Soapbox: The Cosplay Forum
by otaking on Jul.25, 2011, under Soapbox
Spider Jerusalem cosplay. SOMEDAY. From earthdog's photostream.
[Notes on the hiatus: I LURKED MOAR. Some other very loud 'commentators' could use a bit of it themselves. Get over it.]
Once upon a time, if you wanted to dress up as a famous character like Mickey Mouse or Ronald McDonald, you either had to be doing it at a costume party or have permission from the copyright holders.
One day, a bunch of geeks (most likely Japanese) decided that no party was necessary to wear costumes, possibly because they weren’t invited to enough parties. When they actually got out of the house to meet up, possibly at a school festival or comics convention, cosplay was born.
Cosplay, like doujinshi or fanfiction, is first and foremost an act of love. It is also an act that would embarrass normal people, which demonstrates that all cosplayers are a special kind of crazy.
It is also an act in violation of copyright. But like fanfiction and doujinshi it is tolerated. Why? Because fans who write fanfic or draw doujinshi or dress up as fictional characters are a special kind of fan: The kind who can publicly turn on his or her own chosen fandom with the passion of a jilted lover if crossed. This is due to the previously mentioned love and lack of shame.
Back in the late 90′s, Fox tried to shut down X-Files and Simpsons fan sites in an attempt to exert more control over its copyright, with predictable results. Faced with the fury of a hundred thousand paranoid fans, Fox relented. You can’t stop the signal.
Firefly reference. Still got it.
Like all niche fandoms after the wake of this act of defiance, cosplay found a home on the Internet. The Internet allows foreign (and let’s face it, fresher) memes to spread its seed around the world. Things like anime, and indie comics, and /b/ronies.
And cosplay.
Once local awareness of cosplay hit critical mass, a local convention was held. A convention that warmed the hearts of people who were longing to meet other people ‘just like us’. In this case, ‘just like us’ meant ‘people whose love for character X outweighs their sense of personal shame’, a trait I actually find admirable.
A convention that must have also subconsciously reminded Sandman fans of a certain Cereal Convention.
Cereal Convention Guest of Honor: THIS GUY!
Cosplay now had a forum. I don’t mean the particular competing forums (which are differing levels of private containing even more private circles).
I mean forum in the technical sense: an open public space. Roman society worked because each city had a forum, a place where people could meet and exchange opinions with people outside their immediate social circles. Prevented people from becoming insular and isolated. In cosplay’s case, its forum began as an abstract idea, existing entirely on the Internet, and then as a string of conventions held together by chattering about them on the Internet.
Two things happen when you have a public meeting space.
First, some people want to own that space. Claim divine right based on some hazy line of succession or on popular opinion or by strength of ideals. Approve only certain types of gatherings within that space, according to law or custom or public morals. Exercise the power to exile or excommunicate. This is the aristocratic stance. Remind you of anyone?
Second, some people build markets right next to the space. Wherever people meet, no matter what kind of people they are, there’s a market. And if there’s a market, people will cater to that market. Even if they don’t actually care about the forum itself, if there is a market, merchants will meet demand.
These are both facts. They’re happening right now. I’m not writing to complain about either. They’re the natural consequences of a large community. Even the Church makes a killing selling prayer books and unleavened bread and has overbearing self-appointed leaders telling everyone what REAL spirituality is about. (It even has kiddie-fiddlers too.)
And I don’t know if cosplay can continue its little experiment with corporate capitalism. I pointed out that cosplay is in a legally gray area, and other bloggers have written about this. If enough money is being made, the copyright holders are going to start sniffing around. And not everyone has the corporate clout to be ‘official’ cosplayers.
No, I’m just here to point out that both of these things only exist because of the people that matter. The people in the forum. The people who participate. The people who dress like fools because of love.
The cosplayers.
I salute all of you. You magnificent, freaking weirdos. The cosplay ‘state’ and the ‘cosplay’ market exist because of you, not the other way around. Some of you already realized this on your own. And when enough of you finally realize what that really means, it’ll be a real interesting day.
And I’ll be here.
Lurking moar.
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