Hello there True Believers, Mollie here, with my first geek feature… at the utterly relentless nagging of Producer-san Tuck & Herr Direktor Chamberland.

So! In commemoration of The Geek’s first visit to the New York Anime Fest, I’m going to talk about the Four Don’ts of Cosplay.

Dressing up in costume seems to be the cornerstone of many a convention, particularly at those of the Anime persuasion. While cosplay ranges from the highly professoional to the last minute “closet cosplay”, there are a few very easy mistakes that are made by more people than you would think.  Some of them actually begin before the cosplay is even constructed.

DON’T #1: MISTAKEN BODY TYPE!

The choice of what character to cosplay is important, and a decision each cosplayer comes to on their own. Someone may like a character for their personality or intellect and thus want to emulate that at a convention. Others may just make the choice because they like the associated wardrobe. But whatever characters may seem tempting, stop before you commit to a cosplay. You should make an informed decision about what you can realistically pull off. No matter how professional or accurate your costume may be, if you’re body type is grossly out of proportion to the character you are cosplaying as, its just gonna look off. For example, if you’re a big girl you don’t wanna be squeezing yourself into the vinal yellow hot pants of Faye Valentine. And a scrawny, unfit body type would do no justice to a cosplay of X-men’s Juggernaut.

DON’T #2: THE PET PEEVE ABOUT GLASSES!

This is personal for me, but I’m sure i’m not the only one who has seen or been bothered by it. Picture this: At a con, you see the most perfect cosplay of Esther Blanchett of Trinity Blood fame. The colors and type of fabric used in her habit are beautifully matched and put together. The dress is stiched with perfect detail. Her weapons are spot on and her red wig is so hig end it could just be her real hair. BUT! She’s wearing her own glasses. Ruins the effect, doesn’t it? It’s a very good idea to consider investing in prescription contact lenses or just waylaying the glasses all together. Now, some cosplayers may not have these options available to them, but what i’m saying is: the whole package can be ruined by something small, so watch the details!

DON’T #3: ATTITUDE TOWARD HALF ASSED COSPLAY!

I’m going to start out by saying that last minute and semi-homemade cosplay is NOT a bad thing. In fact, I readily encourage (and practice) using what’s in your closet before heading out to the con. This is more of a cerebral guideline than a full on DON’T! If you slap on a pair of cat ears, don’t necessarily expect a swarm of photographers. You can put a Naruto headband on a pig, but it’s still a pig.

DON’T #4: ON STRIKING WHILE THE IRON IS HOT!

This one isn’t so much a DON’T as a bit of advice from someone who’s experienced it first hand. One who cosplays often should consider what is going to be popular from year to year. It’ll be bittersweet to be one of thirty-five Edward Elrics. The hot tickets this year, as far as NYAF goes, are Bleach and Teppen Toppa Gurren Lagan. A rule of thumb is wait a year after a popular title had first been realesed. If you REALLY want to cosplay as a character from a hyper-popular title, after the initital excitment had died down, you still can.

These are by no means rules. But mostly some things to think about.

Peace,
Mollie