Ask Adam Savage: Cosplaying With a Non-Slim Body Type

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[tested]

Thank you for your questions Lee, Vickie and Phil! Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks, like asking Adam questions!

[starhawke]

I witnessed this at a Con in Portland years back. A person not even in costume was giving a girl with a larger body in an anime style costume a bad time, and the crowd turned on this person so fast and so harshly I thought they were in actual danger. If you make the effort to make a costume and wear it with pride, 99.99% of the crowd will be with you.

[BrBobMackeSJ]

One suggestion is to try to size the costume to your actual dimensions, rather than the dimensions you wish you had. It's amazing how good something can look when it fits properly.

[dr.rotwang]

In my experience not only is the cosplay community very supportive and welcoming of anyone who is willing to put on a costume. But they will also stand up for and go to bat for any fellow cosplayer who experiences any kind of harassment. I was at Dragon Con about decade and half ago, and was across the street walking to the con as a young man who was cosplaying as sailor moon was making a similar trek from one of the hotels. He attracted the attention of what I can only describe as stereotypical group of dude bros unaffiliated with the con who proceeded to tease, follow, and harass them as they walked over to the parade staging area. The look on said dude bro's faces was to die for as they went around a corner following this young man and walked face first smack into a group of about 40 or so guys cosplaying as Spartans from The 300. Said Spartans immediately got in their faces wanting to know why they were harassing their friend and let them know in no uncertain terms that that kind of behavior was not welcome. They beat a hasty retreat and that was the last we saw of said dude bros. I've seen similar interactions from time to time over many decades of attending many types of cons and the reaction of fellow cosplayers is always the same to that kind of behavior Spartans or no.

[chaoslink]

To Phil, as Adam says, it can take courage just to don the costume and walk out into public with it. I've done it and it really isn't too easy and you're going to constantly draw attention. As a very introverted person, it was hard. So if someone gives you trouble, especially one without costume, know that you're already putting in more effort than them. Do you. IF you want to wear it, do it. What YOU think is more important than what others think, and most will like it more than you might expect.

[Ironbear_armoury]

Cosplay for yourself, dont cosplay for others.
I'm a cosplayer/ cosplay fabricator and I want to make this my living one day. I am considered large and build my costumes to hide what I feel are my own imperfections. I've worn costumes that hide everything, and costumes that reveal almost everything. Wear what makes you feel amazing. No matter what your size, race, gender may be, what always matters is you have fun. Those who have the nerve to make fun of you for your body type won't be at a con, they will be hidden behind a screen where you don't have to deal with it. be yourself and keep being awesome

[Vadlor]

Being a plus-sized Cosplayer myself, I have struggled with this issue. Here in Argentina the Cosplay scene got toxic for a while and I received a lot of flack for cosplaying Wolverine, my favorite character (I'm also a comic-accurate 5'4, so yeah, it was a must-do), and the truth is, I never cared. I'm chubby/fat/obese, whatever you wanna called it, I'm doing it for fun, and if talking sh*t about someone is how you get your fun, by all means, enjoy it, it doesn't bother me.
On the other hand, I've also enjoyed doing some cosplays more appropriate for my body type (I got to troll an official 00: Rise of an Empire Spartan model on the WB Both at a con dressed as Fred Flinstone), and got an amazing response for them, making traffic stop to appreciate and compliment my costumes. I got people shouting "Tally HO" when I was going to a con as Commander Stargazer from the Silverhawks cartoons, and I made people tear up with nostalgia while wearing my Classic Masters of the Universe Ram-MMan costume, with one dude coming and saying "you were my favorite toy when I was a child" (which out of context would be awfully creepy, but I understood as it was mine as well ;) ).
Bottom line: Do the costumes you like whether you have the body type or not, as Adam says. Trolls will be trolls and you'll only find them under bridges if you go looking for them. After a bit, You'll learn to block them out, they become white noise. I was crossing the street one time (not in costume just regular clothing) and a sh*thead asked when I was giving birth. I turned around and said to him "At least I f*ck". That's the sunbeam that turns trolls into stone,

[Jackalgirl]

I love seeing different body types as various characters, especially ones that wouldn't be considered "typical" for that character -- if I saw a "portly Indiana Jones", I wouldn't be thinking that it was wrong, I'd be thinking "hey, I could do this, too!" It's inspiring! So I would say to anyone considering it: you'll probably be inspiring more people to give it a try, just by being, and that's a really, really good thing imo. : )

[zukaro]

Honestly it kinda even applies to just regular clothes too. Your day to day clothes are a costume in a way, and you should use them to express yourself. But a lot of us use them to blend in and hide ourselves. There's ways to make any body type look good; it's typically all about proportions and which features you highlight by using proportions. Of course, with a cosplay that can be harder, since you're working with a specific outfit/design, but there's still ways to tweak it slightly to work. And at the end of the day the only thing that matters is that it makes YOU happy.

[Merennulli]

I really appreciate you taking the time and effort to combat gatekeeping in cosplay.

- I would advise anyone wanting to cosplay to politely decline if someone pushes you to join a costume contest your first time. Have an entirely positive con experience or two under your belt before you subject yourself to anything like that. In the best case scenario it's stress and comparing yourselves to others instead of enjoying yourself. My first con in costume was nearly my last because I encountered gatekeeping from one of the judges - ironically from someone who is very active in fighting against it when it takes forms he recognizes.

- I'd also go your first time with someone you know and who knew you were working on your costume. They don't have to be cosplaying, just someone to stand there and feel like a support until you get comfortable. The cosplay community is incredibly accepting, but it's still a crowd of strangers your first time and having a friend standing next to you when you get approached by someone who wants to take a picture with you is calming.

- Walk around outdoors for 15+ minutes in your costume more than a week before the convention. Something is going to break. Something is going to hurt. Something is going to make it hard to walk. Something is going to trap heat in so you're too hot. You'll want a weekend or two to fix those things. You don't want to find out about them at the convention.

- Wear something comfortable underneath that you don't mind being seen in. This is for 2 vital reasons.
First - nothing is more miserable than having to keep wearing a costume until you get somewhere private when something goes wrong. Being able to step out of traffic at a con and take off parts of your costume that are hurting/overheating/breaking or when you need to go to the restroom is a MASSIVE relief. I've seen some big name cosplayers in giant, intricate suits step into a corner and dismantle it there to reveal shorts and a t-shirt while they go to the restroom. For my second con in costume, I had to be taken home and have my costume cut off of me so I could run to the restroom. Don't make my mistake.
Second - things break. You don't want your armor to snap off and leave you standing in a crowd showing off something you don't want seen. If it snaps off and everyone sees you wearing a t-shirt and shorts underneath, no one will judge. Obviously, some costumes it's impossible to wear much underneath, but I really wouldn't wear those your first time.

- Along the same lines as that, practice getting out of your costume quickly a few times. You never want to find out when you need to use the restroom that your costume is hard to get out of on your own. I think every cosplayer has a story involving this. Obviously, some people have costumes where that's impossible but they have to have a spotter to help them around the convention and get them out of their costume when they need out. A spotter is a very good friend who supports your cosplay enough to do that for you, so that's hard to have your first time.

- If you're still nervous, pick something that lets you carry a giant foam weapon. Even though people are being supportive of you, it can sometimes make you feel nervous if your costume is attracting their eyes to your body and a giant foam weapon draws their eyes towards the weapon instead. You get the excited, friendly conversations from people who love what you've done but at arm's length.

- Make extra of whatever you can. If your costume has horns and one breaks off in a doorway, having a spare you can stick on in its place will absolutely save your day.

- Don't compare yourself to anyone and don't assume others are comparing you. It doesn't matter if you bought it instead of making it, and it doesn't matter if you made it and don't have the skills of the uber-elite. People will ask things like "did you sew this yourself" and that's intimidating to get that question about something you bought. You have to remind yourself each time - they're asking that because they can't do it either, so just tell them where you got it. Odds are that's a lot more helpful to them than if you had actually made it yourself.

[ScottyDsPlaylist]

Thanks for this Adam. As an orbital person, I dipped my toe into the water with a home sewn screen accurate ST:TNG uniform. I'd had it made for 5 years before I had the courage to wear it at a con. The positivity I had from other cosplayers and fans was jaw dropping. I was thinking Family Guy Boba Fett Chicken would be next but after listening to you, I think I might try a rotund Spider-man variant.

[cjpropstudio]

Adam is 100% correct with his statement, you can cosplay any character you desire no matter what body type you have. Cosplay boosts confidence and gives challenge for those who create and/or wears the cosplay. Never be afraid to cosplay because on the general public, do it because of your love for the craft. Love the video @tested and thank you again for having my group and I on the channel. Hope to see you and come back on the channel soon!
~Joshua Marchese (cjpropstudio) from paladins of cosplay

[CrankyQuokka]

As a truly fat bastard I am so appreciative of your positive message in this. Actually joined up as a member. I'll probably never have the chance to meet you as I'm in Australia but have loved your work from the original Mythbusters and a long time since. Just thank you for being you, such positive energy is needed in this world now more than ever.

[norWindChannel]

All well said, Adam. I have always admired your refusing to be a gatekeeper of any sort. Keep it up, it means a lot to many!

[jess]

Im going to my first con! a con virgin if you must. ALL because of this channel and this community. It's a passion I didn't even know I had! Thanks, Adam.

[ytubeanon]

I've sometimes imagined a cosplay app or website where you can enter your body proportions/measurements and a database would return suggested results based on records of fictional character's sizes

[Daz]

to the portly indy - while you might not have felt very confident there was probably someone that seen you doing your thing who is also too nervous to cosplay a certain character for whatever reason but seeing you has given them the confidence to do it next time

[ninjabard]

As an actor, putting on the costume informs so much of how I move or subtle interactions with the other actors. Absolutely correct, Adam!

[OriginalMomo]

Thank you Adam. As a very large guy, my confidence was never enough to try cosplay, but I love and understand what everyone loves about it. It’s all about personal strength and confidence. I’ve seen a 300 pound woman be Wonder Woman, and strut like she’s the most beautiful thing on the planet. That’s pure strength of character right there. Cosplay is for positivity, the community helps and supports each other. As it should be. Or, to properly phrase it…. “This is the way”.

[mickeyd]

Just when I thought I had a handle on everything you do... your emotional prowess equals your technical abilities. Well played sir.