Is the Cosplay Community Toxic? A Cosplayer's Honest Take
Cosplay community is very unpredictable, sometimes you may encounter some toxic people here. It’s not perfect, and it’s also has a flaw. That’s make cosplay community toxic!
The answer to this question is a blunt big yes! Cosplay community is inherently toxic. This sounds unbelievable but as a cosplayer that part of the community, I encountered many toxic behavior in this group of people.
I don’t say that all cosplayers in the cosplay community are toxic, but my point here is that there is an instance that some toxicity is inevitable. Example of this is that being hit by a cancel culture in social media groups of cosplayers.
Is Cosplay Community Toxic or not? 5 Reasons why the answer is Yes!
As I said before, this community is toxic. Today, I’m giving you a real life reasons why the cosplay world is toxic and how you can deal with it.
Body Shaming
Cosplay is for everyone, that is the fact. Whether you are muscular, fat, or thin, you can cosplay all you want. There is no rule that having a specific body type will make cosplay illegal to do.
There’s no law in the world that stating that you must match the body type of the character in order to cosplay them or you will be fined. These body standards in the cosplay community are stupid and only uneducated person will only believe in it.
While there is no standard rule about body types, some toxic minded members of the cosplay community are humiliating other cosplayers based on their body type. Cosplayers that under the dark side of this hobby are now complaining that cosplay is not for everyone because of body standards.
This is very common in the cosplay community. If you are a plus-sized cosplayer, you will be insulted that you are too fat to cosplay. If you are a thin cosplayer, cosplaying a muscular character will result you from being insulted.
Body shaming happens online and inside of the convention. Some cosplay communities are making their own stupid body standards that ruin other’s cosplay experience.
Scammers
This kind of toxicity is literally illegal and can put you in the jail! This is not toxicity anymore, this is a crime! Financial instability is one of the dangers of this hobby that can be caused by cosplay community scams.
Scamming is very common in the cosplay community. Cosplay is known for a hobby that has a big market share, so what do you expect? Many scammers will use this as advantages to target the cosplay community.
Most of the cosplayers are teenagers. Many of them are not aware of scams and protecting their finances, which makes this community a vulnerable in this kind of crime. These scammers will sell a fake cosplay materials to the victims and in the worst case, they will not be delivered it after paying for the item.
There are some various scams in the cosplay community. Make sure that you do a background check about the merchant or the seller before buying a cosplay materials from them.
Lack of Boundary
This is commonly happen inside of the convention than online cosplay platforms. Convention goers are doing something awful to a stranger cosplayers for their own pleasure. Harassment is common in the cosplay community.
The cliche term “cosplay is not consent” is commonly used in the community to warn the con-goers to respect the cosplayer’s boundaries, but some of them are still disobeying the golden rule of the cosplay.
Convention goers will touch the costume or wig of the cosplayers that make them uncomfortable. In my experience, experiencing that someone will touch my Wanderer cosplay wig without my consent is an unpleasant thing to experience.
Even by myself, I hate that someone will do something awful to me while in cosplay. I saw in the convention that a guy ask for a picture from a cosplayer while the cosplayer was fixing her makeup. Hey, give that cosplayer a space!
Many con-goers are not respecting our space, which can affect our cosplay experience. Boundary is the king to stop this from happening again and again!
Cancel Culture
Many Gen Z readers will relate in this blog section, cancel culture is a big part of the internet nowadays. Cosplay community is not an exception for this dumb internet culture!
My old cosplay best friend got hit by this kind of toxicity. Showing the example of cancel culture of the cosplay community will get my website banned. That’s how gruesome it is!
If a cosplayer did something “horrible” in the community, an opposing side will post something defamatory stuffs on. That Facebook and some sensitive informations about that cosplayer like chat history. This kind of post is what they called “call-out post.”
Getting hit by a cancel culture from the cosplay community is a painful experience for a cosplayer. I don’t experience being cancelled but my cosplay best friend got hit by it. I can confirm that this culture can also have an impact on the friends of the victim.
One more thing, the Philippines’s cosplay community has a dedicated Facebook page for cancelling cosplayers and shamming them. That Facebook page is so terrible!
How Can You Deal With This Toxicity?
So, we tackle down the reasons why the cosplay community is toxic. We will not end in here! Giving the reason without giving the solution is pointless. Here are some actions that you can do if you got hit by these toxic behaviors from the cosplay community:
Take a Break
It’s understandable that you want to do some weird or undesirable things after you experience toxicity from the community. It’s not advisable to have a decision at the time that you are emotionally not stable. By doing so, you will make things worse than ever.
As of now, all you need to do is to take a break from your cosplay hobby for a while and do something else other than cosplay. I’m not saying that to quit cosplay but by giving your mind a detox from the cosplay community can relieve yourself.
Give yourself a time to heal emotionally, spiritually and physically from the issue. Don’t be ashamed of taking a break if it is beneficial to yourself.
Inform The Authority
If the issue is against the law, like getting scammed, which is a form of financial fraud, don’t hesitate to report it to the cops or any appropriate government agencies depending on your jurisdiction.
I’m not a lawyer, so I cannot give you a legal advice regarding it. The best thing you can do is just inform the authority. They can give you a right legal advice to protect yourself and regain the damages or loss that you faced.
Ask an Assistant From the Trusted Adults (If you are a Minor)
If you are scared to inform the authority by yourself, Don hesitates to ask a help from trusted adults. These are your parents, teachers, pastors, school guidance counselors, relatives and your therapists (if applicable).
These adults can help you to recover quickly from the issue you faced from the cosplay community. Not just a help but they can also give you an emotional support to cope out with the toxicity you experienced.
In my own experience, my school guidance counselor helps me to cope with body shaming toxicity that I encountered in the cosplay community. It’s worth a try to knock to your school’s guidance office if you got victimized.
Find A More Positive Community
You don’t have to force yourself to participate in your toxic cosplay group. You deserve to be a part of body-affirming, supportive, energetic and like-minded groups of individuals.
If you are experiencing a toxic vibe from the community that you are participating in right now, it’s an idea! Decision to quit it and find another community that deserves you.
This also applies to the conventions you are attending. If you feel that your favorite cosplay events are toxic, it might be a best choice to stop attending it and find other events to participate next time.
Block, Mute, Report
These three simple words might be an answer to your issue if you are part of an online cosplay platform. Just block them, you will lose nothing from your life and it’s free to do! No social media platform will owe you from blocking someone.
These toxic individuals don’t deserve you! There’s no need to be shammed of blocking someone if your mental health is the stake from their toxic behavior. You should focus on striving to be a better cosplayer.
Seek Help From Your Trusted Cosplay Friends
That’s what friends are for! They can give you an emotional support to cope with the emotional damages that toxicity gave to you. A true friend will help you in the dark time!
Getting hit by a toxic people is emotionally haunting and challenging for everyone. The anxiety that this issue will give to you is a heavy dumbbell in your brain. That’s why I suggest that you seek a help from your cosplay friend that can understand your emotion and helps you to cope.
Conclusion
The cosplay community is inherently toxic, with body shaming and scams being common. There is no standard rule about body types, and some members of the community make their own stupid body standards. Convention goers often touch the costumes or wigs of cosplayers without consent, which can affect the cosplay experience. Many cosplayers are not aware of scams and are vulnerable in this kind of crime. It is important to do a background check before buying cosplay materials from any merchant or seller. Cancel culture is a big exception for the Cosplay community, with some cosplayers experiencing negative experiences.