The (Cos)Fame Monster 

You wanna be cosfamous? You aspire to be the next Yaya Han, Jessica Nigri, etc?  

 Well I have some words for you, friend:

I really don’t care. Go for it, man. I don’t give a shit. I salute you, even, if you’re truly dedicated to that goal, because that shit does not look easy. 

Why? Because it does not ruin or cheapen cosplay for me. How could it? Another cosplayer attempting to turn what some consider strictly a hobby into a lucrative career does not keep me from having fun. I can still go to cons. I can still buy my art supplies. I find myself mostly unaffected by what other people are trying to do with their own cosplay unless we’re somehow going for the same discount fabric at Joann’s…but I’ve lowkey considered going UFC on a sweet grandmotherly woman over a faux fur remnant, so that’s almost an entirely different matter. 

This isn’t to say that I don’t “get” it. If we’re being totally honest here, all cosplayers love attention and can get a little competitive. I don’t care if you’re the most hardcore casual hobbyist of hobbiyists, at some point in time you’re hungered for or looked forward to some type of positive attention concerning your cosplay…and that’s fine. Seriously. It’s natural want attention; there’s zero shame in it. I’ll even be the first to admit that I fucking adore attention. My worst enemy could probably ask me to pose for a picture and I’ll probably cross them off my shitlist and serve them some Top Model realness.

The attention aspect seems to be the biggest gripe people have against cosfame and those who pursue it (or are weirdly accused of pursuing it, as though it’s some sort of capital offense). Honestly, though, I’ve seen so many fellow nerds proudly proclaim that they aren’t cosplaying for attention and don’t even care about attention at all as though it’s some sort of elite accomplishment…and then get hella salty when another cosplayer is being swarmed with adoration. If ya really don’t give two shakes and shit about attention, why get mad when someone else is getting it? Seems a whole lot easier to just accept that we all love attention on some level and that it’s ok to want it, but nobody is owed it. Nobody is “stealing” attention, because it was never anyone’s to own in the first place. Trust me: there are enough hall shots, hearts, likes, and comments for everyone!

That being said, the whole attention aspect in mind, I understand that the thought of some outsider with no passion for the art of it all swooping in with the intent to take all the glorious attention for themselves and turn the hobby into a blood sport of sorts sounds fucking unpleasant. But that’s the thing: it’s a thought, not a reality. Nobody is coming to spoil your fun or take anything from you. What someone else’s end goal or motivation for cosplaying is has nothing to do with you. You can still go to cons. You can still have fun. Cosplay is all about what you want it to be, and if you’re that pressed about what it means to someone else, maybe you need to examine your own motivations and desires concerning cosplay.

I know that my reasons for cosplaying are that I like making things and looking cool. It’s a form of artistic expression and fandom appreciation for me, but that doesn’t mean that it has to be that for everyone. If someone else sees cosplay as their claim to fame…then just fucking let them.  I’m always seeing it preached that “cosplay is for everyone” by some of the same people who will lash out at any cosplayer with a considerable social media following or some semblance of “cosfame.” If cosplay really is for everyone, then that means it’s for the hobbyists, the aspiring stars allegedly seeking cosfame, and everyone in between.

Bonus: All this this talk of cosfame and attention has made me…thirsty. So enjoy this act of attention whoring! Here’s me in my closet cosplay of Maxine Gibson:

 
Keep it real and honest, y’all! 😊

**Please share your thoughts below!**

~DeLa Doll

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