I was anticipating the new Heroes of Cosplay on SyFy with fear and trepidation. Reality TV in general focuses on the sickeningly self-centered attention seekers in each aspect of life. I don’t want to ever watch a show where people manipulate, form factions and backstab to get others voted off for money. Other reality TV shows revel in making the viewer feel better by watching the shallow and meaningless lives of others, whether it be Real Housewives or Jersey Shore. So I had expected Heroes of Cosplay to focus on shallow people, conflict and to make fun of cosplay.
Here is how the first episode went, right and wrong:
Things They Got Right
1) Not all cosplayers are glamorous with large chests on skinny bodies.
2) Cosplayers spend a lot of time thinking about their characters.
3) Cosplayers plan costumes way in advance.
4) Cosplaying costs money, time and effort.
5) Cosplayers make their own costumes when they can and spend a heck of a lot of work on it.
6) Cosplayers want people to notice their costume, and to give positive feedback.
7) Cosplayers put a lot of focus in their life on their hobby.
Things They Got Wrong
1) Cosplay is about competition. WRONG. I have never seen anyone act like a beauty pageant contestant and worry about someone else’s outfit. In fact, every cosplayer really appreciates everyone else’s cosplay. It is rare to have a competition and even rarer to have cash prizes. The cash prizes are so low that they never cover the cost of the conference much less hotel, travel, food and the costume itself. I have been in several “costume contests” and usually there are more contestants than audience. We all line up in categories, have fun cosplaying, and cheer each other. It is a very positive, non-nerve wracking, non-competitive process.
2) Cosplay is time driven. WRONG. There are no deadlines in cosplay. There are cons all over the place. I don’t know anyone who is “not ready” to go. Most cosplayers have multiple outfits and know when they will get to a con and what they are going to do months in advance.
3) Cosplayers are bitchy. WRONG. They made all the cosplayers look weird, demanding, controlling, stressed out and unreasonable. The men in their lives were all suffering. Cosplayers are fun-loving people comfortable with who they are. The men in their lives have fun with them and join in.
4) Cons are all about a contest. WRONG. At the last six cons I attended, if there was a competition, I did not know about it, nor care about it. Cons are about walking around, seeing cosplayers who are cool, being cool yourself, looking through great vendor stuff, meeting people from shows, comics, etc., spending time with friends, and socializing. Cons are like Disneyland. Lots of things to see and do, everyone is there to have a good time. In the TV show, the little time they spend not about the competition is stressing over meeting the judge and then partying too much at a bar. Ok, the latter part does happen… But partying at the bar does not keep you from being in costume the next day, after about 1 pm.
5) The ending – who will be the winning Cosplayer and get the Title? WRONG What title? What winning? The winning in cosplay is the one who has the most fun. It’s only about fun. Friends, dressing up as a cool character, roleplaying, making little kids happy, appreciating each other. They are trying to turn cosplay into faceoff, or iron chef, or the great race. That misses the whole point. Most of the cosplayers I know all participate in charity events for little kids, are they going to show that? I hope so.
6) The heroes… I met YaYa Han at a con where she was cosplaying Jessica Rabbit. I did not know who she was at the time. I have never heard of any of the others cosplayers. Where is Jessica Nigri? Seriously? They show her in the opening credits, I hope they compensated her. Where is Toni Darling? Cara Nicole/AZ Powergirl? Katy Mor? LeeAnna Vamp? Brianna? Ivy Doomkitty? The ladies of LT3? There are some famous cosplayers out there but not in the show.
7) All women? There is only one male on the show with very little screen time. In my opinion they should do one with all women, one with all men, or one with an even numbers. I don’t think it works to focus all on women and one token guy. There are a lot of cosplayers out there of all races, genders, and ages.
Why not Jessica Nigri?
In summary – So far they have not made cosplayers look like social rejects and idiots. They have not made out like people are making fortunes in cosplay and have huge corporate sponsors, and they have shown some of the effort that goes into costume making, which are all good. However, the show focuses on stress and competition, neither of which should be part of cosplay in my opinion. I hope the show does not influence a new generation to come into cosplay with the attitude of “being the best”. That has no place in cosplay.
Michael Bradley - Time Traveler 
Reblogged this on miftahulhuda234.
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This is an excellent write-up. Thanks for taking the time to examine the show in this way. I agree with most of your points, though there are a few I take issue with. I’m sure these disagreements come from differences in our respective cosplay experiences. I don’t know what your experiences are, but I have been cosplaying for over a decade, at conventions mostly on the West Coast, and typically (though not exclusively) at larger conventions.
1) Cosplay is, as you say, not all about competition. Competition is an undeniable aspect of cosplay, and I’ve never been to a convention that didn’t have a “masquerade.” Even some of the smaller picnics and informal gatherings I’ve been to have had contests.
From the earliest promos for Heroes Of Cosplay, it was made clear that this was a show that focused specifically on the competitive aspects. I made to pretense of being a broad view of the entire cosplay world. I watch a few of reality shows, including Project Runway, Face Off, and Ink Master. I know next to nothing about fashion design, FX makeup, or tattooing, but I am under no illusion that these industries consist largely of competitions and drama. And I trust viewers to know better than to think that cosplay is all about competition.
BTW, it is illustrative of the differences in our respective cosplay experiences that I have never, ever, been to a costume contest that had more participants than audience, even at the smallest gatherings.
2) Cosplay is time-driven. Even if we were not making a costume for a masquerade, my experience of cosplay has always been time-driven. There are some cosplayers who are more than satisfied to wear the same costume over and over, without making something new for each con. But for most of my cosplaying friends, debuting a new outfit at a con is standard operating procedure. In my experience, if I didn’t have a con as a deadline, I’d never get anything done. Among my close cosplaying friends, I have one who is always done with her costume before the convention. At a recent group dinner, a poll of “who has brought a sewing machine to finish a costume in their hotel room” yielded a nearly unanimous affirmative for this year alone.
3) Cosplayers are bitchy. Anyone who has seen cgl knows how bitchy cosplayers are. I havent seen a single unmoderated public cosplay forum that doesn’t get mired in drama, cattiness, and bitchiness. Because cosplayers are people. Cosplayers are not supernatural creatures, we are human beings with all of the attendant gifts and flaws of human beings. This is especially evident on the internet, and if you spend much time as a part of any internet community, you will discover the bitchiess within. Cosplay, lolitas, BJD collectors, gardening hobbyists, you name it.
6) Yaya Han. I am not the type of person who would say “you’re not a REAL cosplayer if you don’t do fill-in-the-blank.” But I have to wonder how involved you are in the cosplay community if you have never heard of Yaya Han. She is probably the most famous American cosplayer, even without the TV show. Your reference to Jessica Nigri reveals a disconnect from the cosplay world. She is a charming and wonderful individual, but through no fault of her own, is a very devisive figure in cosplay. While Yaya’s popularity is based mainly within the anime cosplay community, among fans who recognize her skill, Jessica’s popularity is more broadly based among the general and nerd community, among fans who appreciate her more for her physical beauty and subject matter than her technical skill. In short, cosplayers know who Yaya is. Jessica is the person non-cosplayers think represents cosplay.
Several of your suggested “famous cosplayers” are popular among the recent crop of “sexy pinup” cosplayers, but the producers of Heroes Of Cosplay (by design or by accident) have chosen cosplayers who are well-known with their respective niches for their craftsmanship, not simply their sex appeal.
Aside from these four points, I agree with your assessment of the show overall. Keep up the good work, and if you have the time and inclination, I encourage you to get further into the world of cosplay!
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The cosplay community here in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico is pretty close knit and friendly. We don’t really experience any bitchiness that I know of. I primarily cosplay myself as Steampunk, but I am tapped into all of the aspects, do interviews and write for a cosplay/popculture magazine or two.
I appreciate your feedback and you might consider guest posting on my blog. You can also type in “cosplay” or “steampunk aircrew” in my search box for more on the topics.
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Great idea for a post! I agree for the most part with your thoughts on the show, the individuals they decided to use on the show are not exactly the best representatives of the “cosplay community”
I’ll watch another episode to see if the format changes any but I don’t have high hopes.
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