[gaogaoemisaurus]

I'm late to the party but I am co-owner of a Plus Size Cosplay commission business and I obviously agree that you should cosplay whoever you want. I also wanted to address this quote:

tfcreate, on 16 February 2011 - 10:38 PM, said:

Address it before you find yourself in intensive care. Better now than in the hospital having limbs amputated due to diabetes, or getting by-pass surgery, with some doctor saying loose weight or die. Playing console games or sitting in front of a sewing machine for an hours is no substitute for a 30 minute walk.

You'd be surprised how many calories per hour you burn with machine sewing I've already forgotten but I believe you said you were a photographer? If you have ever sat down in front of a machine for hours you will find yourself drenched in sweat and you will feel the burn! :3

[The Fujoshi]

Krystal, on 27 February 2011 - 03:31 PM, said:

http://www.google.co...0fukushima#i=18


Her name is Rila. Her triangle face is crazy, but I find her very pretty.

I thought she was fine but people apparently had to rage about it because of what Kasin stated: They have this image of XYZ animu character and this woman ruined it because she wasn't moe and pale skinned ; Miku must have pouty lips, round moe face. etc. etc. etc. I kept reading that on Sankaku. Ugh.

[IchigoKitKat]

Yea sometimes certain people make cosplay seem like a beauty pageant.

[Harley Quinn]

What some people don't take into account when either cosplaying, or watching others cosplay, is that they are making a drawn character a live action character. Look at almost every girl in any video game ever; she has a 14" waist, DD boobs and a nice butt. That being said, I'm a little squishy, about 20 pounds over the weight I'm "suppose" to be, and I'm going as Harley Quinn, who has never been a live action character before (outside of cosplay) and the way she is drawn would take thousands of dollars in plastic surgery to replicate. I have added in a real steel boned corset into my costume to achieve a tiny waist and have taken the midriff out of the costume to better suit my belly.

It is fairly easy to adapt a costume to your physical needs and still look great and exactly like the character you are trying to portray. I think the worst thing a cosplayer can hear is "Who are you suppose to be?" Avoid that and it doesn't matter WHAT size, color, or gender you are. Remember, cosplay is suppose to be fun!

[The Fujoshi]

Harley Quinn, on 28 February 2011 - 08:30 AM, said:

What some people don't take into account when either cosplaying, or watching others cosplay, is that they are making a drawn character a live action character. Look at almost every girl in any video game ever; she has a 14" waist, DD boobs and a nice butt. That being said, I'm a little squishy, about 20 pounds over the weight I'm "suppose" to be, and I'm going as Harley Quinn, who has never been a live action character before (outside of cosplay) and the way she is drawn would take thousands of dollars in plastic surgery to replicate. I have added in a real steel boned corset into my costume to achieve a tiny waist and have taken the midriff out of the costume to better suit my belly.

It is fairly easy to adapt a costume to your physical needs and still look great and exactly like the character you are trying to portray. I think the worst thing a cosplayer can hear is "Who are you suppose to be?" Avoid that and it doesn't matter WHAT size, color, or gender you are. Remember, cosplay is suppose to be fun!

THIS^

What are the chances of you finding a Tifa irl person who has that kind of cup size, black hair, and who is Asian or Caucasian naturally? Or finding a over 6 foot Russian guy with a big nose and knows English/Japanese/Russian with pale blond hair and violet eyes and just needs a hug without dealing with mental trama, possible murder, or yandere tendancies?

Or a girl with blond hair who is possibly a loli and has a giant road roller that can possible kill you? and loves oranges?

Some people cannot grasp that animu does not equal reality Especially a lot of fan girls who must have dreams of their Kaito/France/Etc. Seriously you want to have France from Hetalia as your bf? Or someone like Naruto who yells all the time and has ADD to even remember your birthday or notice you?

everyone is expecting people who cosplay to look like this

This post has been edited by The Fujoshi: 28 February 2011 - 05:12 PM

[IchigoKitKat]

Lmao! ^ Agreed! Having a kid wearing a bright orange jacket and is very annoying is not my idea of a "Great Boyfriend"

[Pashy-chan]

The Fujoshi, on 28 February 2011 - 03:34 PM, said:

everyone is expecting people who cosplay to look like this

"She's totally not even the right cupsize."

And you know there's someone out there who'd say that.. >3> Blah..
I just hate how some people completely strip the joy out of cosplaying due to their judgemental outlook.. It seems I run into someone EXACTLY like that every ACen.. Although the past two, I've lost my cool and went over the top in giving theme a piece of my mind.. xD Through I'm proud to say it resulted in their shutting up, or simply walking away in shame...

[HikaruNoRose]

Pashy. I think I will be something like that, if someone were to comment about my Yuna and Reira cosplay. XP

[Kasin]

The Fujoshi, on 28 February 2011 - 03:34 PM, said:

THIS^

What are the chances of you finding a Tifa irl person who has that kind of cup size, black hair, and who is Asian or Caucasian naturally? Or finding a over 6 foot Russian guy with a big nose and knows English/Japanese/Russian with pale blond hair and violet eyes and just needs a hug without dealing with mental trama, possible murder, or yandere tendancies?

Or a girl with blond hair who is possibly a loli and has a giant road roller that can possible kill you? and loves oranges?

Some people cannot grasp that animu does not equal reality Especially a lot of fan girls who must have dreams of their Kaito/France/Etc. Seriously you want to have France from Hetalia as your bf? Or someone like Naruto who yells all the time and has ADD to even remember your birthday or notice you?

everyone is expecting people who cosplay to look like this

well, i've seem some natural girls like that, but most do adult movies, and majority of the time they lie about being natural.

That pic isn't perfect either. she doesn't have the exact cup size. XD Plus bending over pics are misleading to the way they really are.

[Harley Quinn]

I'm very happy with my body type, and even though I'm not naturally skinny, dress your body and you'll look amazing! I love seeing real-life takes on anime characters, a lot of the time the real person will look better than the drawn one because the dimensions are more realistic, etc.

[Kasin]

Harley Quinn, on 01 March 2011 - 10:25 AM, said:

I'm very happy with my body type, and even though I'm not naturally skinny, dress your body and you'll look amazing! I love seeing real-life takes on anime characters, a lot of the time the real person will look better than the drawn one because the dimensions are more realistic, etc.

yep, and alot of times they have there own cool spin on it.

[Caikirai]

In my opinion, I think it's fine as long as it's tastefully done. And not all out in the open. Meaning to excessive skin showing. But to be honest, I don't want to see ANYONE really exposed. No matter what body type they are. [ So like for more showing cosplays, I like when people where the skin colour spandex underneath. Like for stomachs and such.
This is just my opinion.

But I give props to any 'bigger' people who are proud of who they are and cosplay.
More power to you.

[Seph]

a decent point was made.. how many movies have actors playing fictional characters that look nothing like the drawings of said character...
and movies will completely CHANGE the character to begin with..

[theaccidentalkitty]

Why do so many people think us Plus sized women should go hide in a closet? Nobody looks like those people and cosplay is supposed to be fun.

[Seph]

theaccidentalkitty, on 04 March 2011 - 09:56 AM, said:

Why do so many people think us Plus sized women should go hide in a closet? Nobody looks like those people and cosplay is supposed to be fun.

this is the thing...

there is a HUGE crowd for the "plus sized woman" the only problem is that the non "plus sized woman" people are much more vocal

[Dark Spellmaster]

Throwing into this, I get rather annoyed with people that go, "You're too short to play so and so, they're taller then you are." It's not only weight that is an issue with people it's height too. But I have to agree with the posters that have come before me in saying that if you can rock the costume and it fits you well then more power to you. Cosplay is not easy, it's hard to get the character looking down just right. No one can pull off an exact replica of an anime character, not even someone who is asian because there are all different body types, structures, and flaws to the skin. That's what makes it awesome when someone does craft a wonderful cosplay that invokes the character they are representing.

My best friend wants to do Eve from black cat next year, she is a plus size cosplayer and I've been trying hard to make her proud of who she is. The thing about cosplay is that people forget what it means at times, I think. The term Costume play hints at the fact that you are dressing up and being someone else for a day, and this means that you can be whoever you want to be. There are no rules or regulations that state who you can or cannot cosplay. It's important just to find the right fit of your costume and play the part.

My only gripe that I've ever had regarding any form of cosplay is when I see players dressed in boxes that they just did in one night and are clearly there to mock people that have done hard work on their cosplay.

[Red Juliet]

I say go for it and just be happy. For the longest time I wasn't comfortable with my body so I would cut back on eating and exercise excessively to try and 'fit in' but the thing is, everyone has a different body type and very few people actually have the proportions to be a tiny anime character. Once someone very important to me told me that I was beautiful no matter what other people thought and since then I've just been exercising to be healthy and strong, not to be some Barbie look-a-like. Also, for the skin color, it doesn't really bother me. As long as you put your heart and soul into your costume and love who you're cosplaying, go for it! My two best friends are of darker skin color and they're both cosplaying (one is Ciel Phantomhive) and I'm proud of them. It's all in how you portray you character.

[ShadowYin-Yang]

I judge cosplays based on the accuracy of the costume, how in-character you are in regards to poses for pictures, and the poses themselves. Everything else, like one's weight, doesn't matter.

I think some people just don't get it b/c they've never been on the other end of this. The majority of these people(I feel, I'm not saying I'm right) are white, tall(or average height), and skinny thus get WAY more options in regards to characters 'looking like them.' Which, again, they don't know what its like to be on the other end where our choices in character are limited if we are trying to find a character that 'looks like us'

Which brings me to another point: Very rarely do I ever find a real life person that actually LOOKS LIKE THE CHARACTERS! Yes, I will admit, in regards to skin-tone mostly, the more accurate one will get me to notice it more b/c my brain auto-tells me its so-and-so without me actually thinking about it. HOWEVER, after I take a good look, very rare to I find someone that actually 'has the character's face.'
Like some people have brought up already: the people that adapt movies do worse than us cosplayers I say in regards to looking like a character.

My view on cosplay is simple: its for fun and NOTHING should limit you on your choices on who you should cosplay as, EVER! Anyone that gives you a problem with that, then screw them.

I for one am Asian, a girl, and short but I love to crossplay so I'm automatically open to be criticisized for like 3 things right there. If I let people get to me based on something I have no control over(mainly my skin tone, height, sex), then I would've stopped cosplaying long ago.

I remember my 'friends' often say "Why don't you cosplay as a girl for once?" and I end up crossplaying again just to spite them.

[cactusmomma]

Seph, on 04 March 2011 - 08:16 PM, said:

this is the thing...

there is a HUGE crowd for the "plus sized woman" the only problem is that the non "plus sized woman" people are much more vocal

Oh lordy, if you saw some of the emails and pm's I've gotten from Japan..... They're..rather adult about their requests.

Edgar Roni Figaro, on 12 February 2011 - 03:02 PM, said:

Edit: a thought just came to mind, my boss's girlfriend cosplayed Tifa a few years back, and got a VERY rude comment from a fellow con-goer saying "TIFA ISNT BLACK!!!" now in my opinion that is one of the rudest and stupidest things to say to someone that is cosplaying and is kind of relevant to this topic. And when you think about it...most cosplays are of characters that are suppose to be japanese right? so why didnt she go to others saying "SO AND SO ISNT WHITE!!!" just thinking out loud...

She can quip back with 'I'm doing the 2P color edit from Ehrgeiz!' if she wants to be a smartbutt. It usually shuts the person running their mouth up...

This is one reason I love fighting game characters. Color edits for everyone!

Kasin, on 22 February 2011 - 01:35 PM, said:

or does that mean a small chested girl can't do Mai, or Yoruichi?

No!

Perfect example here. Take a look at Japan.. There's fat girls, flat girls, and your run-of-the-mill girl next door.. do they care? No. Why? Because they take the time to make sure they can a) Fake it till they make it. Look presentable.

Taking some examples from cure. I mean this in no disrespect to anyone, I'm using their photos for educational and discussional purposes. I would ask that no one flips their wigs over this either.
Example 1: http://i55.tinypic.com/6s9oad.jpg
Example 2: http://i55.tinypic.com/2efrz8y.jpg

1) Thin girl, small chest. She fakes it by making the bust closure a little closer to her body.. from what I saw in other photos, wears one amazing bra to give an illusion of having cleavage.. has her make-up and nails done nicely and has put some small accessories to emphasize on the glamor route she's chosen to go with the colors of the gi.. but.. she's wearing heels from hell and the tails look like they were done in under 5 minutes.
2) Bigger girl, has the correct bust size, but the costume is clean, crisp, and ironed.. she has a bit of make-up on so as to not wash out with the camera. Her way of trying to fake it is by wearing heels and nylons.. making her legs and butt look more toned and longer (That always makes me laugh with Mai.. she's only 5'5", but I see super heels on cosplayers so oftenly. Sex appeal, meh.). The arm guards look to be former socks.

Does any of this matter? It can..(I'm personally a huge jerk about details.) Why isn't their bodies too big of a deal? While neither of them stuck to the details 100%/took some artistic liberty, they took the time to make themselves presentable to their forms. When doing photos, they chose flattering poses for themselves and in how they carry themselves. (Photoshop helps for later on too, but it's not overly abundant in this case.) They do look very nice in their respective sets.

Should these physical traits stop either of them from cosplaying? No way! As long as a person is not being disrespectful to the fandom.. skimping up a costume for the sake of showing skin..or if their attitude sucks.. or in the rare case of wholly asinine behavior (Using Hetalia for example since it is the big thing right now.. I've seen stories where cosplayers were sieg heiling at a military memorial.. or sitting on their flags/letting their flags touch the ground... don't do that, kay?), they can do whatever they want. They do need to remember that the cosplay community can and will be extremely catty and judgmental though, so if they can handle their peers, let 'em go.

And remember.. if you're still self-conscious..go for the color alternate. It's nice to see variation from time to time!

[Flame_Alchemist2002]

Pashy-chan, on 13 February 2011 - 02:28 PM, said:

Seph.. That was beautiful!!! ; w ; Aiyaaah... I'll be keeping your words in mind!! I too believe that if you feel comfortable in your skin, then by all means, forget the world and be who you want to be!! Don't let any judgmental jerks ever cross your mind, like I have..

For the past few years, my friends and I have been limiting ourselfs to "Tanned" or "Dark-skinned" characters, mainly due to the same experience we faced as that Tifa cosplayer... "Aerith isn't that dark! Yuffie isn't black! Blah blah blah!!" And to be honest... this year, I had all intentions on doing the same thing.. (Don't get me wrong, I love Iris!! xD) I dunno... Maybe next year'll be different.. ^w^ I'll gain the guts to ignore all those discouraging eyes and dimwitted comments!! I always envy the heavy-set con-goers who seem just so comfortable as who they are.. I want to be that way too; That confident!! Alot of you guys are right!! If the cosplay looks amazing, then who the hell cares whose in it? This'll be my mindset from now on!!

Pashy, I had the same issue at one point too. I am from the Caribbean, so I'm like a dark tan or light tan (how bout just brown? I dunno). My first cosplay was Vincent Valentine. I had a few comments over the years saying how I was too dark or whatever. You know what though? I learned to ignore people like that with their harsh comments. Sure, most videogame/anime characters have light skin, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to cosplay them! In my opinion, if you love that character, by all means...don't let anyone hold you back! And it is exactly as you stated, "If the cosplay looks amazing, then who the hell cares whose in it?" Don't let anyone hold you back, EVER. Never let someone ruin a dream or a goal in life.

[The Fujoshi]

Cactus: I do color edit Jin! It's freaking awesome Your post was too

Shadow: this is very interesting. I remember my ex bf pointed out the whole 'America from Hetalia isn't black,' notion from me (even though he cosplay,) but I never met a Hetalia cosplayer who was 1) guy, 2) Caucasian 3) Has Alfred's voice, 4) Actually needed glasses and acted like him.

There are many interpretations of characters too so it's normal to be in character but it depends on the situation. If Maito Gai ran into Pein how would he act? Would he give the hero talk or want to punch him in the face or don't do nothing at all? How would Kakashi act around Sasori? Brofist? Nothing? Whatever? Fight? I thought about this while cosplaying Gai. I wasn't vocal enough but I learned over the years how to get outside of my comfort zone.

I try to act like America with the whole tsundere, loud, attention wh^^^ attitute but he could be really a genius who doesn't read the atmosphere on purpose and him being silly is just a ruse or he could really be that he's lonely. So this year I was going to do America who is buddies with EVERYONE including Russia. My sign is going to be 'become one with us because we are awesome and peace and love and hamburgers!' kind of silly goodness.

I feel as long as you don't do an emo Ichigo, a yandere Luffy, or a tsundere Mio IC doesn't matter to me. Stuff like Vocaloid though is complicated because of the whole fanbase. Kaito can be either a buttmonkey, ice cream obsessive pervert, or cool older mature brother than the other Vocaloids.

Whoever is tanned or dark skinned doing cosplays more power to you!

[MsLovelyCookie]

WOW rereading this has help me remind me why I'm actually going to cosplay in the first place. It's hard to find clothes that can fit me properly, I have to have my friend and sister pick out because I'm not comfortable with the way I look, plus they have fun in dressing me up so I can feel wonderful. I know I was born this way. but it doesn't mean that I can't be like everyone else and try my hand in cosplay.

[Bolo the Beast]

If you want to cosplay something you really have your heart set on, do it. Just be aware of some trolls. As someone of color I use to think I should only cosplay only as black or something pretty close to it, which is not fun b/c there is sooooooo few and after a while I would have run out, but like someone said earlier on this page "most cosplays are of characters that are suppose to be japanese right?" So why can't someone who is plus size cosplay as the smaller characters? If people really have that kind of mentality then the following should apply to all:

All of the following should be cosplayed by Japanese only:
Everything except for
Demoman from Tf2 (Black)
Chad from bleach (Mexican)
Sagot from street fighter (Thai)
Anyone that looks white in final fantasy (Japanese)

[Rori]

I'm more opinionated about the craftsmanship, honestly.

But as far as weight issues go, cosplay is pretty much clothing. As with "regular" clothing, I don't have a problem with a person's size as long as that person has made effort to wear clothing that actually fits their body (i.e. if you know you don't wear size 4 pants, don't try to squeeze into a size 4 pair of pants and act like it fits).

All in all, if the craftsmanship of the cosplay is good, I don't see a problem. Weight won't matter anymore.

[CrimsonAnime]

I don't have an issue with who cosplays who as long as the cosplay is...done with some effort. Don't come up to me saying you're Tifa and you just threw on black jeans and a white T and have a bowl cut blonde hairdo....That just seems insulting to me to those who really did try. I'd rather see a Tifa that was overweight with slightly too long shorts and non-crop top T that put effort into her/his outfit than someone fit that threw it together last minute.


As for races. That was personal issue I faced for a long time before I even started cosplaying. WAY back when Sailor Moon was still on the air, I wanted to go as Sailor Moon or Mars or anyone honestly for Halloween but I was like "I'm black and Sailor Moon isn't...I can't do it...I'll get laughed at...no one will know who I am etc etc etc." And when I did start cosplaying I only looked for black characters. It was a thread on the forums here that changed my mind and made me realize it's just about having fun and most people look more toward the costume than skin color or weight. As long as I felt comfortable and happy, I should do what I wanted.

That's advice I give to anyone.

[LeenStar]

Well I surely hopped on this thread pretty late, but in my opinion, anyone can cosplay whatever they choose to. It sucks that even today, oversize/chubby people are not accepted and do not fit "cosplay" norm. If you want to cosplay a character, go ahead! Last year was my first year going, and I didn't cosplay (I was planning on doing it this year, but it is too late, and I got stuck with over financial troubles) but seeing all the cosplayers really inspired me to dress up for ACEN as well. I have also seen the arguments people throw out there about "big" people cosplaying, and how gross it is, and how off it looks. Well excuse me, but why do people expect humans to look like actual drawn characters? It is simply not realistic- none of us are shaped with those bodies, eyes, hair, and movements. Yes, I know some people (especially Japanese cosplayers) look 100% close to character, but that is after lots of makeup, contacts, wig, and outfit. If someone is fully dedicated to making their cosplay work, then some people spend months on it (and that is fine by me), but for the rest of us who don't even come close to a character, we are still allowed to have fun and dress up, right?!

Sorry if this sounds like a weird distorted-all-over-the-place-rant, but last year I heard comments from guys who were laughing at girls for this exact same reason. Sure, the chubby girl was wearing almost nothing, except for some part-covering fur, and I understand some people don't find "love handles, a booty, and extra loving" attractive, but do you really have to laugh? Ugh.

[Trini]

LeenStar, on 31 March 2011 - 05:03 PM, said:

Sorry if this sounds like a weird distorted-all-over-the-place-rant, but last year I heard comments from guys who were laughing at girls for this exact same reason. Sure, the chubby girl was wearing almost nothing, except for some part-covering fur, and I understand some people don't find "love handles, a booty, and extra loving" attractive, but do you really have to laugh? Ugh.

Yeah. It's ridiculous. Even when the cosplayer is fully covered and in a top quality costume people will still have something to say. They complain that they don't want to see skin and then complain when the person is showing just their face. There's no satisfying people like that. I just wonder how these people get through life.

[The Fujoshi]

Trini, on 31 March 2011 - 10:47 PM, said:

Yeah. It's ridiculous. Even when the cosplayer is fully covered and in a top quality costume people will still have something to say. They complain that they don't want to see skin and then complain when the person is showing just their face. There's no satisfying people like that. I just wonder how these people get through life.

By being jerk faces :/ The bad people normally outlive the good people

But don't let this discourage you! There is always people like me who love people like you guys and take pictures! I really thought this big girl Russia was awesome.

[Kasin]

some people feel better about themselves by mocking others for any reason they can find.

[Fate Averruncus]

I feel that anyone can, and should, cosplay-- regardless of size. The only thing that I feel that people who are plus sized should do is that they should modify their costume so that it looks good on them. I do feel there are SOME limits as to who plus sized cosplayers should cosplay, however. I don't think that they should cosplay as Naga the Serpent from Slayers, Yoko from Gurren Lagann, or any character who wears similar clothes. In short, the stomach shouldn't show. Other than that, any costume is perfectly alright with me. In fact, I encourage it, because cosplay can really help with self esteem.