SyFy's Heroes of Cosplay

[Sandman0077]

With all the close up shots of the ladies' parts while they're getting dressed I'm starting to realize why they aren't featuring costumes by many of the guys...

I agree there needs to be more guys on the show. Right now it feels like its a female only hobby with Jessie being the outcast.

As a side note, my wife walked in when Rikki was getting dressed and was like wtf are watching? After several attempts to explain what was going on, she just left with a loud UHHHH HUUUH. I'm sure I'll hear about it again later lol.

 

[Emmabellish]

I think the Yaya figure is quite ingenious, from a small business owner perspective. If she thinks there's a market to sell figures of herself (and I bet there is, considering her fanbase), I say go for it.

Keeping small businesses growing means coming up with and selling things no one else has thought of. Considering her company is selling her face (prints) and branded accessories, a figure of her doesn't seem surprising to me.

 

[spacebat]

I think the Yaya figure is quite ingenious, from a small business owner perspective. If she thinks there's a market to sell figures of herself (and I bet there is, considering her fanbase), I say go for it.

Keeping small businesses growing means coming up with and selling things no one else has thought of. Considering her company is selling her face (prints) and branded accessories, a figure of her doesn't seem surprising to me.

If I were as successful as her, I'd have no shame. Totally sell body-pillows with my likeness on them, striking a "buddy-******" pose.

She should exploit every ounce of her fame. Make lots of profit.

 

[NormanF]

I really liked your Dr. Doom when they showed you on stage. The cloak looked great on camera. Wish I could've seen your son, that sounds way too adorable.

I am sure he has better pictures.
On the left:


And with some bonus leg:


Sent from my Etch A Sketch.

 

[Astrokid248]

I think the Yaya figure is quite ingenious, from a small business owner perspective. If she thinks there's a market to sell figures of herself (and I bet there is, considering her fanbase), I say go for it.

Keeping small businesses growing means coming up with and selling things no one else has thought of. Considering her company is selling her face (prints) and branded accessories, a figure of her doesn't seem surprising to me.

It's ingenious, but disingenuous. They said "no one's ever done this before", and yet Elvis Trooper's been selling a stormtrooper action figure with his head on it for a few years now. And there's a company that tours the cons that offers on the spot 3D scans so you can ship an action figure of yourself to your house the next day.

Edit:

I am sure he has better pictures.
On the left:
View attachment 225489

And with some bonus leg:
View attachment 225490

Sent from my Etch A Sketch.

Aaaah he is a cutie! There's something completely adorable about small children dressed as villains.

 

[NormanF]

Just like FaceOff I know I am not going to see any real technique on this show. At this point I would be happy if they just showed more of the winners.

I thought it was funny that they were making a big deal about Yaya getting scanned for an action figure but at the convention you could have it done for something like $60. Also, a lot of people think this was a better episode and she was barely in it. Coincidence?

Sent from my Etch A Sketch.

 

[p51]

I can't fault them for not showing the process of how these items are made. I'd think many people watching this are fans on a basic level and not people who want an instruction video. You either generally already know what they're doing or wouldn't bother.

 

[Emmabellish]

It's ingenious, but disingenuous. They said "no one's ever done this before", and yet Elvis Trooper's been selling a stormtrooper action figure with his head on it for a few years now. And there's a company that tours the cons that offers on the spot 3D scans so you can ship an action figure of yourself to your house the next day.

Yeah, I don't disagree with you there. Not trying to excuse the behaviour, but I suspect a lot of that had to do with hamming it up for the camera. It makes for better TV when the star of your show is the one that's breaking new ground on every front.

 

[.:MirrorminD:.]

The figures don't bother me as much as all these girl cosplayers selling their signed photos at cons. Majority of them are now doing this which I still cant fathom.

It's like wow you made or in some cases bought a black widow costume and didn't zip it up all the way so your boobs are hanging out. Lets get a photo of it and sell them on store envy for $10. The sad thing is people are actually buying them so now more people are selling them. Thats what really grinds my gears.

 

[Solo4114]

Eh, whatever. People get paid to model. People get paid to show their skin. Why not get paid to do that in a hobby you dig, ya know? I mean, it's no different from, say, any "booth babe" who works a trade show and gets paid to advertise a product. The only difference is that the product here is the model herself. So...>shrug< whatever. If guys will pay you for a signed copy of a picture of your cleavage, and you're comfortable selling 'em....knock yourself out.

 

[TheNickFox]

Nobody ever pays for a signed picture of my cleavage...

...If I started a run in the JY how many would be interested? :lol

-Nick

 

[Kerr Avon]

We'd need a WIP sample first.

Really though, it's sad cosplayers are making money off people selling cleavage shots. The internet is free. You can see much better, much more, without handing some woman at a booth some cash.

 

[.:MirrorminD:.]

Eh, whatever. People get paid to model. People get paid to show their skin. Why not get paid to do that in a hobby you dig, ya know? I mean, it's no different from, say, any "booth babe" who works a trade show and gets paid to advertise a product. The only difference is that the product here is the model herself. So...>shrug< whatever. If guys will pay you for a signed copy of a picture of your cleavage, and you're comfortable selling 'em....knock yourself out.

Good point and you're right, but I guess my rant, which I left part of it out, is that these same "women" are the ones complaining how cosplaying is objectifying them and blah blah blah. I guess my rant should have been "hypocritical cosplayers" Without calling them out, there's definitely a few on the boards that are like that.



TheNickFox - same with me, my man boobs get no love except for when my wife motorboats them

 

[Kerr Avon]

@Nick - same with me, my man boobs get no love except for when my wife motorboats them

Moobs.

 

[Solo4114]

Good point and you're right, but I guess my rant, which I left part of it out, is that these same "women" are the ones complaining how cosplaying is objectifying them and blah blah blah. I guess my rant should have been "hypocritical cosplayers"
@TheNickFox - same with me, my man boobs get no love except for when my wife motorboats them

I tend to find that a lot of the complaints are about the degree of respect with which the other con-goers comport themselves when interacting with them. Like, yeah, she's dressed sexy, but that doesn't make it ok to walk up to her and say "Oh man, I would SO love to moterboat those things!" or whatever. I see more complaints about guys doing that, or -- worse -- guys who assume that all women in costumes (sexy or otherwise) exist for their viewing enjoyment and can therefore be treated as somehow less than deserving of basic dignity.

I mean, even from scanning some pictures, I think it's safe to say that YaYa Han has zero compunctions about capitalizing on the size of her chest and drawing attention to it. Ok, all well and good. But the way in which that attention is expressed, that's the real issue. Even someone like her would be well within her rights to get pissed at a guy breaking the "look, but don't touch" rule or being crude towards her (e.g. "Show us your t**s!"). That kind of behavior just isn't cool under any circumstances. On the other hand, if you're coming by and paying for a picture with her, I'd figure as long as you're polite and don't get too handsy, no harm done and I'd be surprised if she complained.

There's a difference between sexualization and objectification, but it's a line that people often blur. The women who wear these costumes are consciously playing up the sexualized aspect of the costumes. I don't think any of them would deny it, either. But objectification comes in where you strip away someone's humanity and view them as a **** doll for your pleasure, rather than as someone deserving of basic dignity and politeness. Yes, the bad attention comes with the territory, but that doesn't make the bad attention any less bad or invalidate the complaint about it being bad.

 

[p51]

I agree that selling signed photos from fans seems very silly to me as well. I walked by such a both a couple of years ago, it might have been YA-YA for all I know. Some girl in an anime costume I didn't recognize, signing autographs for money as if I should have known who she was. Her handler was standing there and I asked what the deal there was. He seemed offended, saying she was a 'famous costumer' and I started laughing at how ridiculous that sounded. I think I said quite loudly, "Famous FAN? That's the most idiotic thing I've ever heard!" and walked off snickering. I looked back and got a true look of death from whoever the girl was. I didn't do it to annoy her, I was genuine in my reaction. That was my first run-in with something like this. I was aware of the hobby, I had no idea to that point it'd gotten like that.

The figures don't bother me as much as all these girl cosplayers selling their signed photos at cons. Majority of them are now doing this which I still cant fathom.

This is a byproduct of the internet world, where almost EVERYONE considers themself famous for the most part.
A good example of this is myself. I'm considered to be an expert in a few subjects of military history and have helped out on books, TV, movies and several magazines. I've written off and on and have been spotted on CNN, PBS and the History channel over the years. I was recently at a large military vehicle event, displaying part of a large collection of stuff I have with a specific subject. I had a few people coming up for my autograph. I was totally flabbergasted and asked why they'd want that (mostly making sure they weren't summons servers, to be honest :confused), and each time was told they wanted my autograph because they'd seen me on the internet. So, that's better than being in print, TV or movies? I guess for some, it is.

 

[Astrokid248]

I agree that selling signed photos from fans seems very silly to me as well. I walked by such a both a couple of years ago, it might have been YA-YA for all I know. Some girl in an anime costume I didn't recognize, signing autographs for money as if I should have known who she was. Her handler was standing there and I asked what the deal there was. He seemed offended, saying she was a 'famous costumer' and I started laughing at how ridiculous that sounded. I think I said quite loudly, "Famous FAN? That's the most idiotic thing I've ever heard!" and walked off snickering. I looked back and got a true look of death from whoever the girl was. I didn't do it to annoy her, I was genuine in my reaction. That was my first run-in with something like this. I was aware of the hobby, I had no idea to that point it'd gotten like that.This is a byproduct of the internet world, where almost EVERYONE considers themself famous for the most part.
A good example of this is myself. I'm considered to be an expert in a few subjects of military history and have helped out on books, TV, movies and several magazines. I've written off and on and have been spotted on CNN, PBS and the History channel over the years. I was recently at a large military vehicle event, displaying part of a large collection of stuff I have with a specific subject. I had a few people coming up for my autograph. I was totally flabbergasted and asked why they'd want that (mostly making sure they weren't summons servers, to be honest :confused), and each time was told they wanted my autograph because they'd seen me on the internet. So, that's better than being in print, TV or movies? I guess for some, it is.

This is true for the most part, but I've seen a few cosplayers (most of them male, go figure) only start selling their photos after being begged over and over, and they sell them for no profit. I simply can't believe there's demand for that sort of thing. No offense to any of my fellow cosplayers, but I wouldn't want pictures of you in my house. I'd rather have official artwork and posters to a costume someone else is wearing, no matter how good that costume is.

 

[Gigatron]

Whoa, man, calm down. First off, stop calling that guy a beard. You don't know if he is or not, you're just being rude at this point. Besides, I would think the fact that there is evidence on their blogs that the ladies go to separate parties from each other with their respective husbands means it's not what you think. You're basing your assumptions on a poorly-edited and chauvinistic show. Secondly, not all cosplay chicks are like that, and I've seen a number of incredibly successful marriages (10+) with either one or both members of the couple being cosplayers. It's something that needs to be evaluated on a case by case basis. There's plenty of really horrible women out there who cosplay, and there's plenty of decent and kind women who cosplay too. Besides, I'm willing to bet that there's male cosplayers with the same vapid awfulness who shouldn't be dated, though they're probably fewer and farther between. Maybe instead of going out with a chick because "OOOH BOOBS" and then finding out that was a bad idea you could pick cosplayers who look like they actually worked hard on their costumes. Just a suggestion.

Oh look, another non-contextual response, from someone who has no idea what the original question was. The original questions was "What did you learn, from this show?". So yes, my response is absolutely based on twisted editing. That was the point of the question. And based on other responses in this thread, it appears I'm not the only one who gets that vibe from this show.

Now, to deal with the rest of your whining:

We're happy that beards also have white knights. It's usually reserved for women, but, there's a lid for every pot.

I'll guarantee that there are plenty of terrible, mean spirited, ungrateful male cosplayers. But, none of them have been showcased on this POS show. And I can also guarantee, that you'd be a thousand times better off dating a chick who cosplays to show off her goodies, than one who does put hard work into the costume. People who spend that much time detailing their costumes, have very little time for their significant others. It's why soldiers, cops, and apparently, astronauts, have such high divorce rates. Who wants to be in a relationship with someone who is already married to their job? At least Hooters McBoobs, is only doing it for fun, and has plenty of time for the other people in their life.

-Fred

 

[Kim]

I don't get why people want autographs either, but somehow there is a demand.

And really, I don't think the photos are that weird. People are fans of people who are good at things they are interested in, it might be a different level of fame than hollywood movie stars, but the basic mechanics are the same. You meet someone whose work you admire and you want a memento of that. It isn't my cup of tea, but then again, many things aren't.

I think the action-figure is an interesting idea, even though again it isn't something I would personally be interested in. A static, low-resolution 3d scan and powder print from a convention floor isn't quite the same thing even though they exist. Neither is a customized storm trooper figure. If Yaya is having a custom, posable item made... wouldn't that in fact be a first for someone who is essentially a fandom personality?

She obviously has a lot of fans and they aren't all drooling dudes, looking at her fb-page since the show came out it is clear she has a lot of female followers who admire her craftmanship and probably her business accumen. She is trying to find a premium item to take her business a step further than photos and plastic ears, which totally makes sense to me, even if the business itself doesn't

 

[Emmabellish]

This is true for the most part, but I've seen a few cosplayers (most of them male, go figure) only start selling their photos after being begged over and over, and they sell them for no profit. I simply can't believe there's demand for that sort of thing. No offense to any of my fellow cosplayers, but I wouldn't want pictures of you in my house. I'd rather have official artwork and posters to a costume someone else is wearing, no matter how good that costume is.

Fair enough! I'm enough of a cosplay nerd that I'd be inclined to buy (tasteful) prints of cosplayers from IPs I like, just because I want to support the cosplayer. The same reason I will occasionally buy prints from fan artists in the artist alley at conventions; if I think they're talented, and I like their art, I don't mind giving them $10 or $15 for a print if I get to see them make more art.

That being said, I couldn't care less if it's autographed. :lol