Admit it, you’ve walked through the hallway and seen someone who you thought dressed weird or wore strange things, such as tails or wolf ears. You’ve thought in your head, “that’s weird… why would you choose to wear that to a high school?” Maybe you’ve as far as to point them out to your friend and laugh. 

You’ve gone on Tik Tok and seen people dressing up as their favorite characters and found it weird. You might’ve commented something hurtful. 

Whether you think it, speak it or even comment on it, you’re still judging someone for something that has no effect on you.

For the longest time, I was always obsessed with my own image and making myself as not-cringe as possible. I was once hyper-aware of those around me and how they would make me seem cool. I’ve always wanted a sense of control over the environment around me, even if that meant forcing others to look and act a certain way. 

Why do I care so much?

For some people, dressing up as their favorite character from an anime or book series is comforting and gives them a sense of community. Some cosplayers see it as an escape from others. They can just have fun and be themselves. 

People who put such genuine effort into doing something they love have earned such respect from me. Cosplays require so much time, skill and money to create. Whenever I see a cosplayer on TikTok, YouTube or even Instagram, it genuinely fills me with joy, especially when it’s a character that I love. 

Cosplaying is an incredible art that deserves much more praise than it receives.

For all of the cosplayers that are possibly reading this; keep doing what you love. This is your art. What right do others have to take it away? 

As for those who are a negative voice. 

Why do you care so much?

The problem isn’t just with cosplayers or weird outfits. There’s also judging on social media. For example, a girl will post photos of her in her bathing suit. You may think, “she’s too big to wear a bikini,” or “why would you post something like that on the internet.”

Here are two questions you can ask yourself before deciding to judge someone;

Will it change my life drastically?

Can I truly change what someone else wants to do?

After you’ve answered those questions, decide if you truly want to say or comment something. What you say can hurt someone deeply. Decide if it’s worth it.