@Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.: Thanks. I have even more photos of cute girls with stormtroopers, though I have to admit I'm surprised no one has realized the other group -- Cute Girls with R2-D2: [www.flickr.com]
Wow, put a photo up of a girl and watch the bitchy comments begin. On that note, here's my new book about acting like a mean girl if you people need some pointers on how not to act like a bitchy 12 year old girl.
Yikes, who knew the io9 crowd could be so shallow?
Not in whether or not one thinks someone is hot or not (no accounting for tastes either way), but in the need to proclaim it when one thinks someone is not.
But I don't mean to stir up trouble. I leave you in peace with your own traditional parting words.
"May your backwards caps be well-fitted, your tightey-whiteys adequately stuffed, and your lite beers suitably warm. And dude, that chick? Total one way trip to Dogtown...huh, huh, huh."
@92BuickLeSabre: Why is it only shallow if one thinks someone is not hot and comments on it. Wouldn't it hold true the other way around too? If so, why the jab at just one side (even though both sides of the "hot or not" commentators seem well represented here)?
@Taylor: Because the "she's hot" side isn't hurting anyone.
Stating your opinion that "she's not hot" or that "she's too fat" serves no purpose other than to make women with bodies like hers (me, for example) feel ashamed of the way they look. If making larger women feel shitty about their bodies was enough to make those women smaller, I wouldn't still be wearing a size 16.
However I think a little slack can be cut for the visceral reaction to hotness. Just like those little robots that go in your blood made me feel the need to say "Yikes!" sometimes something very attractive makes my eyes open a little bit and I have an instinct to say "Yowza!" It's still shallow, but at least there is an almost physically reactive element to it.
I think that's also why commenting on someone who is "not hot" is almost doubly problematic. It almost implies that the person is so not hot that you can't help reacting. That it's visceral. That is is equivalent to seeing tiny robots on your screen that crawl in your blood stream - "Yikes! She is really not hot!"
@Taylor: Commenting on her looks is totally shallow, yeah. But it takes an extra level of shallowness to make hurtful comments in a casual manner, a certain willful ignorance of other people's feelings and common decency.
Commenting that she IS hot (and those are more often in response to the comments that attack her looks, rather than thread-starters themselves) is just a pointless shallow remark that CAN be indicative of a certain sensitivity to those issues or a desire to inject more positivity into the thread, though probably isn't.
While both are shallow, there's an extra mental step down involved in deciding that pointlessly attacking a woman's appearance is an appropriate topic of discussion for a post like this.
Oh for crying out loud; just because some of you don't find zaftig women attractive does not mean that they are objectively not attractive. Seriously: your taste=/=reality. Your taste=your taste.
@ven.batista: "PC" is a right wing buzzword that's used to attack people for not being assholes: as such, I take it as a compliment.
@Slovenly Muse: Seriously - the standard of beauty these days is such bullshit. God forbid that we should all look different and interesting, and go about our lives happily knowing that some people will be attracted to us and some people won't.
@debo matar la zombi goldberry83: "PC" is a right wing buzzword that's used to attack people for not being assholes: as such, I take it as a compliment.
@debo matar la zombi goldberry83: What the fuck is all this blathering about. Shes fat and needs to lose weight. In fact looking at her I'd say if she doesn't, she can look forward to health problems, if she isn't already. Are you seriously going to contradict me and attempt to say she is not fat? With the picture right there? She must be 16 stone at least. That is not a proper state of affairs any more than being an alcoholic or drug addict or any number of other flaws in an individuals personal conduct. Do not excuse it by attacking those who point this out as being 'bullshit standards'. She needs to cut down on the fucking cream cakes and burgers and approach a healthier and more natural body state. Any doctor would tell her this.
@Indigen: Well thank god you're here; your magical Internet Diagnosis skills could save lives! Quickly, go elsewhere and spread your gift! Truly, you are a sage; never before have I encountered such brilliance as would allow some douchebag on the internet to determine a person's health status via a picture. I stand amazed!
@Heresiarch: Considering he's dressed as an Elvistrooper, that's probably as "hot chick" as he's able to get. But yeah, she kinda looks like Divine, which _really_ doesn't help increase her attractiveness.
@Heresiarch: Well, obviously the person who put her picture up on "Hot Chicks with Stormtroopers" finds her hot. What other criteria should the site be looking for? I don't even understand why this is up for debate.
It must take great deal of money and time to support this "lifestyle", of volunteeering. Are most of these people independently wealthy?? If they have to work for aliving..they must have some VERY liberal bosses..
@oldandintheway: It's not a cheap hobby but it's not undoable. Pretty much everyone I know works for a living and instead of having other hobbies that tend to cost a lot of money we just do this one. The suit itself is a bit of an investment but over time? It's not insurmountable.
Hi! Long term cosplayer and costumer here. Managed to get my master costume status in the Costumers Guild two years back.
What's happening is that cosplay as a term is co-opting the word costuming. I've seen a lot of internet writing that says "Battlestar Galcatica cosplay" or Klingon "cosplay." Members of these communities probably wouldn't call themselves cosplayers, but it's becoming a synonymous and interchangeable term.
I am like you guys. I see costuming as a term for dressing up outside of Japanese animation. You are also right about the origin of the term cosplay.
Now, not all cosplayers are poor. The trick is that quality isn't as important to cosplayers in general because they want to dress up first, and spend time on detail second. Again, there are some great cosplayers out there who make very elaborate, beautiful, and well detailed costumes, and do, in fact, win World Con and Costume Con masquerades. I could see where a generalization could be made, but there are notable exceptions.
One also begs the question about hard versus soft costumes. I imagine imperial uniforms that are well executed are as respected in the 501st? I hope they are, and that this isn't a question of materials. There are also cosplayers who vacuum form and transform.
What would I personally like to be known as? A costumer. It's a more versatile term, since I don't concentrate my skills only in anime, and I started a long time ago when costumer covered the field.
Interesting, and I knew that it has been coming more popular with other franchises. The Browncoats for Firefly and the Colonial Fleet for Battlestar Galactica.
One thing that frustrates me, from both sides, is how groups of people can be identified with just a couple of people, and when you have a couple of poor representations, from both sides, the image of the group as a whole is tarnished. I know of a number of cosplayers who really put a lot of attention to detail, and that's just as good in my book as those who just want to be a character. The whole purpose is to have fun, and if you don't need the exact details, that's fine. People need to separate out personalities and not judge.
Yep, there's quite a few fabric costumes within the group, and they are required to have a comparable level of detail when it comes to accuracy. I don't know a whole lot about that side of things though, as I'm really only familiar with Stormtroopers and Clone Troopers.
I tend to go with the term costumer as well - cosplay does have negative connotations, but costumer sounds more professional in a way.
and yet you all made fun of the real-life-superheroes, who patrolled their streets and donated blood and stuff in costume.
The 501st is very cool though.
Star Wars question: has their armor ever done them any good? I mean Storm Troopers are always all armored-up, but still always drop like a stone at the slightest blaster hit.
@blorp: That's actually been answered in a couple of books - pick up the X-Wing series by Michael Stackpole and Aaron Allston if you get a chance. At one point, its mentioned that TK armor won't take a full laser blast, but it will dissipate the energy, leaving the trooper wounded, but alive.
@blorp: That's interesting. I think anyone in costume is bound to get made fun of, and we certainly get plenty of that all the time. Although, we've had members donate blood in armor before as well...
@Andrew Liptak: wow - you definitely know your Storm Trooper facts. I havent read any SW books, but in the movies the armor just seemed so *ineffectual*. At the risk of further loss of Star Wars cred - what is "TK"? Is that just synonymous with Storm Trooper? (Im guessing bc they have IDs that start TK)
Heh, thanks. I pays to know what you're dressing up as, IMO. There are some good books, and there are some bad ones. Shoot me an e-mail if you want some recommendations.
TK in the 501st is a designation for storm troopers, it comes from TK-421. Sand troopers are TD, Royal Guards are TR, etc.
06/08/09
[www.flickr.com]
06/07/09
[www.hotchickswithstormtroopers.com]
06/07/09
Also, awesome on the book.
06/08/09
06/07/09
[www.amazon.com]
06/07/09
06/08/09
06/07/09
06/07/09
06/07/09
Don't care for her eyebrows, but she's got a self-confidence that overcomes any perceived figure flaws. Plus, norks ahoy.
06/07/09
Not in whether or not one thinks someone is hot or not (no accounting for tastes either way), but in the need to proclaim it when one thinks someone is not.
But I don't mean to stir up trouble. I leave you in peace with your own traditional parting words.
"May your backwards caps be well-fitted, your tightey-whiteys adequately stuffed, and your lite beers suitably warm. And dude, that chick? Total one way trip to Dogtown...huh, huh, huh."
*rolls eyes*
06/07/09
06/07/09
Stating your opinion that "she's not hot" or that "she's too fat" serves no purpose other than to make women with bodies like hers (me, for example) feel ashamed of the way they look. If making larger women feel shitty about their bodies was enough to make those women smaller, I wouldn't still be wearing a size 16.
06/07/09
06/07/09
However I think a little slack can be cut for the visceral reaction to hotness. Just like those little robots that go in your blood made me feel the need to say "Yikes!" sometimes something very attractive makes my eyes open a little bit and I have an instinct to say "Yowza!" It's still shallow, but at least there is an almost physically reactive element to it.
I think that's also why commenting on someone who is "not hot" is almost doubly problematic. It almost implies that the person is so not hot that you can't help reacting. That it's visceral. That is is equivalent to seeing tiny robots on your screen that crawl in your blood stream - "Yikes! She is really not hot!"
But otherwise, I agree. Totally equally shallow.
06/07/09
Commenting that she IS hot (and those are more often in response to the comments that attack her looks, rather than thread-starters themselves) is just a pointless shallow remark that CAN be indicative of a certain sensitivity to those issues or a desire to inject more positivity into the thread, though probably isn't.
While both are shallow, there's an extra mental step down involved in deciding that pointlessly attacking a woman's appearance is an appropriate topic of discussion for a post like this.
06/07/09
06/07/09
wow you're so PC it is giving me cancer.
All reality is subjective, in my reality, that chick is not hot. I'd still do her though.
06/07/09
06/07/09
@Slovenly Muse: Seriously - the standard of beauty these days is such bullshit. God forbid that we should all look different and interesting, and go about our lives happily knowing that some people will be attracted to us and some people won't.
06/07/09
This makes my day.
06/07/09
06/07/09
06/07/09
06/07/09
06/07/09
06/07/09
06/07/09
1) No one has said she is not a large woman. I don't understand what you're arguing against here.
2) Her weight (or "health," which is a completely separate issue) has no bearing on the fact that many of us find her attractive.
Your comment has only one point, yet it's irrelevant to this discussion on two counts. That's impressive.
06/07/09
06/07/09
There is a difference between a curvy lady and The Blob.
06/07/09
06/07/09
06/07/09
06/07/09
06/07/09
06/07/09
06/07/09
Says you.
That's my kinda lady.
06/07/09
Considering he's dressed as an Elvistrooper, that's probably as "hot chick" as he's able to get. But yeah, she kinda looks like Divine, which _really_ doesn't help increase her attractiveness.
06/07/09
06/07/09
that's my kinda lass. where your not afraid she'll go snap or have all these pokey bones...
06/07/09
01/27/09
01/28/09
01/27/09
What's happening is that cosplay as a term is co-opting the word costuming. I've seen a lot of internet writing that says "Battlestar Galcatica cosplay" or Klingon "cosplay." Members of these communities probably wouldn't call themselves cosplayers, but it's becoming a synonymous and interchangeable term.
I am like you guys. I see costuming as a term for dressing up outside of Japanese animation. You are also right about the origin of the term cosplay.
Now, not all cosplayers are poor. The trick is that quality isn't as important to cosplayers in general because they want to dress up first, and spend time on detail second. Again, there are some great cosplayers out there who make very elaborate, beautiful, and well detailed costumes, and do, in fact, win World Con and Costume Con masquerades. I could see where a generalization could be made, but there are notable exceptions.
One also begs the question about hard versus soft costumes. I imagine imperial uniforms that are well executed are as respected in the 501st? I hope they are, and that this isn't a question of materials. There are also cosplayers who vacuum form and transform.
What would I personally like to be known as? A costumer. It's a more versatile term, since I don't concentrate my skills only in anime, and I started a long time ago when costumer covered the field.
Catherine Schaff-Stump
01/27/09
Interesting, and I knew that it has been coming more popular with other franchises. The Browncoats for Firefly and the Colonial Fleet for Battlestar Galactica.
One thing that frustrates me, from both sides, is how groups of people can be identified with just a couple of people, and when you have a couple of poor representations, from both sides, the image of the group as a whole is tarnished. I know of a number of cosplayers who really put a lot of attention to detail, and that's just as good in my book as those who just want to be a character. The whole purpose is to have fun, and if you don't need the exact details, that's fine. People need to separate out personalities and not judge.
Yep, there's quite a few fabric costumes within the group, and they are required to have a comparable level of detail when it comes to accuracy. I don't know a whole lot about that side of things though, as I'm really only familiar with Stormtroopers and Clone Troopers.
I tend to go with the term costumer as well - cosplay does have negative connotations, but costumer sounds more professional in a way.
01/27/09
The 501st is very cool though.
Star Wars question: has their armor ever done them any good? I mean Storm Troopers are always all armored-up, but still always drop like a stone at the slightest blaster hit.
01/27/09
01/27/09
01/27/09
02/02/09
Heh, thanks. I pays to know what you're dressing up as, IMO. There are some good books, and there are some bad ones. Shoot me an e-mail if you want some recommendations.
TK in the 501st is a designation for storm troopers, it comes from TK-421. Sand troopers are TD, Royal Guards are TR, etc.