Every event there is always at least one person who will say loud enough so that I can and everyone else can hear “That’s so creepy!”. For events where elaborate outfits are the norm, I really have a hard time wrapping my head around this one. In this day and age where events are aggressively battling a broad range of issues from harassment to catcalling, why is it that people still think this is ok? “But it’s so weird” would be someone’s defence, however, “they were wearing an sexy outfit” is not acceptable defence to sexually harassing, so why does Kigurumi get a free pass for rude comments? Thankfully most event attendees have a lot more respect than this.
Taking a step back from the immature comments, let’s examine a first brush with a Kigurumi cosplayer. First, yes, someone wearing a mask, often being quiet, and perhaps waving half blindly, is a lot to process when you first see someone doing this for the first time. Next, the person wearing it often has limited visibility so they’ve got the cautious “blind walk”. This is doubled by the fact that the tights that are often worn reduce the sense of touch. Want to experience double-blindnesss, do kigurumi at an event. These are the reasons that I do often take the mask off when moving around and have it lifted when hanging out with friends.
So why have I stuck with this hobby through 18 years? Well let’s be frank here, what other style of cosplay will let you go from zero to full cosplay in ten minutes flat? It really is quite special and I absolutely love well taken photos and video of Kigurumi. Some have suggested a lot of the stigma comes from the fact that a lot of Kigurumi players are men. Crossplay has become more mainstream, however the whole “there is probably a sweaty hairy guy” stigma needs to stop. The double standard of only beautiful people are allowed to do cosplay, really adds to community toxicity, and as cliché as it sounds, and it’s awful when this negativity happens to any cosplayer. Cosplay and Kigurumi is for everyone. Friends who have taken the leap to try kig with us at events say it’s great fun. And really at the very core, that is why I keep doing this, it’s loads of fun. I love trying poses and outfits I’d wouldn’t normally wear, and I love the pictures and video I get after.
What do you like about Kigurumi and/or cosplay? How did you get into your hobby, and what stories do you have? What people have you met through your hobby? I would love to hear your story, which you can send to stories@ctriff.com.
Until next time,
Chris
Chris and Meph 