Easter 2016 – Family Dinner
Between shrimp cocktails and dinner, the inevitable question of “what have you been up to” turns its ugly head. Between Grandpa Random Cosplayer’s stamp collection, and Cousin Eddie’s Fantasy baseball team, my turn comes up. Much to the chagrin of my family, I began to inspire with tales of my trip to an anime convention in February (with pictures)…
“Why is that guy not wearing a shirt?”
“what’s with the horns?”
“why is that girl in a bikini in the middle of February?”
“You spent how much? Just to dress up like some cartoon character?”
And on and on it goes, until everyone decides that I need some sort of psychiatric help or should grow up and become a lawyer like my cousin. Give me a break! I love my life and have a shit load of fun going to cons, meeting new people, and experiencing new things. If growing up means that I must live some sort of unhappy life, or fit some sort of cookie cutter normie life, then call me Peter Pan, because that is just not happening.
We all have been there. Maybe hanging out with normie friends or dating a normie that has never heard of cosplay; it’s always the same… Lots of weird looks, confusion and a sense of foreboding creepiness. Let’s be frank: People fear what they don’t understand. They see a bunch of people wearing costumes, and it’s not Halloween. Something must be wrong with them!
These people are what most cosplay circles would call normies: people who don’t know or understand Cosplay / Costuming / Convention culture. Most don’t understand (and don’t care to). Others think that it is weird, unusual or sometimes creepy. Others have a very “you do you” mentality about it, understanding that the people around them are not always going to have the same interests. I’m going to talk about those that either don’t understand, or don’t want to. I’m not saying you are going to win them over (although sometimes you do) but at least they may have a better understanding about your way of life.
Thankfully, things are changing. Cosplay and Convention culture continues to evolve into popular culture and targeting mainstream audiences. Anime has gone from something you had to order through magazines (remember them?) to something that is on mainstream television. Comic book movies have become overnight blockbusters and obscure names (such as Guardians of the Galaxy) are now household. Needless to say, our fandoms are not going anywhere anytime soon.
Nowadays, when I talk to normies about my hobbies, I try to help them relate. Whether that is through relating to them (That last Star Wars movie was awesome! You should see the Stormtrooper costume I made). Helping them relate to specific pop culture pillars makes it seem more mainstream (which it is) and less outlandish. Pop Culture not their wheelhouse? Try sports. Look at how crazy some sports fandoms celebrate; Body paint and props are not uncommon (in fact, you sometimes even see Iron Man or Batman in the specific team’s colors). One of these two almost always works.
One big thing you never want to discuss is the financial end of things. Although a lot of us pour our souls into our cosplays, we also pour a lot of our disposable income into them too. That’s when things can get dicey, and you are going to be prone to judgement. Honestly, your financial well being is your business (and yours alone) and if someone decides that it’s their business, I would recommend changing the subject. It’s not worth it to deal with their judgement on what you spend your money on. Easier to play it close to the chest.
When it’s all said and done, you are not always going to make everyone happy. That’s okay. Not everyone is going to like you because of the celebration of your fandom. However, some are and those are the ones you want to value with your time.
I would love to hear your stories (both good and bad) about some of the times you have had to explain your passion for Cosplay to a normie. Please, talk about it in the comments below.
Do you have a dream to be a pro cosplayer, artist, photographer, Convention Organizer, or Vendor? Do you feel like your circle “Doesn’t get it?” Don’t despair; We can help. Schedule a 30 minute consultation, and let us show you what we can do!
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