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Cosplay is not consent, and I wish we'd stop feeling so entitled to shoving our phones in people's faces without asking them first

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By published

Three conventions colliding should have been a cool crossover opportunity, but harassment prevailed.

Kaho Shibuya Chun Li Cosplay in an arcade
(Image credit: Kaho Shibuya)

Birmingham (that's the city in England, not the Alabama one) went through the ultimate crossover episode two weeks ago when three conventions descended upon a single venue: DreamHack ventured across the channel for its UK debut, MegaCon returned for all things anime and pop culture, and bodybuilding show Arnold Sports Festival served as the unintentional oddball to complete the trinity.

Character Select

Welcome to Character Select, a weekly column where 18WENKU takes a look at the art and cosplay created by you. Each week, I'll highlight a few of my favourite pieces, spotlight and interview creators and artists, or generally just chew your ear off about the talents of the gaming community.

Some very funny stuff came out of the three (well, two-and-a-quarter really—I assume the Venn diagram of DreamHack and MegaCon enjoyers has a decent overlap, nevermind the number of nerdy gym rats these days) worlds colliding. Gym bros and cutesy cosplayers collaborating for some good-natured videos poking fun at the very different vibes the conventions were exhibiting, like this one from @toothlessteddie on TikTok.

Unfortunately, it was also a weekend mired by harassment of cosplayers in what can only be described as a regression to the stereotypical tactics deployed by high school teenagers. Disrupting videos and photos being taken by cosplayers; approaching and filming them without their consent, including asking uncomfortable questions for so-called content; and generally engaging in pettishly juvenile behaviour.

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Harassment of cosplayers is, unfortunately, not a new concept. "Cosplay is not consent" is a phrase that exists for a reason. The one and only time I cosplayed, at 17 years old, I was kissed on the cheek by a man as I walked past him. No greeting, no conversation, no permission. It's something the community has become far stronger fighting back against in the years since that encounter, but situations like this prove that we are still far from a future where existing in a costume doesn't make a minority of folks feel entitled to us.

That requirement of consent doesn't end at the big stuff like touching and invading personal space. When many cosplayers expressed their disappointment at the sheer number of other show attendees who filmed and photographed them without asking, I too was disappointed at how many replies said something along the lines of "filming in public doesn't require your consent!"

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