Cosplay, Creeps and You, Part 2: Electric Boogaloo.
So, was that creep really a creep? I tracked down one of the very cosplayers who appeared in my video to find out. Rian, AKA the femme!Loki to whom Greg joked about having an erection in his pocket, was kind enough to answer some of my questions and shed light on the issue. Highlights:
- Greg did not know her and she did not know him. In fact, she’d never even heard of him and was surprised to find he was so popular online later on.
- Greg did not ask her age before the interview and did not get explicit permission to post the footage.
- Rian was not aware her interview would be a “joke” or include sexual themes.
- Greg did ask her a number of appropriate questions in the beginning but ended up cutting out all of that footage, including the parts where she displayed more obvious signs of discomfort. The magic of editing!
- Rian wasn’t even wearing a particularly revealing costume. She donned the equivalent of a shirt (with shoulders covered!) and shorts. How that was “asking for it” is beyond me.
Above: Kassem G., another notorious cosplay creep.
Okay, so I have had my share of near inappropriate comments and slightly uncomfortable interviews- these bait and switch tactics are common in mainstream media let alone niche/subcultures. But cosplayers if anything like this happens at Armageddon please let me know. As cosplay has become more accepted and indeed expected there will be more potential for this sort of thing.