I a was talking with some people on a different site where they were one sidedly bad mouthing so called bad cosplayers.

We have all seen those photos of really awesome cosplays of our favorite characters and compared it with a not so awesome version. Sure we all know which one better, but is there really a need to bully the ones who don't look as good as they intended?

I personally feel that this is a hobby that does not have to be limited to those who can pull off a good cosplay, because in the end it is just fancy dress. It is supposed to be fun, a way of socialising and making new freinds with simalar interests. I think belittling others out of vanity no matter what is a horrible thing to do and can really knock someone down.

Most people aren't that great at cosplay at first, and it requres learning many skills along to way to being awesome.
God my first two cosplays (not that long ago) were absolute crap, but i'm gonna put my sweat and blood into my next ones (quite litraly blood, i'm still poking myself with needles).

I was just really annoyed about what these people were saying, even talking about how bad some of the people they knew personally were because of things like they're overweight or don't have perfect body features.

Sorry i've just ranted but this topic really got to me because it was just plain bitchiness and nastyness (pardon my rare use off a bad word).

If you have an opinion on this please tell me what you think And thank you for reading my rant hehe ^_^

It really depends on what it's for. I don't slag off a costume which has poorer quality, as I know that time and money constraints as well as sewing ability all have an effect on costume quality. However, if it's for a competition, then it's completely different kettle of fish. You're there to have your costume judged.

I find that most people who slag off cosplayers are usually people who don't cosplay themselves as they don't realise just how difficult costumes are. Then you get some cosplayers who are just rude/arrogant gits.

I think there is such a thing as bad cosplay. But not how the cheap-shot photoblogs rate it. To me good and bad is more to do with effort and using what you've got to the best of your abilities.

Someone with a cheap homemeade costume who tried really hard and bought the best wig their budget could manage, is a far better cosplayer than someone who bought an expensive costume from ebay without really checking (or caring) to see whether it looks anything like the character they are dressing as.

More importantly, what the snide bloggers forget is that we all have to start somewhere. They didn't spring into existence as a master cosplayer. People can only learn cosplay by doing. And that will include some false starts, and costumes you look back upon with revulsion many years later

Of course its subjective what you mean by good or bad. Some costumes are clearly more impressive in terms of the work that's gone in to them. But you're right that its a learning curve and people progress over time. A simple costume isn't 'bad' just because its simple, as long as the person enjoys wearing it. Everyone judges what they think looks the best, which is fine as long as you don't make nasty comments to someone's face, and its always going to be personal opinion anyway. I've seen the sort of sites where people ridicule cosplayers who they don't see as having the right physique or whatever and I agree its not very pleasent.

I would say There is such a thing as good and bad cosplaying, but both Good and Bad have more than one definition.

Good could be a super impressive cosplay with extreme detail and has obviously had alot of time, effort and money put into it.
Another definition of good could be someone who has bought most of there cosplay and looks almost exactly like the the character they are portraying.
Or its could be a simple cosplay on a budget but really shows the effort that has been put into it.

Bad could be someone in a half assed cosplay, with it missing most of the major details and quite frankly looks like they couldent care less about the cosplay or the character.
But bad could also mean someone who has bought there online (completely) and not even care if its accurate, and they dont care about the character they are cosplaying xP

Good and Bad Cosplays are defined by peoples opinions, one person may think that One cosplay is amazing whilst there friend might disagree completely and say another persons cosplay is better.

Or it could be looked at like this:

Girl: "That L Cosplay is Sooo Amazing and accurate"
Boy: "Its not amazing, L is too over cosplayed"

So the person that doesnt like the cosplay, doesnt like it because its been overused rather than looking at the accuracy of the cosplay.

But Regardless of all that, I would say it doesnt even matter if there are Good and Bad Cosplayers out there, so long as everyone is enjoying them selves!

To me, the quality of a costume comes down to the effort. The effort put in can shine through even with a lack of skill or technique. I'm not using advanced techniques in my costumes as others but the effort to make them is there.



I think the L example here is a bit flawed. I think the issue that alot of people have with L's is that there is almost zero construction in them. Going to Primark and buying a long sleeved shirt/sweatshirt and jeans is not costume construction.

In my opinion, the amount other people have produced the same character/costume/series has no reflection on the quality.

I used that example so i dont offend anybody else since i have cosplayed as L myself xD

I agree with your opinion there but sadly people do look at it that way, I have been in countless coversations online with different people who always put down an overused cosplay, but its their opinion after all. ._.

I personally have no issue with overused cosplays, Its not down to how popular a character is, its down to how much the cosplayer enjoys portraying their chosen character. ^^

EDIT: The L example can be used for different cosplays though, it was just to give a rough idea of what i mean.

Regarding L cosplayer; I think you have to go the whole 9 yards with it for people to be impressed. The few times I've been impressed is when it's completely spot on, hair, make-up, etc AND they're also acting in character. Otherwise, it is just a top and jeans. I love DN, and have cosplayed L before myself...

I think it's really sad when people say it's not a good costume because it's been overdone. Okay, so a lot of people like that character, should it matter? No. I've heard people say it about Cloud cosplayers "meh, it's Cloud. It's overdone". Doesn't matter how good the costume is, it's 'an overdone character'

I think all cosplay is bad cosplay UGH we should all just become cartoons 4 real 5eva. ...But no not really.

So I really agree with this. I get embarrassed looking at a lot of my costumes because I see how bad they are and how I can improve, but at the time I did them my skill level was low. So I think in that sense there's not such a thing as "bad cosplay" because we all need to start somewhere and need to learn! I guess if I see effort in something then I think it's good!

However lately I've seen a lot of people do not even "closet cosplay" but putting on a wig and their normal clothes/pajamas/a dress and going "Oh I'm being (such and such character) if they were (doing something character has never done)" and... to me that would be bad cosplay as that isn't actually a costume. I mean right now I could say I'm cosplaying Wakka if he lost his tan, went blonde, plucked his eyebrows, and didn't look like Wakka anymore and wore my clothes. :S

I think that there can be bad cosplay but only if it looks really cheap and thrown together. I know most people have time and money constraints so I belive as long as you make an effort then go you.

I think it's all relative, personally. Like everyone has been saying a cheap costume which isn't perhaps as detailed as a more expensive one is completely fine if it was all the person could afford to make, but most of the time you can never tell! It could just as easily be someone with all the money and time in the world who just couldn't manage to turn out something decent. That's why I'm not usually one to judge other people's costumes, admittedly there are some people who I think perhaps don't really fit the character they cosplay as but at the same time, nobody's gonna be perfect! Just when I'm cosplaying I like to pick characters who have a similar build to me, possibly similar eye/hair colour but wigs and contacts can help with that.

What I DO think is bad cosplaying as miiol said is when people say "I'm X in casual clothes!" because you haven't made the effort to put together a costume your character has actually worn at some point or another. I mean there's nothing wrong with cosplaying a character wearing that outfit they wore once in that OVA episode, but it kinda seems a bit lazy when someone says "I'm X if they decided to go snowboarding." and you can kinda tell they just had snowboarding clothes lying about their house somewhere...

As for "overdone" characters, I really don't see anything bad about it. I mean again, personally I try and avoid doing characters that 100 other people are gonna turn up as but I will consider it depending on the character. (I have considered Cloud before as we're both skinny but toned!) When I'm looking for popular cosplays I usually just end up taking pictures of the best ones I saw. Again, I took a picture of the best Cloud and Tifa I saw last MCM. I think it's more of a thing that it doesn't make them a bad cosplayer, it's just you kinda have to be prepared for people like me to kind of just smile at you for cosplaying a character I like but then moving on because there's a pretty good chance someone's done the same outfit as yours and it was just that little bit better looking.

In my opinion their are no 'good' and 'bad' cosplays. I'm not there to judge someone elses costume based on my own personal standards. I don't care how long a person spent on a costume, how much money they spent, where they bought it, who made it, if they made it themselves, etc. if they enjoy wearing it that's all that matters, who am I to decide if their costume is good or bad?

It's okay saying 'I think this is a bad cosplay because [insert my opinion here]' but at the end of the day, unless you go and personally ask that cosplayer why they made that costume, how much it cost them and why they didn't spend more or less money on it, you can't judge them for it. For all you know, that casual cosplayer might not have hundreds of pounds to spend on a costume. They might not even have fifty pounds to spend on it. (I know lots of people who use casual cosplays purely to hang out at expo with their friends) Doesn't mean they should be judged for it. Doesn't mean they aren't worthy of being a cosplayer, nor does it mean people should snicker like school children behind their backs. (but they do it anyway.) They might not have time to spend hours making a costume, they might not have the skill, be able to get the right supplies, the list is endless. If you like your costume, THAT is all the matters.

This coming expo I'm wearing a very simple costume that I have been buying slowly over the past few months and I don't give a crap if it doesn't look accurate, if people don't like it and if it's classed as a 'bad' costume. These people who judge others based on their costume don't even know the reasons behind that persons costume, nor their financial situation. To me, how much money, time and so on are spent on a costume does not define if it's a good costume. What I care about is that the person wearing it is happy and comfortable in it, that is much nicer to see than someone who is unhappy and scowling in their £1000 set of armour they commissioned.

Cosplay is a very elitist hobby and is prone to bullying, snide comments, rude people and general asshattery, just like every other hobby and you have to try and let the negative comments roll off your back like water, because it doesn't matter if you spent thousands on your costume or even had the stuff in your wardrobe already, someone will ALWAYS find something to pick on and use it to define if they feel your costume is good or bad. I'm sure loads of people will say my costume is not accurate and I agree, my K-On costume is not going to be accurate, because I'm busy saving money to go toward another costume, but do I care? nope, I'm there to spend time with friends and enjoy the atmosphere, not worry if someone I don't know or care about feels my costume doesn't fit their standards.

I don't tend to take the quality of the costume in to accoutn when "judging" whether i like it or not...If it's distasteful (the person is basically naked etc) then I tend to say it's a "bad" cosplay...

To me a 'good' cosplay at least requires some effort. It doesnt matter if it was made by materials that have just been found lying around the house and put together last minute before the con or spent a ton of money and started months before the con, as long as alot of love is put towards it any costume can be wonderful. As long it is tasteful and the person tries then thats all that matters for me. A persons physical appearance does not affect whether a costume is good or not as I prefer people to enjoy being in character than to look like someone they hate.

I always do put time, skill and money restraints in mind. As humans we are always a judgemental bunch but I would never walk up to someone and openly say 'that sucks!' or give rude comments. I'd only really critique if they want it or have a casual chat about other cheap and simple methods.

The only factor that I would consider that would make a costume bad is if it was intentionally created to be distasteful like creepy crossplays 0_0

As for brought costumes I have a neutral opinion on them. I wouldnt say they are 'bad' half the time but I wouldnt praise like crazy at them for it either.

Since it's a visual / creative thing I approach cosplay in a similar way as I do with artwork. If there is something that's a bit off with a costume and someone has asked for feedback then I will make sure to be constructive about it and offer advice where I can while also pointing out what I think that they have done particularly well at the same time.

I tend to be a bit wary of giving critque in case someone takes it the wrong way, so I tend to only make suggestions if someone has asked for them. It's certainly not right to go up to someone and ruin their day ( and possibly completely put them off cosplaying ) by giving them hurtful comments.

i personally think that the only person that should judge weather ur costume is good or bad is u, nobody has the right to slag off a costume because there is something wrong with it as long as u enjoy cosplaying all of ur costumes are good no matter what anyone says

I agree with what everyone has said. there are a lot of factors to consider when judging a costume. But ultimately i think as long as your happy with your cosplay then it can't be a bad one. Of course as some of you have already mentioned, especially at a con or expo younger kids can go to, it would be distastefull for near naked cosplays to be walking around. And when i say near naked i mean only a few tiny bits of material covering their naughty parts

so when you have a chubby bearded 50 year old man wearing a sailor moon outfit. (accurately, scary enough), does thats fall under good or bad?

Sweet beard of Odin, why do you even care what other people think?

The only reason why you would care is because you're cosplaying for them and not you.

Which makes you something that isn't a cosplayer, it makes you an attention seeking people pleaser that uses outfits for their goals.

Even if it's for a competition, remember that you're competing and you're getting judged on criteria that doesn't include personal feelings.


Sure I talk a certain way on other sites, mainly one other site, but I don't have a problem with other cosplayers, do what you want. More like I have a problem with the douchebags who wanna act like annoying weebs at the events.

What JaeXD says!
Cosplay is about having fun after all!

I have a feeling that we can all think of at least on person that statement describes.


But yeah screw 4chan.

This is an interesting topic. I agree with what JaeXD says about it not mattering what other poeple think, in the sense that the way you feel about a cosplay and the way someone else does are two completely different things. If you're happy in the costume and you enjoy wearing it then that's fine! I guess I'm sort of a perfectionist so although I haven't been making cosplays for long I would consider my own cosplay 'bad' if I had missed out a tiny detail or it wasn't that well put together - but that's just me, someone else looking at it might not even notice.

It's also very true that it's impossible to completely judge the amount of effort that has been put into a cosplay just by looking at them. I think there's bloody awesome cosplay, sure. But bad cosplay? Eh, it's debatable that you could define it as 'bad', and like I said, who cares what others think?

The thing is, to me, there's also a difference between a 'cosplayer' as opposed to 'someone dressing up as a character they like' - some people just want to pull something together quickly to go for one day out with their friends and so simply won't think or know about the kind of things a cosplayer (someone who makes the costumes as a hobby) would. So, they might not have thought about the poor accuracy of many internet bought costumes, or how to tell if a wig is good quality or not or the most effective methods to make a certain piece of clothing. That kind of stuff. Of course that's not everybody but I know a few people like that myself.

But in the end you should really make the cosplay to your own standards rather than someone else's, so long as you think you did a good job putting it together and you like dressing as the character it really doesn't matter if someone else classes it differently (:

Just to say, most guys that do cosplays like are doing it just to have a laugh.