Seattle Comic Con and Sakura con happened recently and part of what comes with conventions like those is costume play, or cosplay. Males and females dress as their favorite characters from animes, comics, movies and anything else they want, but if you were to compare the costumes of male and female from several genres you’d see significant differences in the costumes and sometimes lack thereof.

Wonder Woman, Powergirl, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Black Widow, Ms. Marvel X-23 and Comic Con and Sakura con happened recently and part of what comes with conventions like those is costume play, or cosplay. Males and females dress as their favorite characters from animes, comics, movies and anything else they want, but if you were to compare the costumes of male and female from several genres you’d see significant differences in the costumes and sometimes lack thereof.

Wonder Woman, Powergirl, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Black Widow, Ms. Marvel X-23 and tons of other female characters have revealing costumes but when women dress as these character they could be mocked for showing too much cleavage, or if they didn’t show enough their costume “wasn’t accurate.”

There has always been a stigma around “nerd” events that they are primarily for nerd and “girls only get into it for their boyfriends, siblings or fathers.” This idea is simply not true and this movement that girls can be nerdy too, is gaining momentum. Part of that movement is that women, same as men, can wear whatever they want as their cosplay.
There have been instances of women in cosplay where they are just harassed, in an interview with D-Pretty, a cosplayer going by her facebook name, said “being Harley, last year I had my ass grabbed like twice.”

The female cosplay is a double edge sword D-Pretty said, “Some people worship the ground you walk on simply because you’re a girl. Or you get really nasty and rude comments. There is rarely ever an in between.”

Even though there has been an increase in the cosplay equality movement there are still those that harass and condescend, and talk behind your back. Cosplay is about the passion that people have for the characters, and ideas that they love. D-pretty last said “I personally will continue to cosplay because it a passion of mine and my hope is to get to a place where anyone can wear whatever costume they want without questioning ridicule or harassment.”