Cosplay Ethics

[ambrmerlinus]

Here on the recommendation of dorothean to propose an idea and ask for advice.

I am giving serious consideration to cosplaying Tavros from the webcomic Homestuck. There are a few logistical problems (mainly, how am I going to make those horns? and get them to stick on my head?), but those can be overcome with time, hard work, and ingenuity. What is really bothering me are the ethical problems.

Tavros is a wheelchair user.

I am not a wheelchair user.

And I really, REALLY don't want to hurt or upset anyone with my cosplay.

Logistically, it is no problem. I have the wheelchair. It is sitting in my living room as we speak. I can reach out and touch it right now.* But still: ethics.

There are several ways I could circumvent this issue. I could portray Tavros from the pre-wheelchair-using point in his canon, but that's such a small slice of the story and it honestly feels like a cop-out. (As in, the only time he is shown in the webcomic as a non-wheelchair-user is when they are explaining how he became a wheelchair user in the first place. Very quick flashback, not really the character as he is best known.)

I could also be Tavros in his post-wheelchair-using incarnation. (He gets robotic legs. The whole situation is problematic at best and disturbing at worst.) While I could conceivably make robotic legs with the magic of the aforementioned time+work+ingenuity equation, again, most of the webcomic deals with wheelchair-using Tavros, not pre-wheelchair-using or robo-legs Tavros.

Alternatively, one could argue that since cosplay is done for fun and not profit, I am not hurting anyone by pretending to be a character who uses a wheelchair. (Unlike, say, the Glee casting department, who went with a non-wheelchair-using actor for a wheelchair-using character and my God does it show in the choreography.) But this feels like misdirection to me, as in, "Okay I might be doing something objectionable but at least I'm not doing something worse like those guys!" Total cop-out, not cool.

I am telling you all this in the hopes of sparking some conversation, getting some feedback from a variety of sources outside my own head, and perhaps talking to people who have confronted this issue in the past and may have some advice.

So... thoughts?

---

*Why do I have a wheelchair on hand if I am not a wheelchair user? Short version: My roommate is the president of my school's theater company. The company puts on a production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show every year, and they own a wheelchair for that purpose. I borrowed the wheelchair to do some amateur accessibility testing on my campus... annnd I have yet to return it. They don't need it until September, I'm sure it will be fine.

Comments

[highways]

Well, like you said, it's cosplay, not serious business, so I don't really see the problem with just not using the wheelchair, and dressing like he does at any point in the canon that you feel like? I mean it's better to err on the side of not doing something awful even if it means not doing the cosplay exactly "right".

[ambrmerlinus]

Fair enough. I did hear some interesting ideas about using foam to create robo-legs.

[staranise]

I feel like, because it's cosplay and not Srs Bsns, why not use the wheelchair? I think the problem with crip drag to me is that it takes roles featuring disability away from actually disabled actors and gives them to abled ones, which you're obviously not doing. The worst I can imagine happening is some organizer saying, "Oh, we don't need to be accessible, all the people in wheelchairs are just cosplaying" but, well, those people deserve a quick swat, and they'd probably be just as stupid if they had a different excuse to back them up. On the other hand, making the use of wheelchairs a little more normal? I kinda support that.

[sqbr]

I've thought about this question myself (as someone who has mobility issues and likes Tavros, but doesn't actually use a wheelchair), and I have no neat answer. On the one hand: able bodied person dressing as a disabled person, seems a bit skeevy. On the other hand: visible celebration of a disabled character, awesome. I'm curious to know what other people say. Also: Personally I think Tavros can walk for enough of the comic that, regardless of the ethical issues, it wouldn't be out of character to play him pre-accident or post-robot legs. But YMMV!

Either way, good luck with the horns :)

[lilacsigil]

Crip drag has a long and complicated history, so I think you're going to get different answers from everyone! Do you know anyone else who has cosplayed as this character? What did they choose?

[rydra_wong]

I'm not a wheelchair user myself, so feel it's not really up to me to comment on that aspect, but:

Robotic legs as part of a costume? AWESOME. And that would avoid any possible skeeviness.

As a practical point, it feels like you're uncomfortable and worried about the ethics of using the wheelchair, so avoiding that would mean that you get to enjoy the cosplay without those background worries.

[jackandahat]

I'm not a wheelchair user, I'm a cane user, so take my opinion with a big pinch of salt.

I think as long as you're aware that a) it's sensitive territory, and b) You don't suddenly know all about being a wheelchair user just because you sat in one for a while, I think it's OK. (Please, for the love of toast, no "OMG this opened my eyes!" posts afterwards. I've seen them, they're never pretty!)

From what you're saying it sounds like being a wheelchair user is a part of the character. I think taking that away could be more awkward, because it could come across as wheelchair-using characters being too awkward to play, too problematic.

But again - I'm disabled but I'm not a wheelchair user, so.

[aron_kristina]

I don't have any physical disability, so take this with a pinch of salt, but I think that the fact that you're even asking yourself this question and seeking advice will ensure that whatever you choose it will be a good choice, because it will be an informed one, if you see what I mean.

That said, I second rydra_wong's opinion of robotic legs? Awesome!

[aron_kristina]

Somewhat OT, but better to have one's eyes opened (for a certain definition of opened, of course) than what happened to a friend of mine when she was trying to show a guy how going blind was, and he replied with "that is so cool!"

[trouble]

Will you actually be able to get around with the wheelchair or will it be way more hassle than it's worth?

[jackandahat]

This is true. I've just had way too many run-ins with people who were either very temporarily disabled, or acting for whatever reason, and have decided this means they know all. I'm not accusing the OP of this at all, it's just a concern.

[staranise]

...Oooh. Yes. If the cosplay is taking place on a stage, will there be a ramp up to it?

good question

[ambrmerlinus]

I was planning to see if I could pull off the cosplay for photos first, and then consider taking it to Anime Boston.

Googling "anime boston accessibility" is getting me no relevant results, same with "anime boston wheelchair."

The rules on the con's site state that

"Disabled persons, staff, on-duty volunteers, convention guests of honor, and dealers are not required to stand in line for entry into any Event Room. If you have any questions, please contact convention security."

which makes me nervous. If I do choose to go ahead with Tavros-in-a-wheelchair at the con (rather than pre-wheelchair or robo-legs), I will need to make it very clear to con staff that, no, not actually a wheelchair user, please let me stand in line.

That said, considering that one rule (which seems to be the only mention of disability on their site), it would seem that they are at least thinking about people with disabilities, instead of ignoring them entirely.

If I do decide to go to the con, I will have to email/call them to get more info. (Might not go at all because money and also shy.)

[ambrmerlinus]

I can promise you, no "OMG this opened my eyes!" posts are coming out of my keyboard any time soon. Or ever, for that matter. :)

[jackandahat]

Good. You didn't seem like the type, just for the fact you actually asked people's opinions, but I've had some run-ins with folk.

[kickair8p]

Silence/Invisibility = Death, so I'm not comfortable with "disrespectful to depict" arguments. That having been said, I'm not physically disabled. Respectful depiction's vital, but I've got no idea where the lines are.

Not much help, sorry.

~

[ambrmerlinus]

I don't know anyone personally, but I've looked up photos of other cosplays. Most seem to go with pre-wheelchair-using Tavros or robo-legs Tavros.

[lightgetsin]

Long comment is long.

Just for some background on crip drag that you may or may not know: there is a long and . . . uh, somewhat upsetting history of people acting as "pretenders" for the purposes of sexual fetish. Which, on the one hand, fetish, not my business, carry on. But on the other hand, the little amount of medical and academic literature available in which a few pretenders discuss what they are doing is so fucking disturbing to me because the fetish is framed in the worst of ablist language. Disabled bodies are "wrong" and "aberrant," but getting to pretend to have one feels good because you will be admired as an "overcomer." ...Ick. (I've done a lot of reading and writing on this, can you tell?)

Anyway, so my reaction is colored by the fact that, you know, this isn't that.

And I completely disagree with the commenter above who said that since you're thinking about this as an ethical issue, you'll do the right thing. No. People think about ethics and do the "wrong thing" all the time. Having thoughts is not a free pass. Assuming there even is a "right thing" here.

All that said, my bottom line reaction is that more damage is done systemically by people being too afraid to play in these waters than by the admittedly splashy people who do it and fail. Maybe someone will be offended, you just don't know. And maybe it'll just be because they're oversensitive and primed to be offended by anything, or maybe they'll be able to articulate some fundamental reason from psychology or theory why it's not okay that none of us could think of. I doubt it on that last, but who knows. The point is this is obviously something you want to do, and a character with a disability that you care about, and whose representations in fannish and media circles you want to participate in. Which is awesome. So you might offend someone, but I personally think the really ethical thing to do would be to be brave and try it anyway. Do it for the systems!

[synecdochic]

I'm a part-time wheelchair user (not speaking for all wheelchair users here!) and personally, I'd have no problem with someone using the 'chair as part of cosplay, although (as others have said) I would probably side-eye any attempt to portray it as a Noble Learning Experience (not that I think you would!)

I also don't think there's necessarily a "right thing" and a "wrong thing" here. (Or rather, I don't think there's an easy way to arrive at what's the "right thing" and "wrong thing" to do.) I mean, crip drag has a long and frustrating history, and the casting of able-bodied people as PWD in media is just plain obnoxious, but, I mean, this is cosplay, this isn't Glee. And there's a certain satisfaction to celebrating characters with disabilities, and it's kind of awesome to see someone cosplaying a wheelchair user and wanting to get it right instead of magically erasing his disability (although that's complicated even more by the fact that Tavros has times in his personal timeline where he's not a wheelchair user, so it'd be possible to cosplay him from those times without it being some kind of Cosplayer Ignores Wheelchair Because It's Too Much Hassle).

I think, ultimately, I have to go with the person who says that it all depends on how much you will find using the wheelchair exhausting/draining/etc. It's not easy to use a wheelchair for a full day if you're not used to it, and the world is a very inaccessible place -- often I will skip the 'chair (and overdo it with the cane) because I don't want to deal with the hassle of hauling myself over hill and dale in it. Even if you've done some amateur accessibility testing, unless you've spent at least a few days using the wheelchair fulltime, out and about in the world, you probably haven't gotten the full experience -- and oh my goodness does using the 'chair take it out of your upper body strength!

So, IMO, the ethical reasons to go with the 'chair and the reasons not to go with the 'chair are kind of in equal tension with each other, and the deciding vote should be cast by, will trying to use the 'chair all day make you cranky and grumpy and exhausted (and possibly injure yourself!), which will affect your depiction (and possibily your opinion) of this character with disabilities whom you clearly love, or will it be something you can cope with?

On a practical note, I might add a sign to the back of your 'chair indicating that the 'chair is a prop and not a mobility aid, which might help avoid people giving you nasty looks if/when you get out of it (and might also help avoid the people who oh-so-'helpfully' try to grab the 'chair and drive it for you -- look, there's a reason the 'chair doesn't have handles, folks, but that's a long rant for another ranting time), and I might specifically avoid using the 'chair anywhere but in the convention proper (mundanes do not grok cosplay).

(Also, for the horns: glue them to a wide plastic headband that's the color of your hair, then bobby-pin the headband in to your hair to keep it from shifting due to the additional weight?)

[aron_kristina]

I'm assuming you meant my comment, and I said 'good choice', not 'right choice', because, as illustrated by the discussion here, is no right and wrong in this case.

And I only meant that comment to apply to ambrmerlinus specific question, not every choice ever. That said, I rarely think there is a right choice, more like good choices and not so good choices. Or in some cases bad choices and choices.

[sophygurl]

And I completely disagree with the commenter above who said that since you're thinking about this as an ethical issue, you'll do the right thing. No. People think about ethics and do the "wrong thing" all the time. Having thoughts is not a free pass. Assuming there even is a "right thing" here.

Word.

Thinking carefully about a thing might make one more likely to get it right, but is certainly not a guarantee. That line of thinking always gets under my skin.

[lightgetsin]

specific question, not every choice ever.

Yes, I know, and though I apologize for mischaracterizing your adverbs, I still completely disagree with you. Op isn't immunized from failing or creating offense just by having seriously thought about the ethics here. Nor does engaging in ethical debate ensure zie will make an ethical decision. Thinking about these things is cool -- thinking about them with as much consideration and engagement as the op has is awesome -- but it's not a panacea. Ethical discussion is very helpful (and in cases like this often quite awesome), and it will hopefully help the op decide what is the comfortable choice in the circumstances for zie. But if the op does unfortunately end up confronting a situation where zie has to defend the cosplay (which would surprise me, but hey, you never know), "but I thought about it hard first!" is not a get out of jail free card, and it doesn't mean the cosplay was by definition a good choice to start with. My off-the-cuff bet is that the op is far more sensible than that, but then again I am shocked every time some otherwise really clued-in feminist blogger or fandom person (just to take two completely not random examples) is challenged on something which may or may not be faily and responds with, "but I thought about it first! I had a discussion! So of course it was okay!" That is how this line of thinking becomes disruptive and faily in itself.

Re: good question

[unrequitedangst]

Those who use wheelchairs can give you much better firsthand advice (I'm physically disabled, but not of the mobility sort), but the impression I've gotten from living here is that Boston is a terrible place for those in wheelchairs. Many streets and walkways are old and extremely bumpy, driving is difficult, and getting around T stations without being able to climb stairs will be ... interesting. I have no comment on the ethics, but you may want to give the logistics serious thought.

[jackandahat]

"I mean, crip drag has a long and frustrating history, and the casting of able-bodied people as PWD in media is just plain obnoxious, but, I mean, this is cosplay, this isn't Glee."

Also, the OP isn't taking away from an actual disabled person by playing the character. Which to me is a big part of the issue with able-bodied casting on TV - it's saying "You're not good enough to play yourselves, we're not going to give you that chance". Cosplay - doesn't matter if the OP plays this particular character, that doesn't stop an actual wheelchair user from playing them too.

Re: good question

[chagrined]

Just to comment on accessibility stuff, I don't know how this particular con is set up, but I guess I could share my own experience of being a scooter user at an anime con? It was a pretty small con, Anime Crossroads, in Indianapolis. Anyway, the hotel itself was mostly accessible, but the con setup, less so. Many of the rooms were set up with very narrow aisle ways that were extremely difficult to navigate. Also, for the cosplay competition, they had everyone go across this stage which had stairs and no ramp. It may be that Anime Boston is totally different! I was just made really cautious by that past experience and I think now if I were going to any con that didn't make its accessibility policy really transparent online, I would have a lot of worries.

[jesse_the_k]

I'm a part-time power chair user, and wow howdy I'm happy to have motors when I'm rolling around on thick hotel carpets. It's kinda like walking in sand. So mostly I'm +89 to synecdochic's comment.

If it does get to the Anime Boston stage, please post back! As someone who helped organize wheelchair access at WisCon, I'd love to talk about the nitty gritty details. If you were to use your cosplay character to successfully advocate for better wheelchair access at Anime Boston, that would be outstanding! Not to mention how bold you would be to get up on that stage.

[(Anonymous)]

I love that you posted this because I'm having that exact dilemma, and was consulting the Google Machine for answers. I don't want to offend anybody, ya know? But then, I don't want to do a cheap, shitty cosplay.

Disclaiming Sign

[(Anonymous)]

I think the "sign" idea Synecdochic had was a really good idea! That way, people will know it is only a "prop"/part of your cosplay and that you are not trying to "pass" as an actual wheelchair user (like all this "crip drag" craziness I'm hearing about on this thread). That way, I think people will be a lot more understanding about the whole situation and will probably be less likely to be get upset or angry.

(also, on a side note, if you decide to go the robot leg route, I think I should give you a fair warning: If you are planning on going the more detailed route (as in not just using silver/grey stockings and drawing robot mechanic designs on them with a sharpie or fabric marker), like making them out of foam or aluminum, you should bear in mind that they can be kind of restraining and difficult to maneuver in. I have a Vriska robot arm that I made out of foam and after a while, it becomes a little uncomfortable and I have to take it off for a little while -- and this is just an arm glove sort of thing that covers my hand and forearm, so I imagine the situation would probably be worse when you're dealing with a full pair of pants. Not to mention they also can be kind of fragile. I have to re-glue my arm all the time.... Just something I would keep in mind when deciding what you want to do.)