A similar situation occurred at ANIME EXPO California a few years back, where some fans said some salacious remarks to a famous Japanese cosplayer. She was so shocked that she vowed she would never do US appearances again. Really? This scared her so much. Did she think people in another culture would react to her flashing her pansu in assorted butt poses the same way as in repressed Japan? I wonder if many of these cosplayers have had some sort of abuse in their lives and cosplay gives them a look but don't touch way of getting attention. While growing up, the only way they received positive attention may have been coquettish or flirtatious actions. With cosplay, the bad end is repressed while the good feelings are replayed. Only then, an overt act pushes them to remember/relive the abuse, hence the panicked reaction. It's evident in the rules and "tutorials" on how to approach/photograph cosplayers. The slightest innuendo or touch can trigger them into tears, a hallmark of sexual abuse. While it isn't polite or socially correct to heckle a cosplayer, it is just as bad to wear costumes showing off your assets, sell risqué pictures to strangers and expect to be treated as if you were royalty. A man walking down a dimly lit alley in a bad neighborhood with $20 bills sticking out of his pockets has an unrealistic idea that the 4 guys coming up to him just left bible study. |