twinfools

@twinfools.bsky.social

2751 Followers 425 Following

Cosplayer and adventurer. Master of Public Health (MPH). He/Him. Next con ➡️ METROCON (Florida) Contact/Booking: fightingdreamerspro@gmail.com https://linktr.ee/twinfools

Kai cosplayer sits on floor with Beyblade in foreground.
Roxas lying on a white background. He reaches out with one hand toward the camera.
Son Goku cosplayer poses with his foot in the air, making a peace sign
Kai cosplayer holds Beyblade in foreground in a battle pose.
Roxas poses, looking up at the camera. A window is in the background.
Thursday- Tai (Digimon) Friday- Roxas (Kingdom Hearts) Saturday- Kai (Beyblade) Sunday- Som Goku (Saiyuki)
Rafayel cosplayer poses, holding his chest lightly, against a backdrop of wisteria flowers
Rafayel cosplayer lies on the grass, wisteria flowers lay around him. He has his chin resting on his hand.
You are never too old to have fun. You are never too old to be passionate about something. You are never too old to embrace color and joy. You are never too old to cosplay.
We also need to acknowledge how toxic ideologies around aging and appearance push people out of the hobby as they get older. Someone no longer looking like a teenager in their 30’s isn’t failure. It’s a natural biological process. And as we know, looking like a character, including looking their age, has never been a requirement for cosplay.
Aging isn’t the specter that popular culture makes it out to be. Aging brings knee pain, yes, but also experience. And when we talk about the health of communities there is necessary stability cosplay community and cosplayers gain from the retention of those with experince.
Many of us have heard: “You’re too old” “Your body/appearance isn’t what it used to be” “Why are you still doing this” This has always felt weird, especially when it comes from fellow cosplayers. We ALL get older… this will be you someday.
Aging in Cosplay: Why don’t we have a very good sense of what it is to age in cosplay?
Goku cosplayer posing with one hand up, two fingers together.
Remember: crimping is just one approach The approach you take will depend on your own preferences and the type of wig you are hoping to create.
What is crimping? Crimping involves the use of a crimping tool that uses heat to warp wig fiber. The combination of heat and pressure from the crimping tool turns the straight wig hair into a “zig zag” shape. Because the zig zag shape takes up more space, it creates volume and helps the wig stick together easier!
Understanding crimping
Cosplay schedule for Otafest, a photo of Son Goku from Saiyuki is in the middle.
When in doubt—Compliment etiquette! -Boundaries! Don’t approach people when they are eating or busy and definitely don’t touch people! -don’t assume gender, try to use gender-neutral language -keep it short, keep it respectful— everyone has different thresholds for speaking to strangers -Keep it about the cosplay. Commenting on someone’s body, race, gender, ability or other characteristics may be uncomfortable or inappropriate.
New friends! This isn’t something to expect, but I know I’ve made new friends but approaching people with a quick compliment only for that the develop into a longer conversation and in some cases a friendship. It’s that “social” thing we’re all trying to get back into 😉
The person’s day is made Imagine, you’re having a bad day, maybe you think your cosplay didn’t turn out how you wanted it to… and another cosplayer comes up to you from a reps the con to say “I just needed to let you know, your cosplay looks amazing!”. This can be a day changer. This one interaction can lift someone’s spirits… and you’ll likely never know this was the case!
The person gives a quick “thanks” Sometimes it can feel like someone doesn’t put in the same amount of effort as our compliment… but is that really the point? People respond in all kinds of tones but it doesn’t mean they don’t appreciate the compliment!
The person doesn’t hear you. Ahh!! This can be uncomfortable! You say “I love your cosplay!” And it’s just crickets. In my experience, this is often because someone can’t hear through the noise, may not think you’re talking about them or hasn’t seen their comment section/doesn’t have time to reply. Is it momentarily awkward? It can be. Did you do something bad? Absolutely not. You took a risk and put positivity out there, and that’s a good thing!
We see a cosplayer that jumps out for us! Maybe they’re cosplaying our favorite character, from a series we never see anyone do, have done an amazing job on their crafting or for any other reason! What can the impact of saying something be?
The impact of complimenting a cosplay
What is within our control about how our cosplay is received? How much a photo is shared/how recognized a cosplay is not equal to our effort or value. So much of it is chance. So what do you control? We control some of what we see (on some platforms you can turn off likes) as well as how you measure your own success. No matter what you can’t control getting a certain amount of likes or responses from other people. You CAN control things like setting goals for yourself ad a way to gauge success, like trying a new technique!
What is within our control about the cosplay community? This one can feel overwhelming, especially observing systemic oppression and toxicity that replicate within any community, including cosplay. But there are things you can do that have a big impact! For example, next time you see a cosplay you like in person or online… say so! A friendly “I love your cosplay” can literally make someone’s day in ways you can never know. Be the change you want to see, it will catch on!
What is within our control about what we cosplay? We control what we cosplay. We also control when and why we cosplay. It may not always feel like this but there are few situations in cosplay where you HAVE to do something. Does it feel like you have to? Or do you truly have to? You may have committed to the group cosplay months ago, but consider that your friends care about you as a person and wouldn’t want you doing something that makes you uncomfortable, especially for their sake!
Sphere of control There are many things in life we can’t control or can’t entirely control, and that can contribute to feelings of helpless or anxiety. The truth? We can’t control everything. Also the truth, there are things we CAN exercise some control over, such as our own actions. Our actions have an impact not only on ourselves but on people around us and the larger community.
Your sphere of control in cosplay— focusing on what you can change
Rafayel cosplayer posing slightly leaned back, pointing at camera.
Rafayel cosplayer on a dance pose, he is wearing an idol outfit.
Link cosplayer kneeing in a field of flowers. He holds a flower up to observe it.
Rafayel cosplayer standing in front of a mirror
Peter Pan cosplayer salutes camera.
Man standing in decorative hallway, black and white.
Columns labeled Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Cosplays planned for those days of the convention, aniMUC, are pictured. Friday- Peter Pan Saturday- Rafayel Sunday- Link (Tears of the Kingdom)
A man stands behind a coral colored curtain. He leans forward slightly.
There is no pointless way to cosplay. Many of us cosplay for the love of it. Expression doesn’t require metrics to be meaningful.
Blond curly haired man in a lace dress shirt and fancy vest stands against flowers and a sunset. He is wearing a cape with flowers on it.
Being able to be your full self Cosplay is about expressing yourself, and for trans people it can be an extremely affirming space to express one’s gender in a way we may not feel safe or able to elsewhere. This is why preserving this safety is so important. And each and every one of us has a role to play in that. Be respectful. Call out transphobia. Uplift trans cosplayers.
Insulting the way post-op chests look. Keep in mind this is both horrific body shaming and also bringing someone down after they’ve invested enormous effort, emotion and money into feeling more affirmed in their body.
What is top surgery? Top surgery, formally bilateral mastectomy with chest contouring, is a surgery that some trans folks access to help align their body with their gender identity. There are different types of incisions that are used, including double incision (scars across the chest), periareolar (incision around the areola), keyhole (incision along bottom of areola) and other variations. There is no single way a top surgery chest looks.
Shirtless in cosplay: A big moment for some trans and non-binary cosplayers.
Squall holds his gun blade looking toward the camera. Rain fall around.
Squall holding a gun blade, facing the camera.
Alhaitham (grey hair) and Kaveh (blonde hair) cosplayers pose for a selfie.
Takeaways Overall, many cosplayers find affirmation, belonging and space to express themselves through cosplay. That said, there is still a lot of work to do: 1. Just as we don’t assume people’s names, we shouldn’t assume pronouns or gender. 2. Conventions and events should have explicit policies related to trans inclusion. Trans people and topics should be represented in programming (guests, panels, staff etc). Convention facilities should ensure venues are safe for trans people. 3. Trans inclusion efforts in community must be intersectional. Racism, trans-misogyny, ableism, fat phobia and all forms of oppression must be addressed. 5. More conversations need to happen at individual and community levels to learn about the issues trans cosplayers are facing and find solutions.
Intersectionality Respondents noted important intersections of identity that impacted their experiences of cosplay and cosplay community. Racism compounded issues like harassment and inclusion for trans cosplayers of colour. “As a POC trans person it’s a bit harder when it comes to “acceptance” esp(ecially) on social media. I just wish people were nicer regardless”. Trans-misogyny (the specific oppression experienced was a noted theme throughout responses. Several respondents described a lack of representation of trans women in cosplay. “… As far as I’m aware there isn’t a single “big” trans women cosplayer, and that’s because biases still exist that prevent us from performing well…” Appearance-based discrimination was an issue raised by several participants. “I feel like the cosplay community only treats cosplayers who pass or are attractive well…” Cosplayers whose genders were outside the binary, and cosplayers whose genders may not be assumed, reported challenges being seen and respected.
Harassment based on gender presentation in cosplay is not uncommon… Over a quarter of cosplayers (41%) have experienced some form of harassment related to their gender. Respondents noted intensified harassment based on intersecting identities (racism, transmisogyny, fatphobia). “In my opinion, the cosplay community needs to address the rampant racism and misogyny that disproportionately impacts cis / trans WOC.” “Personally, I went from a skinny fem looking person to a plus sized man. Since I’ve grown into my body after HRT I have been ignored, treated like a creep, and been judged harshly for what I’m “allowed” to cosplay…”
Conventions and events have some work to do to support trans people… Convention and event experience was more varied with 40% of respondents noting that they strongly agree/agree that cons are supportive and 34% strongly disagreeing/disagreeing. Notably, 25% of respondents were neutral. Respondents noted lack of explicit policy supporting trans people, gendered bathrooms, legal names of badges and lack of staff education as barriers. “For convention/event hosts: make sure your spaces and policies are safe for trans attendees. Some issues I’ve run into are printing legal name on con badges, not training staff on how to handle legal names/gender markers on IDs sensitively and not offering gender neutral options for restrooms/changing rooms.” Representation was another issue respondents noted, both related to panels/events for trans community and the presence of trans guests. “(What would be helpful are) educative signs like “Cosplay is not Consent”, panels and trans focused events (education, celebration). Inviting trans guests.”
Cosplay contests generally support and respect trans cosplayers. 70% of respondents either strongly agreed or agreed that cosplay contests are supportive and respectful of their identity. Where negative experiences were identified, some respondents described issues like gendered categories and legal name requirements in sign up as barriers. One respondents described an experience of continued misgendering by a judge. “One experience I remember, and what made me stop competing, I made sure to mention my pronouns literally everywhere only to have one of the judges misgender me on stage. My heart fell walking to the stage.” Another respondent shared an experience where a cisgender participant’s gender was a stated reason they were awarded a prize. “(In) another competition with several trans men, one of the judges awarded his “special mention prize” to the only cis guy in the competition because “it was rare to see men who were good at sewing”.”
That said, misgendering is an issue… Half of cosplayers surveyed worried about misgendering in cosplay. Respondents described that making assumptions was a driver in this. “The cosplay community needs to understand that trans people, pre-everything, are STILL trans and need to stop saying “oh well you don’t like/sound/act-ect” Conflation between character and person was also a noted concern, though one respondent appreciated being addressed by their character’s pronouns. “Stop assuming gender/pronouns of cosplayers based on the gender/pronouns of the characters.”
Does the cosplay community affirm the identities of trans cosplayers? Overall, yes! 73% of cosplayers either strongly agreed or agreed that the cosplay community affirms their identity. One participant reflected that the cosplay community was a place they didn’t need to worry about being affirmed. “Honestly it’s one of the places I don’t really have to worry... Out of all the communities I’ve been around over the years, cosplayers are some of the most accepting of gender fuckery that I’ve experienced.” Still some respondents noted phrases and behaviors in community that were harmful such as the term “crossplay”. “Take “crossplay” out of the lexicon. People playing with gender presentation can often feel invalidated by their gender-affirming cosplay being called “crossplay”. It feels like misgendering.”
Ways we cosplay Most cosplayers participated in social media (87%) and conventions (97%) and unpaid content creation (51%). Less than half of trans cosplayers surveyed participated in cosplay contests (41%) however some respondents participated in related activities (non-competitive performances, cosplay contest judging).