PAX AUSTRALIA: Why Cosplay is More Important than you Think

Loveliest <3

When people talk about cosplay it’s usually when they’re mentioning something really cool they’ve seen. Sometimes it’s a horribly judgemental conversation that takes place around why someone chose to wear what they did, and sometimes it’s a conversation about wildly inappropriate behaviour directed towards cosplayers.

What’s not often discussed is the actual the impact of cosplaying on the people that attend conventions.

Today was Day 1 of PAX Australia, and I had a million and one plans to go and see as much as I could in the afternoon before going to perform with the DiceStormers doing RPG+. That didn’t really happen (see: exhausted).

What did happen was this: I found someone dressed as Russell from Pixar’s film UP.

Russell (I didn’t get his real name sadly**) was in the Tabletop area, having a lovely amble around the booths. He caught my eye because of the balloons tied to his backpack and the loving effort he had clearly put into his cosplay outfit. I saw a grown adult that was radiating happiness, wandering around wearing something that gave them so much joy – and it was utterly infectious.

I bounded over to him with my enthusiasm and day-1-of-the-convention-energy that I had, and gushed at how cool his outfit was. I asked for a selfie, which you can see above, but (honestly) I must say my selfie skills didn’t do him justice.

Once I took the pic I thanked him with immense gratitude, and then he gifted me this:

He took the badge out of his pocket and handed it to me for keeps. It has a small shimmery coat of glitter on it, and it’s absolutely perfect. As he handed it to me I was overwhelmed with such profound happiness that I gave him a massive hug and was beaming for hours afterwards.

It’s just a bottle-cap pin.

It’s just a cosplay.

But it lit up my soul.

This is what we rarely talk about when it comes to cosplay. Sure, it’s one thing to admire an incredible effort made by someone when they’ve put in hard work to recreate something of importance to them. The hours and detail, perfectionism and scrutiny that people labour over is extraordinary. It’s another thing entirely when the thing someone love resonates so deeply that a cosplayer can touch other people with their joy and passion on such a level that it’s infectious and moving.

It’s something we used to do as children when we played “dress ups”, looking for joy, fun and meaning in clothing, maybe even influences for our identity or confidence. Actors use clothing to take us to another place where a character can live and thrive in their truth.

This same meaning and truth can be found in cosplay. Balance out the hate and creeps the next time you’re at a convention – if you see a cosplayer that makes you light up inside, go and tell them they look wonderful. Be earnest and spread the joy, have the conversations that resonate and let people know that what they’ve created is something beautiful and meaningful.

Russell made my day. He celebrated his joy, his truth and love in the form of cosplay and filled my heart with joy.

We could all do with a little more of that.

You can follow more of my PAX Australia adventures on Instagram at @rarelyupdated

**If anyone knows Russell, please drop us a line so we can credit him properly.