On a Decade of Con-Going and Cosplay

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In 2009, I received a crazy offer from a friend in college: Let’s go to an anime convention. She would drive. We would stay with a member of her family. It would be a whole thing. 

 

That was 10 years ago.

 

Now, to be clear, I had somewhat been part of the convention scene: sneaking away to one day events and such and cosplaying through high school whenever I could but I consider my fan career to be that of one in phases and the rebirth phase began in 2009. 

 

In 2009, I began as a fan anew. 

 

In 2019, after 10 years of convention attendance, paneling and cosplay: I’ve learned a lot and I wanted to share some trends with you all that I’ve seen. 

 

Cosplay is Not Consent

 

Yes, I’m talking about this. I have been very open about my history with conventions and consent, even telling my story of having a man touch me in a way that did not make me feel comfortable. One of the things I will say that has made me very happy about newer convention culture is not accepting that cosplay means you will be harassed and possibly assaulted. I’m so glad that young cosplayers won’t have that culture facing them anymore. On the flip side of that though, I will say looking back there were plenty of little breeches of consent that were just accepted as a part of convention culture that now..weIl, let’s just say I cringe at. Yaoi paddles come to mind. For those unsure, there’s a whole fandom subculture that involves wooden paddles and a lot throwing around “seme” and “uke” and I don’t have time to go into this but if you consider getting paddled a breach of consent…well, that happened to a lot of people. Paddling has gone out of style because of weapons (we’ll get to that later) so that aspect of the subculture died but…oh boy, that was a thing…

 

A Safe Place?

 

When I was younger, outside of the occasional time that the water was spiked with LSD or getting hit by a car…conventions were our safe place. It was a place I could use male pronouns, cross-dress, flirt freely, be myself; be truly myself. Now…well, you’ve seen me cover convention violence and it breaks my heart. For so many, this is a home for nerds and to have my home invaded is scary.

 

An Improvement in Skill

 

Here is where I humble brag. I have been in this game for 10 years now and I think I’ve come quite a long way from wearing the same Hot Topic dress and swapping out a bunch of tiny hats to the cosplayer I am today. A lot has changed, the biggest being my ability to spend time on costumes and the ability to spend more money on costumes. And now that I only do a few conventions a year, I make them an event rather than something I just roll up in jeans and a t-shirt to (no shame to all of those who roll up in jeans and a t-shirt, I still do that sometimes). 

Paneling: 7 Years Strong

 

I’ve been a semi-professional panelist for 7 years now and wow things have changed. The discourse is amazing when it happens. I do feel like I don’t get the questions I used to, what can I say: I love a deep conversation; but getting told that I’m an inspiration, getting standing ovations and bringing crowds joy and humor makes me want to keep going for another 7 years.

 

Changes in Fandom

 

I will say I have noticed some changes in fandom. Here is where I go full Old Man Yells at Cloud but hear me out. There is a shocking lack of ability to look back in modern fandom (of all kinds). People are used to the anime they’re watching now and think anime started in 2010. I get it, I’m old but when I was a kid watching anime in the 1990s and 2000s, I went back to the 1970s and 1980s because being a fan didn’t mean that I was a fan of the stuff going on then but also that I was a fan of the entire artform. Comics are getting that too when people see just the MCU movies (which is fine) but think that seeing all the movies makes them some kind of expert. The mainstream appeal of nerdy things is fascinating because despite how nice it is to have the things I love be so widely accepted (because trust me when I was a kid, it was not), there is a strange hollowness that comes with mentioning an anime or comic book character during a panel and getting silence. 

 

We have come so far from yaoi paddles and costumes from Party City. We’ve come so far from conventions being small low-key affairs to the media powerhouses they are. I’ve come so far from flat wigs and one dress. 

 

To many more years of cosplay, of fandom, of paneling, of convention going and more. 

 

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