SurvivingInfidelity.com^®

I have a friend whose daughter who is about o turn 15 this year is interested in this. Is it harmless? What are the potential negatives of this? I can't figure it out and appears harmless like those interested in Star Trek or just a phase. I was extremely traditional maybe I am under thinking it. Thanks just concerned about my friend and am totally confused by the Internet

Some anime is sexualized. Not all, but some. Some cosplay also turns very sexual.

It's sort of like with the books she reads, the tv she watches, the internet sites she visits - there is a lot that your friend wouldn't want her to see, but that doesn't mean she completely bans her from books, tv, the internet.

Thanks! Really - is it primarily for those who are into discovering sexuality or is it truly based on something?

What do you mean?

Cosplay is dressing up as specific characters from movies, comics, etc. Star Wars Cosplay is an easy example - a group may dress up as Luke, Leia, Han Solo, that wookie guy, etc. all in costume together. Or a group of girls might all wear different Leia costumes. It can be completely innocent, or it can be completely sexual (think chain bikini). For a fifteen year old, I would hope that her mother is involved, supervising, actively participating in what the teen is doing and getting involved with.

Anime is comics, both in written and animated versions. It has a story line, characters, etc. like any other comic. It's just a style of art that makes it uniquely anime. Started in Japan, is now much more widely available. Again, some of it may be sexual, but not all is. Some is just normal stories, like anything else. Like with books - yes there are trashy romance novels out there, but there are also normal books. You wouldn't want your fifteen year old reading Fifty Shades of Grey, but that doesn't mean you won't let her read The Hunger Games, just because both are books.

I think I am getting it So you Cosplay a certain character that comes from an Anime?

Are there any negatives at her age or is it like a glorified Halloween sort of dress up? She is very bright but she devotes a ton of time to this.

Thank you again and yes supervised I think is the issue.

Anything can be turned into a sexual fetish. But if you are talking about a 15 year old girl cosplaying at a convention I think it is relatively harmless. Anime conventions usually have panels, places to purchase merchandise, places to watch anime, games, and often ends with a dance. I think it is harmless. I would feel more comfortable of my 15 year old cosplaying at an anime convention than just driving around at night with high school friends.

I also think cosplaying is a great way for kids to expel creative energies. I would definitely not put anime cosplay up there with predators and sexual deviants.

[This message edited by Dark Inertia at 2:29 PM, June 16th (Sunday)]

My daughter was the president of the anime/manga club at her high school. It's Japanese animation and writing. When I was a little kid I used to watch the cartoon, Speed Racer, on tv. That cartoon was Japanese anime. Sailor Moon is an example of manga/anime, a Japanese story turned into a cartoon.

I'm not at all a strict parent but the sexual side of anime concerned me. I allowed her to do cosplay as long as it was something like a local party exclusive to her age group. Her whole club would attend cosplay conventions when they came to our area each year only not with her because I told her not until she was 18. She hated me for that. I don't care . She's always been a good girl. Her friends are all great kids as were the members of the club. I kinda wanted to make sure it stayed that way. The conventions can be quite large full of random strangers who were much older than her and I wasn't comfortable with that due to the sex side of anime/cosplay. But as I said, the club members and her friends were good kids who happened to have parents with a different opinion than mine.

My daughter is big into this and has been since she was maybe 13? She's 19 now. I always went to the cons with her and her friends and gradually let her have more and more freedom. There are definitely skimpy costumes, but mostly they all seemed geeky rather than about sex. After 10pm it gets more "sexy" and skimpy, but we were back in the room by then. There are all ages at the cons--including families.

Anime does have sub-genres that are about gay love themes, lesbian love themes. So if non-traditional relationships bother your friend that might be a sticking point......

Heck, there is a game where you date pigeons. Those crazy Japanese.

Mostly, though, it's about dressing up in costumes and taking pictures. I don't think it's any more sexual than some of the things teens wear today. It's just weirder.

Mostly, though, it's about dressing up in costumes and taking pictures.

That has been my experience... dressing up in the best costumes and taking lots of pics, lol.

Google Cosplay photos and click on the images tab and you can get a pretty good idea on the range, from fairly innocent to certainly adults only.

Anime and manga can be fairly innocent, as long as you avoid hentai.

Good old parental supervision will keep her safe. The cosplay/anime scene here in Dallas is pretty safe for a 30 something year old but it could get a little tricky for a young girl

Thank you! This is so helpful. I wasn't sure how to help as I kept on getting confused by the characters and the understanding of a con. She is around older people and I think that also might be a concern. I have offered my help thought about volunteering at an event but I would be so clueless and to be honest I didn't watch Star Wars until my late 20s! Thank you again this really does help!

My SDD12 is really into cosplay. It kinda scared me at first not understanding it at all. I have taken her to a couple cons. From what I have observed it seems pretty harmless. "More geeky than sexual". There is sexual undertones to quite a bit of it.

In a way I think it has given her a way to process the changes she is going through as an alter ego.

She seems to have come out of her shell through cosplay. At first it was just when she was dressed up but now it is all the time. She is more confident and funny. More open about thoughts and feelings. Her anime art has taken off. Her talent is mind blowing.

Like Amazonia said sexual stuff is everywhere. You cant ban books as a whole. With good involved parenting, cosplay itself is nothing to worry about.

to be honest I didn't watch Star Wars until my late 20s!

I am guessing it was the digital re-release then.

Something you have to know then to raise your children properly is that despite what that version will show them, in the original Han shot first. It totally changes the whole trilogy when you know this, and provides valuable life lessons.

In a way I think it has given her a way to process the changes she is going through as an alter ego.

Definitely this for my daughter as well.

With good involved parenting, cosplay itself is nothing to worry about.

Totally agree.

Eventually hearing "Mom, can you help me with my wig?" will not be strange!

This is the latest cosplay she wants to do. Pretty tame. She needs a lot of help making all this stuff, but it's fun bonding time.

If Your friends DD asks her to make a fur suit, my best best advice is to buy one!!!! (After nine hours of attaching fake fur, she wore the damn thing twice)

WOW that's a HUGE pic...oops

[This message edited by broevil at 8:37 AM, June 19th (Wednesday)]