Recently the awesome Stella Chu posted about the cost of one of her cosplays including the convention costs. Some jumped on the bandwagon and others harshly criticized this move on the communities part.
Here is the original post that started it all.
Okay so on both sides there are some pros and cons. People are right and wrong, but hey this is my personal opinion. I need to address a couple of things I see being repeated. Some will be butt hurt, others will not. :3
1. I see a ton of posts about how others are wasting their money.
I don’t really care about how people spend their money. It’s their money to do with what they want. I’m not going to tell anyone to justify it, because we all blow money on things we love. Some people outside of the community see cosplay as a complete waste of time and money in the first place.
Some of the people who have shared their cosplay cost breakdowns are doing it just to give awareness as to how much it can cost. That said, you bet there are others who are putting up these posts so they can brag about how much or how little they have spent.
I don’t plan on putting one up myself, because I know I honestly spend way more than the average person and regardless people will judge accordingly. But you know what, I pay my bills, my taxes, and feed myself and my cats, so I can do what I want with the rest of my money. I personally like my privacy so talking about the cost of my builds and breaking them down is not something I want people to focus on. There is an exception in my case, if anyone asks me about my builds and the costs, I’m very transparent and honest about it. I’ll even link them where I bought the materials, because if anyone wants the information, I’m more than happy to help. 😀
2. I do see the breakdowns as a positive thing, because it’s informative. If looking at others builds and costs upset you, that’s honestly a personal problem. I’m not a fan of any negative feelings, especially jealousy.
I don’t get angry or feel bad about myself every time I see someone driving a Tesla model S despite how much I want one. I’ve accepted the fact it will be a long time, if ever, before I have enough money to purchase one. 😀
That said, people do need to live within their means and I am highly against individuals skipping out on meals in order to attend a con/fund a cosplay instead. Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs people. Read it.
3. People are correlating the cost and breakdown of money to the love of cosplay. I highly disagree with this mindset. It doesn’t matter how much you spend guys. You should all already know that and I’m preaching to the choir.
4. I am for the positive message that people should share more tutorials, progress shots, videos, etc. I’ll admit I get super stoked watching the progress of others and then the big reveal at the end. :3 Give back and pay it forward guys.
5. Shopping on a budget. We should all have budgets in mind when it comes to building a cosplay. Unless you have unlimited pockets of cash flowing out of your butt, then more power to you, and come use my toilet. :3 I’d love to see more about online sales for materials being shared. I know I’d follow that blog in a heartbeat, because despite spending so much on my cosplays I’d sure as heck love to spend less and get the same quality or better out of it.
Final thoughts, guys we are a small community and all we have is each other. Calm down and stop judging others. Stop telling others that their social media posts are wrong, make them feel guilty, or judging them for jumping on the bandwagon. I mean it’s like a repeat of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Take a chill pill, have a beer, listen to Cold Play, do whatever you need to do to relax, and for the love of all that is holy, STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHERS.
Leaping Lizard Cosplay 