We see it more than just at our favorite conventions – it shows up in the form of memes, on Tumblr blogs and Reddit threads, and a simple Google image search will yield hundreds of hilarious and cringe-worthy results – bad cosplay. Most often the cosplayers are newbies, others just didn’t try. But while some people (the jerks) may enjoy ridiculing the offending cosplayer(s) and laughing at their expense, bad cosplay isn’t so bad; in fact, bad cosplay is actually essential to the cosplay community. Here are a few reasons as to what makes bad cosplay good to have around at conventions.
It builds up your confidence.
If you’re still fairly new to cosplay and you’re nervous about wearing your creation to a con, one bad cosplay sighting (or many) will make you feel better about yourself and your own costume. Bad cosplay can help you feel more confident in your skills that went into what you’re wearing, because chances are yours doesn’t look so bad by comparison. You’ll feel like you gave it a great effort, because you probably did while the other person merely threw on a wig over a random t-shirt and called it “casual (insert character)” (who would probably never wear a shirt like that).
It can be educational.
Bad cosplay is great for teaching us what not to do when constructing our own costumes. If you’ve been waiting to make that sailor senshi uniform, you now know not to use satin. If you’re looking to cosplay Zero Suit Samus, you’ll learn by example to find paint suited for stretchy material (and to have a friend paint it on for you so it doesn’t crack and flake off). You’re constantly reminded of how important buying the right wig and wearing enough makeup are. We can learn just as much from some of the noobs as we do from the pros.
It provides a break from the usual.
Believe it or not, bad cosplay isn’t as common as you might think. While there are plenty of bad cosplay photos posted online, seeing it in person can be rare at some cons. The majority of cosplays seen at a decent-sized convention normally range from average, or passable, to freaking amazing, so the really bad cosplays are actually in the minority, even if only by a slight margin. So in that sense, bad cosplay gives us a break from what we’ve been seeing all day at a con and shows us something different from the usual Stormtrooper suits or "Pokemon" gijinkas.
Bad cosplay may make us laugh (or cringe), but it does have its place in the convention scene. Bad cosplay helps shape the cosplay community into what it is along with the amazing, award-winning costumes. It makes us well-rounded, because you can’t have the good without the bad. It completes us. The cosplay community just wouldn’t be the same without it. So here’s to you, “bad” cosplayers – walk the con floor with pride, no matter what blog you end up being featured on. Even at your worst, you still make us better while you work on bettering yourselves.
Or...maybe not.
