we wish to not run a disclaimer because of coarse language.
You have something against spandex? So what if /you/ can’t rock it? Many people actually do bother to workout and eat right, not go on some starvation diet. Doesn’t mean your self consciousness has to be some anti-cosplay rule. It’s not my fault you don’t look good in it, or that others who don’t focus on healthy lifestyles don’t.
You lost me at that point. You annoyed me at the Doctor Who post. People like you, biased as can be, thinking that their opinions are some rule that should be applied because /they/ don’t think it’s trendy.
Cosplay isn’t some high school clique you can control. Shut up and rant with your close friends who give a shit.
You’re probably a nice girl. But aking people think twice over something like this is wrong. Sure, you can be honest and make remarks about the crap quality most people seem to put into their effortless costumes. But no matter the amount of Harley&Jokers, Widows and Pools, Doctors and Companions, there are still an amaxing amount of incredible cosplayers.
Cosplay isn’t so much to fit the trend for itgers, but to dress up as your hero, or some character you really like, for self enjoyment, not yours, or others.
How did the FanboyNation resident Whovian annoy you with the Doctor Who post? You’ve said she was entitled to her own opinion, yet you attacked her for sharing it and the “crap quality most people seem to put into their effortless costumes.” That’s just as insulting to the people who aren’t good at making costumes, is it not?
No offense meant whatsoever to the folks who cosplay for the love of it. I cosplay all the time and was trying to emphasize in the start and end of the article that this was more for people who are trying to be center stage, not for people who just love the character and want to dress up as it regardless. I’m all for anyone cosplaying as what they want; just wanted to show you what everyone is showing off right now and what was causing problems so if you wanted a different look you could do it.
Have fun out there. Dress how you want. Be who you want. Don’t let an internet person hold you back if you really want to be Elsa or the Doctor this year. 🙂
I see what you were getting at when writing this article, saying: “Here are the big trends, and if you want to do something different then you should avoid them.” It seems like the single sentence that truly conveyed that notion was kind of overshadowed and lost by the list that followed. Maybe in the future elaborate a little more on the key point and offer some creative suggestions under each point of the list. Something along the lines of: “With the high population of Wolverine cosplays that you are bound to run into, why not represent some of the less seen characters that could mesh well with Wolverine cosplays, such as Jubilee.” Sorry for the poor example, just want to be helpful. 🙂 Have to say though, I’m surprised Attack on Titan didn’t make this list.
And just because you also cosplay gives you the right to be so rude? :/ Look at the number of insults you spit out under each character. It’s pretty gross 🙁
Hi Lady V!
will you be at SDCC this year?
Holly G!
Seriously? You’re doubling down on your crappy article in the form of a “no offense” comment? Why don’t you stop pretending you have any say in what people wear and where they can wear it?
As far as your attention whoring concept of “center stage” goes, I personally watched a 250+ lb woman blow the roof off of a Harley Quinn costume to the point where she was being pulled aside for photographs instead of the otherwise typical “hot” girls. Even the other Harley’s were showing respect.
Did it occur to you that some folks like big girls? hairy guys? Wolverine? Adventure Time? The whole point of fandom is to express yourself for who you are and what you love, and not give a shit if there are a thousand other Super Marios / Sailor Moons, etc.
In fact, I’d venture to say that the more recognizable costumes are actually the ones getting MORE attention at “center stage.”
Shannon, she has opinions and she’s a writer……. all of a sudden you’re surprised by the internet?
You mentioned there are Dr Who’s that are too old to be the character. I can’t help but notice you are wearing a scarf of what I believe is the forth Dr. How old do you think that actor was ? He had to be his 40’s or 50’s. So you look quite contradictory and stupid. Oh wait maybe you are in your 50’s. If you are in your 40’s or 50’s you look good. If you are younger….oh my. Enjoy! This is floating all over social media and I am encouraging costumers that wear these costumes to refuse to let you take their picture. Boycott photo ops with this person or for this person. One last thing. Name one instance were someone has cosplayed the 4th Dr and was too old to be the 4th Dr. Do you know how incredibly STUPID YOU ARE?!?!?!?.
Anybody that reads this have you ever seen someone cosplay the 4th Dr that was too old to be the 4th Dr? No? Well if so that lets you know how stupid this writer is and how worthless this article is.
You had me until Slave Leia, don’t take her away! But seriously, cosplay is about being clever, and you’re right, these charactets are played out. Jumped the shark. Nuff said.
“Unfortunately, Deadpool is everywhere in the costume world and often portrayed poorly. As with the Black Widow cosplay, spandex is a harsh and restrictive mistress; without a body created by serious time at the gym or strong shapewear the red suit can turn a minimal stomach bulge into a sizeable one.”
If the point of your article is truly what you say, then THIS sentence should have been left out. Actually, your entire article should have been left off the Internet. Cosplayers aren’t stupid. We KNOW there are a million Elsas and Doctors and Deadpools and Wolverines and ANYTHING Star Wars and everything you said, because guess what? A LOT OF PEOPLE LOVE THOSE CHARACTERS AND THOSE SHOWS AND WANT TO COSPLAY THE CHARACTERS FOR THAT REASON. People who want attention or the “next spot on Heroes of Cosplay” already know to do something unique and intense that will garner the appropriate attention.
But then you brought body image into it. How *dare* you. If someone who is 5’3″ and 250 pounds wants to cosplay as Deadpool or anything else requiring spandex, then power to them, because I sure as hell am not confident enough in my body to wear spandex cosplay at the same height and significantly lower weight. Take your misplaced judgment and cosplay-related vitriol elsewhere. Preferably not the Internet, and DEFINITELY not a convention.
Avoid This Article: 10 Reasons Why I’m Angry Because People Can Pull These Costumes Off Better Than Me.
or, you know, read it before you assume judgments of the author.
From what I can tell, this article is really just offering advice regarding overdone costumes for those who want to be in the spotlight, not those who are just having fun cosplaying as a character. Cosplay what you love. If you’re doing it for you and not for a camera, what should you care?
Sounds like Aurora understood the point of the piece.
Fair enough that some of these costumes are over done but I really could have done without the side dish of body shaming i.e. all the references needing to go to the gym to pull off a spandex outfit. I have seen some stunning plus size Black Widows.
What gives you the right to tell someone who not to cosplay? Cosplay is about having fun as your favourite characters, not who can get the most attention of the most likes on facebook. It’s because of posts like this that there are so many horrible people on the cosplay scene. Looks like the only one after internet fame is you.
And the stuff about how overweight and/or hairy people shouldn’t cosplay as certain characters is just plain uncalled for. Not everybody finds body hair or fat people to be unattractive, and even those of us who aren’t sexually attracted to certain cosplayers can still appreciate the time and effort that went into their costumes. Chubby and hairy cosplayers are mocked ENOUGH as it is.
no one is telling anyone who not to cosplay, Princess GeniusPants. read the entire article, then go swallow your foot some more.
I thought the great thing about cosplaying was that we were free to be who we want within the cosplay community without the judgemental bullying of the non-geek rest of the world. So, if we are here judging people, allow me to indulge a little – you might want to check your spelling and grammar usage before you post your insightful little articles. As you were…
Don’t agree with everything you say. But in my mid-sixties think I will stick with Looney Toons Granny.
Here’s an idea let people cosplay what they want since they don’t cosplay for your benefit anyway.
Well said GK Punk!
This article does not come across informative or lighthearted at all to me. Actually kinda insulting and arrogant. A writer who thinks they are some kind of expert that they have the right & street cred to tell a fan what they should wear to express their fandom? Not cool.
Exactly GK Punk!
I don’t costume for you I costume for me. Why don’t you do us all a favor and STFU with your dumb opinions. For someone who is supposed to be a “whovian” you sure have a closed mind and an elitist attitude.
right, so you read the whole thing, then?
Here’s an idea: Read the entire article and understand what it means. Shes not telling people not to cosplay these things. She’s saying if you want to be noticed internet or upper-level community wise to cosplay things that aren’t so common.
>”If you aren’t vying for the next spot on Heroes of Cosplay or trying to sell a calendar you will likely still get your fair share of attendees asking for your photo if you choose to rep on of the above costumes.”
>”With shows like Heroes of Cosplay on the (poorly rebranded) SyFy Network and many people now making cosplay a career, the convention floor has become less like a gathering of friends and more a fierce competition of entering a pleather-and-plastic cosplay Thunderdome”
Put your pitchfork down. She’s commenting that cosplay has become ridiculously competitive and not as light hearted as it once was. Way to miss the point.
If you have this mindset about cosplay you need to go back to hoity toity fashion land or better yet, highschool.
It’s mindsets like this that take the joy out of cosplay, people cosplay because it makes them happy. You’re basically robbing people of their joy by telling them they can’t wear certain things. More or less all of these cosplays make me smile when I see them at cons. People love nostalgia.
Oh what’s that? Looks like nostalgia is the new in thing, didn’t you get the memo? You and your article are so last year.
Came here to tell OP to STFU and let us wear what we want, was not disappointed.
seriously, don’t tell me what not to wear. You’re not the reason I cosplay, your opinion does not matter.
Next you’ll be telling me the maximum measurements allowed for the costumes you DO allow people to wear.
You’re damn right!
YES! Cosplay what you want. If someone else doesn’t like it, they can move on.
Now, if you’re trying to compete in a cosplay competition, you might want to consider that the judges would see these costumes as being “overdone,” but for a hall costume? Do what you love. And if you want to compete in it anyway, DO IT.
hmmm…. How to respond. This article is simple horse crap. Cosplay what you want, what works for you. No sideline critic should dictate what you love to do.
OK re-reading the article, I hate it even more. I have some cred. I am a Master level costumer, won Best in show at several major regional cons; and I make some money selling stuff. If you are into cosplay for the fame and to get on TV, by all means listen to her. But if you enjoy cosplay (the key element is PLAY) and the fun of making or wearing things, wear what you like. This isn’t a business for 99% of Cosplayers. HoC does a real disservice to the art. It’s like watching a slam dunk competition and thinking that that is what basketball is about. Cosplay is about the celebration of our love for anime. SF, Fantasy, or whatever. When you sacrifice the love for the pursuit of glory, I feel you have lost the real spirit of the art.
Indeed. Who is anyone to tell anyone else which costumes they look good in or area allowed to try? Yet another case of late adopters to geekdom trying to apply the values of hipster fashion based society. Noone cares…noone cares what cosumes anyone thinks are passé.
To those who said “claim” any character to cosplay as, let me tell you something, first off you can’t “CLAIM” copyright material including the character of choice while “claiming” it’s your own cosplay. That’s still considered Copyright for that matter. If you were stating it in a different meaning please use “self made” that way you made the cosplay and not own the main thing, that way copyrights are not conflicted.
As for the article i think it’s best that even if it’s by lack or not popular, or just any reason still it’s usually best to cosplay for your own comfort and fun not restrict yourself and not have fun with what you made costumes, makeup, and props wise. And usually to be noticed to take pictures of you just ask any photographer that has time to kill or free time to take random photoshoots of you in costume. What matters is that you did something and you tell it like it is. Don’t be afraid of asking any photographer i’m pretty sure they won’t mind and if they are more judgmental because they are more focused on the more attractive by appearance then tell them that they aren’t being reasonable photographers in any convention because usually they are there for EVERY cosplayer not just cosplayers who look like models.
Also my cosplay quote of the day: “Cosplay is for fun, not fashion.”
~10th year cosplay anniversary 2015~
If your panties get into such a tight-[expletive] wad over what people are wearing, stay the [expletive] home. The convention is better off without you.
WELL SAID GK PUNK. I’d rather see a happy kid in an Eleventh Doctor jacket and fez with a smile nine miles wide, having a blast doing something he loves, than a sourpuss grump face in a rare cosplay who’s mad because no one is taking his picture because no one gets his character and he needs the attention because mommy and daddy didn’t love him enough. What’s next, author? Don’t cosplay if you’re fat? Black cosplayers shouldn’t cosplay white characters? I think you’ve only scratched the surface of your elitism with this article. Can’t wait to see what nonsense comes out of you next.