Yo People! Cosplay isn't Consent!

Very cool campaign. I like the creativity. To all the people saying "asking for it" type statements, just because subconsciously some may be dressing in an overly-sexualized manner in connection to a self-esteem issue, this doesn't mean it's a free pass to harass them. I mean...personally I think there's a very logical separation/difference, it's not hard.

...Wow looking at some of these comments...it's no wonder why girls don't get into this stuff

@thatguywithheadphones said:

Don't get into what? Comics? Because i'm pretty sure nothing said in this thread has anything to do with it.

@betatesthighlander1 I would be surprised if anyone disagreed with the idea of invading one's personal space is wrong and is totally cool and acceptable haha.

To answer your question no i have never personally witness anyone get sexually harassed at conventions, though the act of creeping is something that one would do in the down low so i don't think its obvious to spot. i have had friends tell me that while waiting in line at cons certain guys would get inappropriately close and rub against them to the point they would get out of line, creeping happens everywhere my original post was about overall harrasment not just at cons.

I've been to cons and I've never really seen anything that would qualify as sexual harassment. There's just the "free hug" people who usually aren't pushy, and the fans who wanted to hug me when I was in costume.

@thatguywithheadphones said:

..or mostly cosplay male characters.

At least that's one reason why I prefer cosplaying guys, another being that I like male characters more then female and I don't like wearing skirts. =/

@infinite_doom: well, if thgis is purely something people do discretely and anonymously, I'm not entirely surehow a "don't do this" campaign is going to help anything.

@emh_bruce: I don't know what your main fandoms are, but most of the time theres someone who's outfit isn't reveling/skirt-having

Do you mean cosplay or comic books in general?

Personally I'm not put off comic books because of some nasty people, but I suppose some girls may see sexist remarks as signs of them being unwelcome in the comic book world. I hope this will change, as no-one should feel excluded. Comic books are great after all. :)

@betatesthighlander1: I'm mostly a Marvel Girl, but I have a great love for the pre-N52 JSA and I want to cosplay Spoiler soon. She will be the first female character in ..... 10 years that I by my own choice want to cosplay.

Is this really a thing? Is this really a problem, even? I wouldn't even think of doing these things to cosplayers. Nor have I ever seen it done. I do believe, however, male or female, if you're wearing tape and string (and that's it), you can't get offended when people look at you. If you are making yourself stand out, you're going to stand out.

@dabee: It's pretty prevalent, hence the whole cosplay =/= consent project.

And there's a difference between people looking at you and people sexually harassing you, which is what this is targeting.

@ellie_knightfall said:

I know there's a huge difference, I'm not defending it. Please don't think I am, haha. No, I think it's gross, but I just didn't know how common it was. I guess there are idiots everywhere. :-/

@dabee: Oh, no worries, I'm more saying it for general transparency than directly targeting your post, didn't get that vibe from you at all.

You may wanna give this a read (scroll down to the part marked 'original blog' and then read the top part). It's the story of a cos-player who directly dealt with this and one of the driving forces behind this whole movement being brought to fruition.

Hey Yo! Hey Yo! If you want to debate if CosPlayers are asking for it. I'll be at the New Orleans Comic Con. I'll be the heavily tattooed six foot one guy with a beard dressed up like Wonder Woman......... Come talk to me.

@judasnixon: "agree with me or I'll hurt you" yeah, that seems like a pretty valid argument to me

semi-off topic, I love how in the first photo Ice looks full of swagger (ie: cocky) while Fire looks sad, lol.

Note to self: Getting drunk and going to comic con may be a bad idea.

@betatesthighlander1: No..... I'm saying lets talk about it. I'll buy you a snow cone!

@judasnixon: " travel six hundrdd miles for the thirdmost mediocre frozen desert" thats a valid argument

What fiend is going around groping cosplayers?? I've never even heard of it happening.

But I have to admit..if someone yelled "I'd f*ck you!" I'd totally take it as a compliment.

@the_stegman: I geuss really aas a follow-up to your second statement, as what gender do you identify?

That dude looks like Tony Stark's twin. o.O

@betatesthighlander1: I am a guy.

It's funny what which problems we focus on. Not drone strikes without trials, or concentrated poverty and hunger, or civil wars across the world or human rights abuses. Let's just worry about the half naked-cosplay girls who just want to dress however they want without being judged.

@betatesthighlander1: What prey-tell, are the top 2?

@betatesthighlander1: What! You Don't want my snow cone? I mean you are just asking for it.... Look at you! Exspressing yourself! Come on! (Metaphor)

@dngn4774: Hey Lets Talk!

I'm a girl and I'd be rather flattered if you were someone I knew and secretly liked as long as you didn't use the word "f*ck" and sure as hell didn't grope me first. If you were some random, creepy, disgusting lummox of the pudgy variety as one will undoubtedly find at conventions, I would sick my older brother on your a## and laugh in glee as he slowly peeled your skin off...

@judasnixon: About what exactly? Everyone knows groping is wrong and I can't see the possibility of anyone defending the cosplay gropers.

@dngn4774: Did you read the first page of the thread? Somebody already has.

@ellie_knightfall: Most of them were just claiming that they didn't feel sorry for the victims in this case. Neither do I really, it doesn't justify groping them but it seems foolish to dress up like that without taking any safety precautions like traveling in a group or learning to defend themselves. We live in a dangerous world and people should think about how their decisions may affect others. I don't understand why people consider that viewpoint to be so controversial.

@dngn4774: But it still happens...... Now that out of the way, lets talk about drone strikes, and poverty......

A young lady broke a groper's nose when she was touched at a hockey game this year. Funny thing is the bastard who did it got no support from the fan's around them.

@judasnixon: lol! The funny thing I learned last year about the solutions to solving concentrated poverty is that you really can't solve it you can only move it to other areas and pretend that that was the solution.

@lightsout: Those medicine-icicles and the Chinese dish with the shaven ice and thebeans

@akindoodle: That kind of statement does give mixed sinals to anyone who wishes to attract a lady

@dngn4774: Hey Yo.... Are you an ecomonist? Real question. I just want to Know,

@betatesthighlander1: Wow. I really can't argue with that. And here I thought snow-cones were at the top of the crap-heap.

@lightsout: is top or bottom the worst part of the crap heap?

Touche!

@betatesthighlander1: I'm still here......

@dngn4774: I had an entire rant typed out, but I decided not to post it, as it wasn't really directed at you, just at the culture in general.

Long story short, there will always be rape apologists and people who try to place the blame on victims (I am NOT saying that's what you're doing). When in reality, the blame is directly on the rapists and those who choose to sexually harass. It is not on the victims, what they were drinking, where they were or what they were wearing and to say otherwise is to victim-blame.

People should think about how their decision (because that's what it is, a conscious decision, not some uncontrollable urge) to rape or sexually harass people effects others.

Oh you better believe it Steg. I'd dance over your corpse too

@betatesthighlander1: Yeah, I guess it is. It's part of the fun to be hard to read (we be b*tches that way) and watch as you all unsuccessfully stumble your way into our arms and we turn you right back around... or just call the police

That has to be the most sound logic I've heard all day

@judasnixon:

are we still arguing?

@betatesthighlander1:Nope.... Just drinking

@akindoodle: are you some sort of mysoginist trying to cover up female issues by claiming such while poorly disguised as a female?

or does that just seem like rational and moral thinking to you?

@judasnixon: cheers?

Wow, I've been going to SDCC since 2007, and WonderCon since 2005, and i never knew this to be an issue. Imagining a bunch of dorks building enough nerve to do something that stupid never came across my mind. I never thought that it would be okay to touch anybody without their consent. I find this to be a disturbingly weird problem.

@judasnixon: Nope, I just study Political Science. After a while you find out that most problems in the world cannot have permanent solutions you just learn to take the good with the bad, weigh the pros and cons y'know.

@betatesthighlander1: No hate between us, just drinks brother....... Or sister?