Crafts, Contests, and Control?: An Insider Analysis of Bias and Its Effects Within the Cosplay Community

Abstract

When a subculture is built upon the rubble of insecurity, the end product is imbued with the bias and anger of those who laid the first brick. Despite the subculture of cosplay and anime conventions originating from a position of otherness, the community has long felt the sting of bias and bigotry lingering underneath its glimmering petals of chiffon and showmanship. From cosplays very origin, long mistaken to have started with men but was actually birthed by Myrtle R. Douglas, it has suffered under the weight of being seen as a woman's work, despite white, cisgender men taking home many of the awards and recognition rightfully belonging the true crafters - often marginalized groups. Modern day cosplay remains much the same, with frequent attacks on body type, race, gender identity, sexuality, disability, and economic status have permeated the comment sections of photo ops and audiences of masquerades for decades despite recent pushes for acceptance and judgment on craftsmanship alone. Through interviews, historical examination, and my decade of experience, this project seeks to investigate the roots, extent, and damage such attitudes can produce within the cosplay community, from the hallways of the Artist Alley all the way to the judge's table of a competition with thousands of dollars on the line. Consequently, the rules, policies, and criteria surrounding conventions and their craftsmanship contests will be put under a lens to examine whether these negate the damages of bias or if more must be done to regulate a subculture reaching closer to the mainstream.