Celebrities cosplaying or simply just wearing a nerd-related costume isn't a new thing. At many comic book conventions, you'll see America's Next Top model winner, Adrianne Curry, usually dressed up as something Star Wars related, such as slave Leia or a member of the Empire. She seems to have a love for all things Star Wars.
Ex-Attack of the Show host Oliva Munn gets into the action when she dresses up as Chun-Li or Wonder Woman. She's always seemed connected to comic book culture and all things nerdy. But what happens when to celebrities that have nothing to do with this sub-culture nor really seem to care about it get dressed up?
For those of you who don't know, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen both played Michelle Tanner on 'Full House' back in the late 80s. They then went on to be super-rich through home videos on clothing lines. They're fashionable people, and the last thing many people think about, when thinking about the artists formally known as the Olsen Twins, is nerdy. Nevertheless, these two "fashionistas" (Thanks TJ Max commercial!) ventured into the land of cos-play for a recent photo shoot.
The Olsens, as you can see, got all "decked" out in a video for stylemint recently. What is stylemint? Well, it's a website about style or selling things, I think. Honestly, I gave up trying to figure it out. The whole dress-up party is for a website video trivia contest. Each correct answer has the two women parading around in cosplay gear. By the way, this is the dumbest one.
The gals (I couldn't tell you which one is which) are kinda dressed up as Catwoman and Batman, complete with masks and a whip. Which is kinda like how I'm dressed up as Captain America right now with my Cap t-shirt. They also dress up as Stan and Cartman from South Park, and a Stormtrooper and Darth Vader holding lightsaber Starbucks cups from what can only be described as a dream I have after a LOOOONNNGGG night of drinking.
For those of you wondering, yes, I went through every video and eventually, I got all the correct answers. Spoiler alert: the secret code is "Spooky." What's weirder than the awkwardness of the videos is what other websites are saying about the sisters.
According to io9, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have ruined Halloween. I don't know about them, but I think I'm still going to have a great time this Halloween dressed up as a Raiders fan, regardless of what Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have done. But they do make a good point.
A noble effort, ladies — but the key to cosplay is pretending that you like dressing up as Batman in a leather pencil skirt.
E! Online thinks it's great they're making fashion funny. As a person who likes to think himself a "funny man," I disagree.
Cosplay isn't funny: It's awesome. It's a chance for people who love nerd-culture to dress up as their favorite characters and have fun. These two girls look like they're having about as much fun as you can at a funeral.
I'm not mad that they're doing what they're doing. They're marketing their brand, and obviously, they're getting a ton of press because of it... including from Comic Vine. What bugs me about all of this is two things: People are calling it funny, and people are calling it cosplay. It's neither of those things. It's an ad, and a really creepy one at that. It's like calling yourself a chef because you made yourself a sandwich. You're not a cosplayer for putting on a mask. If the Olsen women proved something today it's that dressing up as Darth Vader isn't always awesome. You're ruined the one thing I thought was true in life no matter what. A pox on your house.
It's ratings time. Every year, which you'll see very soon, I rate a whole bunch of comic book related costumes, and I'll start off this year with this add.
Cartman: 1/10. The 2 dimensional aspect, for the face, is the only thing they got right. Ashley, or Mary-Kate, isn't fat, loud, or annoying, so she's not into the character at all.
Stan: 2/10. See above. She gets one extra point because Stan isn't fat.
Catwoman: 4/10. This is actually the best of the lot. It's the most like the character, even though it's the Batman Returns Catwoman mask, which I am not a fan of.
John Stamos as Robin: 10/10. Now THAT man is an actor. He really has the character of a young Tim Drake (before his Red Robin days) down. Give that man a SAG award.
Sunday Morning Brunch Batman: 0/10. I know they sell those kiddie masks at Walmart for like $5, but couldn't you at least get a fancy cape?
Barista Stormtrooper: -30/10. Stormtroopers can't even hit a target. What makes you think they're equipped to handle a lightsaber or a lattesaber?
Barista Darth Vader: 0/10. When did Darth Vader join the Sons of Anarchy?
What do you guys think of this? If the Olsens were going to go out as cosplayers, what hero or villain would suit them best? Lastly, isn't Robin adorable?
Follow Mat "Inferiorego" Elfring's twitters accounts. Why does he have two? He still doesn't know: @inferiorego @thematelfring