Girls With Comics

Turn on your television on any given day and chances are good you’ll see a show about cosplay. Or someone talking about cosplay. Or somehow cosplay is involved. The world of cosplay has been forever opened up to any Average Joe with shows such as ‘Heroes of Cosplay’, ‘King of the Nerds’ and even ‘Big Bang Theory’. It’s no longer just something that’s an underground thing, it’s a very viable and profitable market to the masses now. Walk into any Halloween store or Hot Topic, and with just $50 you can become Naruto, Sailor Moon, Chun Li, or whomever else.

Personally I love cosplay. I’ve been cosplaying since I was 13! It’s a fun hobby and a great way to celebrate what you love. I’ve never competed for any kind of prize and I’ve certainly never won any kind of money from doing it either. Shows such as ‘Heroes of Cosplay’, while fun, is not a representation of everyone that does cosplay. I don’t cosplay to be “famous”, I don’t cosplay to win money, and if I don’t finish a costume in time it’s not the end of the world. I also love meeting other cosplayers. Some costumes clearly take months and thousands of dollars to complete. Some were bought at a store. To me it doesn’t matter. If you love something enough to put on a costume and brightly colored hair, who am I to tell you likewise. Yet some people do feel the need to shame others for their choice of costume, the quality, or even the person’s physical appearance as well.

And that’s where I have a problem.

Guys and gals, it’s just not cool to shame someone because they don’t “have the right body type”, “aren’t the same color” or what have you. It’s not funny, it doesn’t make you look rad, it just makes you look like a jerk. If a person’s choice of costume really bothers you so much, maybe you should take a big step back and think long and hard about why it bothers you. Does the person’s choice really impact your life? Your job? Your friends and family? If you answered no, then maybe you should let it go. Cosplay is for every body. It doesn’t matter what color skin you have, how large or small you are, it just matters if you’re having fun while dressing up as something you love. It’s also not cool to sexually objectify the men and women who cosplay as well. Following them around, only taking pictures of their behinds, or even just saying lewd remarks are all rude and tasteless. They’re people with complex feelings and emotions just like you. Just because a woman is dressed like Wonder Woman or a man is dressed as a Spartan warrior, does not mean you have the right to harass them. Being a respectful, decent human being will get you a lot farther than being a creep. Summer con season is in full swing, so let’s try and make these next few months as incident free as possible. Everyone deserves a good con experience whether they are in cosplay or not!

-Lauren

When I was a young girl reading through old copies of Batman and The Flash I had no idea I was embarking on a life long hobby into a “boys only” club. Growing up I was isolated most of the time. I went to an all girls school, was bullied horribly, and my only escape were my comics. To my bullies my comic hobby wasn’t a “boy” thing. It was strictly a nerdy thing. To my father who supported and supplied my lust for comics, it wasn’t a “boy” thing. It was a thing he and his daughter enjoyed together. We both would read each others comics. He would take me to see most of the super hero movies that came out when I was young. I wasn’t abnormal to him.

But recently it seems like being a girl in this hobby has been everything but normal.

Websites such as Jezebel, Bleeding Cool, and io9 have all had articles on women enjoying this hobby. Cosplayers have come out of the woodwork to share with the internet stories of being sexually harassed. Certain comic book executives have gone on to say they do not want a largely female following, or that women simply don’t read comics. We’re not smart enough, not cultured enough, or we simply can’t understand the plight of an angry orphan who stalks bad guys in a bat costume.

That’s wrong.

Women make up 51% of the population. To say you do not want us in your hobby is frankly stupid, because last I checked my money was as good as anyone else’s. I also don’t want you to treat me with special gloves either! I don’t need to be put on some kind of shelf, to be gawked at and talked about as “that’s a girl who likes comics!”  Maybe you haven’t noticed the influx of women in this hobby. That comic cons are filled with as many women as men. Some of the very best comic writers are women as well. Have you read anything Gail Simone has written? Most of you out there get and understand that this is a hobby for everyone. I don’t want it to be a “boy” or “girl” thing. We need to realize we are living in the era of the nerd. We have shows called “Heroes of Cosplay”, “Comic Book Men”, “King of the Nerds”, “Big Bang Theory”, “Nergasm” and who knows what else is due to come. Movie theaters are constantly showing super hero movies, which in turn have been some of the highest grossing films ever. Target, Wal Mart, even Nordstrom carry Batman clothing for all ages. Everywhere you look there are kids adorning themselves with Bat symbols, Captain America shirts, and proudly proclaiming “I am a nerd!” for the whole world to see.

This is a hobby for everyone to enjoy regardless of who you are. I don’t need special “girls only” comics or other things. I just want to talk about the characters I love with other like-minded people. Come on people, let’s make this a better nerd world for generations to come.

-Lauren