Cosplayer harassed at Comic Con

56 Comments

1. As an amateur cosplayer, and friends with many cosplayers, no one going to a con ever thinks, “Well this costume looks like the character. Time to get harassed!” Cosplayers wear the costumes they do as appreciation to the character or the creators not for jerks to show up and treat them less than human. This girl went out dressed as her favorite character, proud of having made the costume and looking like the character, and she wants to share her accomplishment, not be harassed by some group of ignorant Neanderthals.

2. Let’s be serious for a second and acknowledge that all men are led by their members. She looked DAMN hot in that costume and should expect that guys will check her out dressed like that. That said, the interviewer was clearly out of line. It’s possible however that he thought she would play along due to the mentality towards sex that some women have, that being a very open one.
   Clearly he was mistaken, but I don’t think Mandy’s a completely innocent victim here either.

   There’s another opinion: By dressing in that fashion one could say she’s teasing the “geek/basement dwelling/nerd” stereotype by showing them something they’ll never get. Not my opinion, but that doesn’t mean that this topic is entirely black and white either.

3. I’m more surprised that there are people who post on a spider-man site still that still thinks comic cons are a place for virgins and lonely nerds.

4. @#43

   So basically you’re jumping down my throat for my poor choice of words. Not because of what I actually meant. Okay, maybe I could have worded my initial statement better. That better?

5. This sucks….for one, it sucks for her to be treated that way, especially by people who I take it were working and should be professionals. Also, it feeds many of the stereotypes that comic book fans are often subject to. Just a bad situation all the way around.

6. There’s a difference between a BMW and the ghetto and a costumed fan at Comic Con. What is-are you for real?

   Comic Conventions are places where cosplayers of all genders are encouraged and welcomed to look their best and enjoy themselves free of harassment and ridicule. The ghetto is not.

7. I like how Enigma is basically getting bullied to change his stance. He’s not saying she deserved to be harrassed. Far from it. He is saying that being a well-endowed woman and wearing a skimpy costume that enhances your … assets…. to a place where a lot of horny virgins and social misfits congregate could possibly… POSSIBLY… lead to trouble. And people are raking him over the coals for that. We should all watch what we say and just nod our heads in agreement I guess instead of speaking honestly.

   If some guy drove his BMW through a ghetto at night and got carjacked, you wouldn’t jump all over a commentator if he said “well, maybe it wasn’t the brightest idea to drive through there in that particular car.” But somehow it seems people get much more emotionally charged when the fairer sex is involved.

8. @#42: I never used the word “only”, nor did I mean it. Those are the two roads such assertions lead to nonetheless.

   In the end, the initial statement “like I’ve been saying, you go to a place where people like that are, and you dress like that. I’m sorry, but you’re kinda asking for it…” is wrongheaded, pure and simple.

9. @#37

   “This is the problem, because the cognitive dissonance of the incident is leading to two concepts. Either you act like the interviewers did and degrade her with those types of remarks, or admonish her for “not knowing better”. Both instances absolve the people from their actions and puts the onus on her because…what did she do wrong exactly?”

   And that’s just plain unfair. You’re saying that my statement can only be taken one of two pre-determined ways, regardless of what I meant. I’m not saying she did anything wrong. As stated, she can wear whatever she wants. It’s her right. I am not wagging a finger and telling her she shouldn’t have worn that outfit. Hell, I don’t even LIKE Black Cat and I think she looks d*** good in that outfit. But I’m not gonna degrade her for it. What I’m saying is “don’t be surprised if what you’re wearing draws unwanted attention.” That’s ALL I’m saying.

   Oh, and that the guys who harassed her are a**holes.

10. Blaming the victim became passe in the 1960s. What happened was that the sad stereotype of the boorish, socially maladjusted comic nerd who can’t get along with women has been reinforced and it’s doubtful that this lady, a gifted costumer who brought her skills and love of the genre, will be returning. It’s our loss and yet another reason that comics fans frequently have a bad reputation, due to the actions of boors like the one she dealt with.

    Ignore the trolls who are postting because they want their egos stroked by getting attention. If someone says no lady would dress that way? Well, first, it was a costume party, for heavens sakes. Secondly, no gentleman would have behaved that way.

    One loutish troll of a fan has cost fandom a valuable asset. It’s doubtful the lady willl return.

11. Akinyele, you have made the observation that people contribute to their own problems by existing. I think that statement is too obvious to be worth dwelling on.

    It’s also a different proposition from “she’s asking for it” or “she shouldn’t be surprised.” She wasn’t asking for it because dressing sexy isn’t an invitation to be humiliated by having a crowd of strangers badger you about your cup size on camera. She should be surprised because this behavior is so beyond the pale of what is acceptable as to be shocking.

12. Those people were utter jerks. Just because she has a skimpy outfit doesn’t make her any less someone people must respect. She is still a person.

13. @37 Donovan:

    When I said ‘responsibility’, I wasn’t trying to say that she did anything wrong or that she was to blame. I was referring to her particular role, or the part she played in the incident. It may be a passive role, but a role nonetheless. I was trying to say that by ignoring a woman’s role in sexist situations such as this one, we wouldn’t get anywhere, because we are all participants and therefore all of us are responsible for overcoming societal problems like sexism. Perhaps I should have used different wording. I agree that the oppressed party carries no blame in such a case; this woman didn’t do anything wrong by looking attractive or exposing her breasts. But both the oppressed party and oppressing party do play respective roles in it. And ultimately, each party is responsible to a certain degree when it comes to dealing with it. The system of Oppression is the problem here, not the Oppressor or Oppressed.

14. @#36 Akinyele:

    With al due respect I don’t think you know what you’re talking about. Racism and sexism are synonymous, but an oppressed party carries no responsibility when it comes to other peoples behavior. Her gender did ay part in the incident, but that fact doesn’t put it on her. When you use the word responisbility, what exactly are you referring to?

    This is the problem, because the cognitive dissonance of the incident is leading to two concepts. Either you act like the interviewers did and degrade her with those types of remarks, or admonish her for “not knowing better”. Both instances absolve the people from their actions and puts the onus on her because…what did she do wrong exactly?

    It’s a comic book convention. She dressed like a comic book character, like hundreds of others did. She didn’t design the suit, and looking good in it isn’t a sin. So at what point should she have known better?

    This is endemic of a larger issue with fandom that I’d really like to tackle on the podcast.

15. @17: Why would I be kidding? I don’t subscribe to politically-correct anything. The claim that the way you dress does not evoke certain sorts of predictable responses from most other people is false. This principle is why businesses have dress codes. The principle (that how you dress affects other people’s opinion of you) doesn’t need to be true in all cases to be true in most cases. Try dressing up in a white sheet with a pointy hood, and see how people treat you. If you attract a lot of hostility, you can’t complain that people are “judging” you. Even little things, like wearing a bow-tie, or rainbow suspenders, affects how other people look at you. So I’m talking about the real world, not an imaginary one.

    There is no excuse for committing crime, by the same token. And talking lewd is also wrong, even if she was just wearing a negligee’.

16. Enigma is exactly right when he says that the woman’s appearance contributed to the way she was objectified and devalued. She may not be at fault, nor did she “have it coming” for dressing that way, but she definitely played a part in the incident. Unfortunately, because of her sex/gender, she belongs to an oppressed group within this sexist society, and will be vulnerable to this sort of thing. Similarly, I, being a black man in this society, will be exposed to racism. However I understand that with any racism that I encounter, I am playing a role in it. Simply by being Black. It takes an oppressor and the oppressed to have oppression. To overlook this woman’s role in her attack and absolve her of any responsibility is a mistake that, in my opinion, will only prevent us from moving forward as a society.

    I think this may have been what Enigma was compelled to express, at least on some level, however inappropriate it may have sounded.

17. Of course, I meant to type “no way, shape OR form”!

    And I’m disappointed that CrazyChris is only 115% right 😉

18. And we’re not even mentioning the fact how good she looks as the character…! Job well done.
    Just mentioning that some people are too immature to be out in public – another fact.

    In no way, shape of form did the woman “ask for” nor “deserve” this bit of beyond-stupidity.

    And yeh, never argue with a mod when they’re 115% right!

19. @#29

    No she doesn’t. But I have enough sense to not treat her like a piece of meat. Those a**hats didn’t. I’m not dictating what she can or can’t wear. I’m pointing out that it might have something to do with how they acted. She can wear whatever the hell she wants. But if it sets off horny fanboys, don’t act too surprised. That’s all I’m saying.

20. @#30

    I’m not getting into another argument with a moderator. Those never end well.

21. I utterly reject the notion that she somehow brought this on herself.

    If you are a fit person and you dress like a sexy character, maybe it is expected that people will perceive you as sexy. But there’s a LOOOOOOONG gulf between that and what happened. With her on camera, surrounded by a crowd of people, a man twice asked her to spank him, and then led a chorus of people surrounding her and shouting cup sizes at her. IN A CROWD and ON FILM. That is miles over the line into humiliation territory. No one should expect that to be a consequence of dressing attractively. It is in no way normal, acceptable, or anything less than disgraceful.

22. @27 – “But I can’t overlook that one thing.”

    And THAT’S the problem people are having with you here. She shouldn’t have to justify her costume to you. It’s not for you to overlook because that insinuates you have the final moral say on what she can and can’t wear.

    I don’t think any of us are that far apart (except Jack Brooks). It’s not like I’m saying you’re one step away from shooting a girl in the head because she wants to leave the mosque and read a book, but the “she brought it on herself” attitude implies she’s doing something wrong, which she isn’t.

23. Enigma, I understand what you are saying. She even acknowledges in her blog that she knew she would get ogled some. It’s natural make behavior to look when you are dressed like that, but taking it a step further and treating her like she is a piece of meat is way too far. I imagine she wouldn’t have minded if the interviewer had made a funny comment or two about her appearance along with talking with her about making the costume, her love for the character, etc. Instead he completely objectified her and then brought in the crowd to comment on her bra size when he saw she was not amused. Females should always know that there are these kind of bottom feeders out there and if they wear revealing costume it may draw more of their attention. I’m sure she knew that from what she said in her blog and I admire her for standing up for herself when these guys acted like she wasn’t a person.

24. @#24

    ““And despite all of that, you STILL think it wouldn’t happen?”

    I think it SHOULDN’T happen. The difference is, I think the *shouldn’t* part rests entirely with the cretins who harassed her, not with the woman who got harassed.”

    See, here’s the thing. I AGREE with you. But I can’t overlook that one thing. And I don’t even have to be a feminist to know it was utterly wrong for them to do that to her. All you need is common sense and decency to realize that.

25. @23 If your argument is “she shouldn’t be surprised this happened”, then that is, depressingly, maybe true. But that doesn’t mean that:
    a) she’s at fault for the fact it happened – which your initial post about her “kinda asking for it” did somewhat imply.
    b) she shouldn’t still find it a bit creepy and unpleasant, because it still is.

26. Obviously, that’s @23, not @24.

27. @24 – “Is the Captain America costume considered as sexy as the Black Cat costume?”

    To a gay man, yes. In fact, Cap is something of a gay icon.

    But you’re proving my larger point. Both costumes show roughly the same amount of skin and body. Why wouldn’t they be considered equally sexual? Black Cat has to be a whore, though, while Cap is just dressed as Cap. Cap can bang his way through several generations of the Carter family and Diamondback. Tony Stark can plow through supermodels like George Clooney on crack. And if Peter Parker has multiple lovers over a short span, it’s just that dang “Parker luck.” But if Felicia Hardy controls her own sexuality (with four on-page lovers by my admittedly hasty count) we have to “remember the type of character” she is. All of her character development – the asylum, the rape, the Avengers – falls away because she wears a tight outfit… just like every other superhero without tits.

    Let me put it this way – If the problem was the character, can you think of any female superhero she could have dressed as where she *wouldn’t* have gotten the exact same treatment?

    “And despite all of that, you STILL think it wouldn’t happen?”

    I think it SHOULDN’T happen. The difference is, I think the *shouldn’t* part rests entirely with the cretins who harassed her, not with the woman who got harassed.

    More interesting reading:
    http://finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com/2010/04/04/what-is-slut-shaming/

28. @#22

    I don’t believe this s***. Let’s take the costume into question here. Is the Captain America costume considered as sexy as the Black Cat costume? If that was a general reaction to the captain’s appearance, then I probably would think so.

    But remember the type of character she was cosplaying as. Here. Here’s a refresher.

    http://www.comicvine.com/black-cat/29-1479/

    And then you dress like that at a convention where a**hats like that(I like calling them that because I consider them sub-human for this kind of behavior…) roam around. And despite all of that, you STILL think it wouldn’t happen? Sorry if I can’t absolve her of any responsibility in this but if it makes you feel any better, I’m not laying all the blame at her feet, no matter what any of you say. 99.9% goes solely to the a**hats harassing her.

29. @21 “If I jumped in a shark pool and got bit by a shark, you’d blame the shark but you’d still not be that surprised.”

    The shark wouldn’t know any better. These guys should have. Also, at least from what she posted, she wasn’t surprised at the ogling and comments from random guys. The thing that really got to her was the (apparently professional) interviewer and the crowd’s puzzlement at the fact that she might – just *might* – be fulfilling her own fantasies by dressing up as Black Cat rather than their fantasies.

    @10 “The hell it doesn’t. But in no way am I absolving those a**hats of any guilt whatsoever. But by dressing like she did, she attracted that attention to herself. I’m sorry if you’re offended that I made this point, but my point stands.”

    If this had been a ripped guy in a Captain America costume, and a gay male interviewer called him over and kept asking him about the size of his d***, would you say it’s the cosplayer’s fault for dressing like Captain America? Once you say this would not have happened if not for *her* actions, you *are* absolving them of guilt.

    @18 – She wasn’t dressed as a hooker. She was dressed as a superhero. The fact that most female superheroes are indistinguishable from hookers is something the comic book industry (including fans) really needs to deal with. The a**holes weren’t born that way. They were created by guys like Frank Miller.

30. @17 I’d agree if we were talking about something more serious like rape or assault. But this was basically a douchy, uncomfortable interview, not something that exactly traumatized her since she blogged about it later in the day. Of course the guy was an ass, but she went to a con with her breasts spilling out of her chest. If Enigma is screamed down because he condemns the interview while still expressing the notion that she should have expected to encounter a couple horny losers if she went to the con like that, I think that’s also a dangerous game. If I jumped in a shark pool and got bit by a shark, you’d blame the shark but you’d still not be that surprised. I liken this to that a bit. I’m sure some self-righteous net warrior will call me a terrible person for that, but ah well.

31. @18 I think she’s got every right to expect civil non-hooker treatment whilst wearing a fancy dress costume at a comic convention. And the onus should be on the male attendees to not be creepy, not on female attendees to dress down and keep their mouths shut so the men don’t feel bad about being creepy.

32. @ #18 You gotta be kidding…!?!?

33. It’s silly to think that a woman who dresses like a hooker isn’t going to get treated like a hooker.

34. The whole “she had it coming for dressing like that” mentality is a dangerous game.

35. Having said that, not excusing harrassment. Just think she has kind of an inflated sense of herself too.

36. I don’t know. Did you read her blog? She seems a bit too into herself, like her you-know-what doesn’t stink. Kinda like she goes to these cons just to look down at people she considers inferior. She degrades one person as having the “social graces of a lemur” for the crime of wanting a picture with her. Whatever.

37. My first thought when I saw this article is she was probably over reacting and should get the $^#% over it. Then I read the full thing. The guy was a douchebag, and perhapes worst of all, he wasn’t funny.

38. You know what? If it was rape, I doubt I’d make the same observation… seeing as how I’d be too pissed off that a woman was raped. But exactly how did we get on the subject of rape here?

39. @ #11: Well said!

40. I’m smart enough to know when it’s not worth trying to change someone’s mind on over something- especially on the intertubes. So, I’ll part with the fact that I am sincerely shocked and saddened that this “it does matter what she wore” and “she brought this upon herself” mentalities actually exist. I probably shouldn’t be surprised though. We live in a world where not too many years ago an accused rapist was let off the hook because the female was wearing tight jeans. The jury’s theory was that tight jeans are hard to get off, so clearly he didn’t rape her (cause, you know, rape isn’t violent or anything- sarcasm alert). I know this woman wasn’t raped, so nobody cry false analogy. It’s not a false analogy. It’s all part and parcel of a mindset in a patriarchal and sexist society where women’s bodies are subject to objectifcation, violence, commentary, and more; and they are expected to take it or get blamed for bringing it upon themselves. Saying you can see why it happened is not stating the obvious; well, actually it is. It’s stating the obvious fact that apparently it’s impossible to raise this issue without people getting defensive or even stopping to consider the unintended implication of their words.

41. “It doesn’t matter how she was dressed.”

    The hell it doesn’t. But in no way am I absolving those a**hats of any guilt whatsoever. But by dressing like she did, she attracted that attention to herself. I’m sorry if you’re offended that I made this point, but my point stands.

42. It doesn’t matter how she was dressed.

    She could be dressed in burlap or in two pasties and a hockey puck.

    That does not excuse or make “understandable” in any way shape or form what they did. A boor is a boor is a boor and the blame is on the interviewers, not the girl who came dressed as a comic book character, any more than it would be somewhat understabable for a woman to be assaulted because her skirt was very short.

    The interviewer was a boor,

43. I agree, Enigma. You fon’t dress in a skimpy costume in a convention full of lonely nerds.

44. Are you people insinuating that I’m making excuses for what they did to her? I assure you, I am not. I’m pointing out why it happened. Get it right. Dressed normally, this would be even more wrong. But she wasn’t dressed normally, she was dressed like Black Cat, exposed cleavage and all. I’m not saying “shut up and deal with it,” I’m saying “I feel sorry for you, but I can see why it happened!!!”

    Does that make me a horrible person in your eyes? Who knows. Do I give a d*** what you think of me for stating the obvious? Take a wild guess.

45. It’s awesome when people get called out for doing something horrible (like blaming the victim), then respond with further elaboration about how they’re basically blaming the victim. Good times. Women have the right to dress any way they please, in any situation, at any time, without having to be subjected to or expectant of harassment. If harassment happens, it’s ENTIRELY the fault and blame of the harassers (many of whom probably have the attitude of . . . well she put herself in the situation). Don’t put any words in my mouth, Enigma (that’s a pre-emptive measure), I’m not saying you would do something like this- it’s clear from your comments that you would not. But it is the mindset you’re expressing that enables other men to keep doing this crap.

46. I’m not degrading her! And I’m not saying that they were right about how she was treated! But be real here! What kind of attention is she going to get going to a comics convention in an outfit like that?

    Yes, real men should show her respect. Which means that the cavemen that harassed her were not real men. And I’m just saying that maybe if you didn’t dress as THE BLACK CAT AT A COMCIS CONVENTION WITH YOUR BOOBS HANGING OUT, YOU WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN PUT IN THAT SITUATION.

47. Enigma…You don’t blame the victim. Even if she is dressed provocatively you should still treat her as a human being. Now would I want my daughters to go cos playing in these skimpy costumes at a convention when they are older. Hell no! I know their are always the knuckle draggers out there. Real men should step up and show some respect.

48. Doesn’t excuse them, though.

49. This is true, but like I’ve been saying, you go to a place where people like that are, and you dress like that. I’m sorry, but you’re kinda asking for it…

50. Wow. Those guys were real jerks. You shouldn’t treat women like that. I admire her standing up for herself. That being said she does look damn hot in that Black Cat costume.