Representation of Plus Size Cosplayers

Robyn Manners / Blunt Pencils Cosplay

This discussion serves not to diminish the plights of other underrepresented cosplayers (be they POC, disabled, LGBTQ+ etc) who are out there, but rather to open a specific dialogue about the visibility of the work of plus size people. I don't believe the word "fat" is a bad word or something we shouldn’t call ourselves. I would describe myself as fat and it’s no more than just that - a descriptor. Therefore, I will be using fat interchangeably with plus-size. "Straight-size" relates to any non plus-sized person or garment. I’m going to police the definitions of where the line sits.

So you’re a plus sized person interesting in staring your cosplay journey? Cue hours of Googling "Fat Characters" or "Best cosplays for plus size people" only to find the same rotation of Peter Griffin, Rose Quartz and a drawing of Velma Dinkley you'd never want your parents to see! Oh and in case Google wasn't helping you feel valid, then fear not there's always social media with a helpful array of trolls comments and blurry con shots that the poor cosplayer clearly never knew were being taken.

But hold up! This all sounds a bit gloomy, no wonder hardly any plus size people participate in cosplay right? No! Millions of the cosplayers around the world don't conform to thinner proportions. It’s almost like cosplayers are like regular humans! So why when I look at the guest spots or rush to see at those cool and slick Convention cosplay round up videos, am I not seeing all my super talented fat friends. 

Robyn as Moana

There is a narrative that is spread amongst the cosplay world: That cosplay isn't about being attractive or having the most detailed costume, its about having fun. An expression of collective and diverse fandom through a variety of crafts.

We are all very quick to leap to support in the comments when someone offers unsolicited "advice" about the colour of your friend’s wig, or the likeness to that one scene. How outraged would you be (or have you been, when) if someone mentioned that a Cosplayer was "too chubby" / "not muscly enough" etc to cosplay that character. Now you picture the influential leaders of this community essentially shaddowbanning you for (whether they know it or not) exactly those opinions.

It often feels as though our place as visible members of this community exists only if we stay in our place: Cosplaying 100-percent screen/ page accurate renditions of already fat characters. If we deviate from our given script at all, it feels as though our place is revoked by way of "preserving character integrity." It makes all of our giant nerdy hearts flutter when we see a cosplay that looks like the character has stepped right out of the book. We double take, we tell our friends, we ask for a photo. And in those instances, accuracy is a wonderful thing. But don’t we also get chills when we see an inventive reimagining of a much-loved favourite or a crossover that just works? See that’s laxed accuracy! Let your heart do the happy dance when you see a plus size cosplayer dressed as your fave too. 

Seeing representation of plus sized bodies in cosplay is not dissimilar to the rest of society. Explicit and covert fatphobia follows us everywhere, so it stands to reason it seeps into our hobbies. We are presented with our preselected fat characters of whom, we must love and want to cosplay, entirely on the principle that they look like us. And we must cosplay them with painstaking accuracy lest we just won’t make the cut. Or we must be sexy. Heaving hourglass proportions that would make even the hourglass wince, or exhaustingly excessive displays of “masculinity”. And in doing so provide the content for a fetish. And if you have that body type, be proud and love it; and if you supply the more lewd content I am rooting for you too (woo!). But not everyone can or wants to be that kind of cosplayer. And the hours we put in deserve inclusion just as much as the straight-size cosplayers., who are being the people they want to be.

It often feels limiting that the only way we can reach our target audience is by picking from the handful of body diverse characters that exist. And while it's heart-warming to see plus-size characters represented in media sometimes we don't all want to be Ursula. Sometimes we see our self in Ariels or Erics or maybe even as human Flounders. Then when we put the time and the effort in, and we know we look phenomenal, it's nice to have these influential people open us up to be part of your world.

We cannot be expected to believe that notions of what is conventionally attractive, and social ideas on the saleability of body type, plays no part in the reason straight-size cosplayers repeatedly get top billing over plus size cosplayers with identical costumes? Its either the perception people will not want to look at us because of our bodies or that character integrity is truly the only thing that matters. Either way, it sort of disbands the friendly narrative we're being fed.

Robyn as Ysabel from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld

So you're not getting as many likes as you’d like, so what? Why is that on these accounts to resolve that? 

This isn't even about fame chasing or doing it for likes, it's about being visible. The reason we photograph ourselves and venture out the house in these weird and wonderful outfits is because we are proud of our work and to seek a sense of community. Two things many of these organisers and accounts also claim to do. Social media platforms like Instagram do not like you if you don’t make them money. (See fatphobia) So if you don’t tick at least 2 thin, pretty, white, able-bodied boxes you have to work extra hard for your work to be seen. Enter the very publications that serve to create exposure! But often, they don’t. We ride on coat-tails of our thinner friends, hoping we don’t get cropped conveniently out of the group shot, or we feature for more than approx. 0.6 of a second on a convention video.

We are all working tirelessly to create something we are proud of, and it is not a bad thing to seek appreciation from others in your community. While fat people have been being incredibly talented since the day dot, appreciation for our talents aren't so well received. Especially when, in a medium like cosplay, acknowledgement of our skills and value has to come hand in hand with acknowledgment of the fact we are fat. It’s not so easy to say you love how much you love my hand printed Moana top when you must look at how it’s sandwiched nicely between my two big wobbly arms. However if me having chunky arms and back rolls for days while being published in my cosplay reaches someone who thought they weren't "right" for this community, and convinces them they belong here, I've one more than I set out to do.

Representation isn’t only important for those who are being represented, it’s also a great way to lead by example in showing how to treat people who are different from you.

I love this community because of how diverse we are both physically and creatively. It’s time we all got give a fair crack at the whip. So I encourage you to find some plus size Cosplayers. Give them a follow, drop them some likes and lovely comments! Then when we're finally allowed go to conventions, suggest to the event organisers some body diverse Cosplayers you like to see guest near you. And if you're running a cosplay platform of any kind take stock of what the majority of your models look like. Cosplay isn’t a hustle or an obligation, it’s a community of hobbyists. We are propelled by our own collective force. A big fat beautiful collective.