“SEXY” Cosplay Hate and “REAL” Cosplayers

I am really happy that I subscribed to you. Stay great!

This was a great video. Has a big guy for me it's extremely hard for me to cosplay because of the negativity. If I don't find someone or character that fits my build it's always the fat version of what I want to be. If I wanted to be batman for example it would be the fat batman and so on. It's terrible and people need to realize how much effort and time it takes to make props!

I'm going to be a kawaii reaper (overwatch) but with bubble guns instead ^^

The thing is: She is even more sexy without any costume. 😀

As a new subscriber, this was my third of your videos to watch and I think you did a great job discussing this issue. I have not been involved in cosplay before other than making a helmet for my little boy when he was about 6 months old thanks to inspiration from an Evil Ted video. He got to wear it a few times before growing out of it now that he has just turned one. The photos will last a lifetime though 🙂 My next helmet for him might have to be a viking helmet as he is just learning to walk so by the time it is finished he should be running around causing havoc around the house and it will be appropriate 😛

The only cosplays I consider "fake" are costumes bought completely as a set from sites, I can get people doing small things that are a terror to create, but doing no work and sometimes even claiming it as your own ticks me off more than anything at a con.

The only "sexy" cosplay that has bothered me was Jessica Nigri's Roadhog. Really just because it felt really fat-shaming to see a skinny cosplayer get that much credit for cosplaying an overweight cosplay. I've seen female Roadhogs who are overweight and have really good costumes, but they don't get any praise. That feels hella shitty

amen sista, as a builder of both secturums of a cosplay, ive experienced this type of thing but its also been a good gateway for me to tell people about this type of thing and end the shaming :v bless your video dude much love x

I think that people who are critical of "sexy" cosplay want to reach for words like "objectification". This doesn't work because obviously, no matter how much of your body your costume covers, as a cosplayer objectification is the goal!

Having said that, there are definitely costumes that should not be worn. At a comic con I attended last year there was a young lady wearing a Princess Leia slave costume that was very revealing and in no way fit her bust. I got the sense that she didn't realize this and I felt badly for her.

i completely agree! as long as someone is happy, confident, and proud of what they've created, there's absolutely no reason to tear them down for it. i'm glad you made this video!

Good points. Strangely enough what got me into making armor and cosplay was actually seeing sexy cosplays so I'm living proof that it works

Bravo! What a great message! You're pretty awesome.

I RELATE TO THIS SO MUCH!! THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO! 🙂
It does not make me feel good, and it isn't a compliment when people say:
"Now THIS is REAL cosplay! I'm so glad you don't sexualize things like other cosplayers!"
I get this allll the time.

I DO NOT like being used as an excuse to insult/bully other cosplayers!

There are no rules to cosplayer! It's just playing dress up and having fun! <3

Great video! The world needs to see this video!

nice video

i can't totally agree with you
putting on a wig, wearing a bikini and call it cosplay in my eyes nothing but searching attention for your body

the clear definition for cosplay is to look and act close to the charakter you choose
Don't get me wrong, if you make your own interpretation (even the sexy one, most of the characters in anime, gaming etc. are made to be perfect looking) it is none of my or someones business, it is your way of acting free
If people offend you because you do a sexy costume they are just stupid assholes

what bothers me is when people only do cosplay in a sexy way because they know they will get attention easily and they get the attention, much more than people who put so much effort and love in their costumes, wigs and probs and do cosplay
but this is the community
to blame only these cosplayers is just wrong, the community is also to blame

I totally agree with this! Thanks for making this video!

Also… are those wooden pillows?!?!? LOL

"Erhmaigerd… I could never be that sexy in that outfit… I am so triggered!!How can you wear that and just tear down so many girls' confidences!"

thank you thank you thank you! So true!

This right here!!

I'm sorry ZonZonZonbi but let's be honest. Most of these "sexy" cosplayers both male & female, especially cosplayers that dress as sexy versions of non-sexy characters are doing it cause they're attention whores. And that's fine but at least they should admit it instead of acting like they're doing it for the love of the character.

If you are cosplaying a Little Sister from Bioshock with your breasts popping out, you are doing it wrong and should be ashamed.

If you are cosplaying Brian of Tarth with your breasts popping out, you are doing it wrong and should be ashamed.

To me cosplay is about being as true to the character as possible. You can have a black guy play Scorpion, or a fat guy play Scorpion. But when you go out of your way to misrepresent Scorpion, like someone wearing a scorpion mask and then putting on, for example, a romper; they are doing it wrong and should be ashamed.

CHAMPION

STORY TIME!
I was in a cosplay contest at Portland Retro Gaming Expo 2016. (There's a vid on youtube of the whole thing if anyone wants to see me and every other awesome cosplayer that participated.)
I like to cosplay BIG, CLUNKY, BADASS armor.
This being my first cosplay contest ever I felt incredibly excited of the whole thing!
I was a prize winner! I didn't win first, second or even third place however.
After the fact I had more than a few audience members approach me and congratulate me and compliment my armor.
But a few said that I should have won, not just because I was their personal favorite, but because the third place was "nothing more than a morph body suit", second place was "over done", and the first place was "of course a sexy princess peach"….
The people who told this to me obviously didn’t understand cosplay.
That "morph suit" was made from scratch! It was that girl’s FIRST TIME sewing anything like that and I can't even properly stitch right!
The "over done" was WELL DONE! Popularity doesn't negate quality!
And for the well deserving first place winner? She had well crafted armor with LEDs, original design, and impeccable attention to detail.

I don't Cosplay to 'Win' at anything.
I do it because I love it.
I cosplay because normally I'm a 'contained', quiet, 'no spot light' person. I have this thing where if I'm the room's center of attention my hands start to shake horribly and involuntary, even if I feel just fine and confident in my head.
But when I dawn my own crafted armor and set forth into these crowded spaces with people asking for a picture every five steps I take I swear I feel better than I ever do!
I can TRULY be myself, I can dork around, pose in badass pictures for people, hug strangers that ask for random hugs, and give those awed/timid little kids a fist-bump then have them hold my prop for a picture.
THAT is why I cosplay, to be me without damn shaking hands.
To be in that spot light while being admired and then giving that admiration ten fold to all the other incredible creators around me!

Thanks for making this video!

I'm told a lot "You're the real harley" (Mine kinda a mix between the recent comics and arkham) and they make a point about "these suiside squad harleys aren't really harley" and that just kind of makes me laugh because while mine is a hodge lodge that resembles harley, suiside squad harley was actually published by DC, so technically speaking, while we're all "real harleys" they're technically more real than mine is

Well said Zonbi

I agree so hard with this! The crazy thing about it is that a lot of Anime and video characters are extremely "sexily" made. So if someone does a cosplay of them, its going to be sexy because thats just how it is. But then theres backlash from people over the sexiness. Well, then the problem the accuser has shouldnt be with the fact someone happens to like a character thats sexily made. It should be with the fact that characters like that are so over abundant in the industry.

I love you so much and your passion! I have been following and watching your videos for a year now and I agree the community can be so savage towards one another just for expressing their idea a different way. I'm the type of cosplayer who is like you and rather wear bulky armor and sport a nice sword with their costume or something big and cool, while my sister would prefer something cute like alexstraza or ysera's costume. It sucks that there's still a lot of folks who would tear someone apart just for their outfit and creativity.

I agree with you on some parts but also disagree with union certain things but over thanks for this video

I don't have a problem with sexy cosplay until it's a bikini and a store bought stormtrooper helmet. The issue is these costumes get a lot more face than others of that genre most of the time, so people who aren't in the cosplay community look at cosplay and assume it's some sort of fetish, which makes it really hard for me to tell people that I cosplay because I can tell through their body language that they assume I'm some sort of sex crazed maniac, and I really don't want to project that kind of image of myself to other people.
But yeah besides all that I know to appreciate a sexy cosplay when there's craftsmanship.

I just don't like people who put on underwear and just call it cosplay. I have met two people at cons who see it as something like that. Really, I just don't like people who don't put in effort for their costume because they think cosplay is all the same; Get a new outfit and wear it once.
I'm tired of people who think cosplayers are wasting their lives on their costumes simply cuz they don't think it deserves hard work.

This is actually one of the reasons I have only made 2 costumes and don't go as much as I want to…

It's certainly a delicate issue but I can understand both sides of the argument at times. I'm a fan of halo (since I was a kid) and personally I would not want to see a sexy Spartan costume. I've also gone as a sexy-ish character (Shirtless naked snake) and boy do I regret that.

thank you for posting this zonbi!!!!!! these are my thoughts exactly about cosplay!!!!

Ohmygosh, thank you soooo much for putting it in words. This "compliment by tearing others down" thing is the worst, not only does it suck in the cosplay community, but it invades EVERYWHERE like "sexy women aren't twigs, they have curves" like STOP INVALIDATING OTHERS, PERIOD, you're the best and I love your channel.

♥ so true ♥

When is Zonbi going to do sexy cosplay?

I'm so glad I found ur channel! I feel the same way you do about liking being more covered up (and for me also just the convenience/utility of it too) but whenever I express my aggravation at the pressure to 'sexy' cosplay I end up surrounded with people (guys usually) who just want to shame women for what they wear and that is most certainly NOT ok nor my point in the first place! When I saw ur channel I was so happy cause I thought 'wow a cosplayer whose videos can actually help me make my cosplay the way I want it!' And that's wonderful but I am truly grateful that u r not a person who would throw other women under the bus so, thanks and keep up the amazing work

Shaming and hating is bad yes. It's just ppl are intimidated and have self esteem issues. HOWEVER, I see your point of view but I feel scantily clad should not get more recognition versus real talent like yourself. Sure it's empowering for some and I agree to what you are saying in the sense of to each their own. Supporting their talents in an attempt to encourage them in their self expression and their art is cool too. You are right though, unfortunately sex does sell more so than it should. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Just another parallel of perspective. Now this is solely my opinion, but I am sure I am not the only one who would still choose you in a full suit of armor over a random clad gal. You are a classy dame and super hot no matter what you are in! So with that I'll end by saying it's nice to see you support ppl from your perspective. Just remember that everyone is entitled to an opinion but it doesn't give it the sole validity over another. You are awesome at what you do and sharing your words of wisdom only makes you that much more awesome! PEACE ,,||,

nah I don't agree went a female puts on a shitty bikini and a wig and gets more credit than others.

I agree, I have way more important things to worry about in my life and with my family, rather then concern myself and stressing out over someone else's decision in the way they wear or make their costume. Honestly as long as they're not running around buck naked in front my child I don't mind. That being said, I feel if more people but the same time and energy into worrying about and fixing the things in their own life instead of wasting energy criticizing, getting angry and all round being a douche the world would be a lot happier place. Thank you for your insight and opinion! On a related note, Ancient Medieval Battle reenactments are what got me into cosplay even though there's only a few cosplay characters I like to dress as. One being any character from the Rifts RPG. That being said. Have a great day everyone!

Well said. I just don't understand why some feel that it's ok to put others down. It would be better for them to say nothing at all, than to accost someone else just because it's not what they would do. Btw, I think your costumes are great.

Cosplay is the only time I feel ok with being sexy. It sucks when you have a typically 'sexy' body type but you just want to be cute but cute clothes don't fit you right. Cosplay lets me have both