To Boycott or not to boycott (aka "Fake Geek Girls")

[brendala]

I've heard good things about the work of Tony Harris over the years. But I'm wondering if I should swear his comic books off from now on (and encourage my fellow nerd girls to do the same) after this dude recently outed himself as a massive, sexist piece of shit.




I'm a little late to this outrage party. But I wanna put in my 2 cents anyway (since I happen to be one of those "COSPLAY-Chiks" he despises so much)...



FUCK YOU, TONY HARRIS!!

You really think that me and my fellow cosplay girls actually RELISH the idea of sleazy assholes like you thinking of us as they jerk off? You think that we spend MONTHS sewing our costumes and crafting our props for the SOLE PURPOSE of getting attention from fanboys that we have no love or respect for? You REALLY think we have nothing better to do than troll cons looking for lonely, emotionally/sexually repressed man-children to cock tease? And you REALLY think that female cosplayers (and ONLY FEMALE cosplayers) should have to pass some bullshit litmus test to make sure that they're not only knowledgeable enough about the character they're cosplaying; but also hot enough to pass as Scarlett Johansen's twin? And that our "boobies" (seriously, your grammar and vocabulary makes me wonder if you dropped out of school after second grade) should only be on display if they're as impossibly perky as Powergirl's?

Again, FUCK! YOU! When I dress up, I'm doing for ME because I like it (or for my friends because they needed someone to fill out their Justice League photo shoot). I'm not doing it to fulfill some wicked plot to lure in lonely men like a mythical siren and then break their trusting little hearts for LOLs.

And while we're on the subject of physical attractiveness, you have no right to insult the physical appearance of female cosplayers until you shave off that nasty Grizzly Adams beard, fix those dark circles under your eyes, and lose a couple pounds. And maybe get some botox while you're at it.

**deep breath**
Now that I got that rant off my chest....

I'm glad I never got into Harris' work before this happened. But I can't help wondering if this alone should be enough for me to personally swear off every book he's ever touched. Usually, it's easy for me to separate an artist from their work and judge both things independently  (sadly, that is a necessary skill for a Republican who enjoys movies and art). And before this, Woody Allen and Roman Polanski were the only artists on my 'Eternal Boycott List' (for obvious reasons). And now I'm considering adding this guy to it. And I'm not sure if I'm being staunchly moral or just petty.

I wanna end on a positive note. So here's a hilarious dramatic reading of Harris' rant by a nerdy girl with awesome hair.

===

Comments

[oronoda.livejournal.com]

I am so tired of the misogyny with males in the geek culture. The complain about not having any hot girls in their niche and then accuse her of not being a true geek if she is.

IT IS SO TIRESOME!

[brendala.livejournal.com]

WORD!

And it drives me crazy when ugly neckbeards criticize a chubby woman for having the AUDACITY to wear spandex but don't say a word about all the fat Flashes and scrawny Thors that populate every comic con.

[brendala.livejournal.com]

Also, I bet you anything that this rant was sparked when Tony Harris hit on some scantily clad "COSPLAY-Chik" and she shot him down (or worse, had no idea who he was).

[earthstar-moon.livejournal.com]

This guy just hurts my head so much. And yet, the comic industry can't understand why they can't attract more girls? @_@

It's always tricky to decide to boycott a work or not because there are times it's actually good, despite the creator him/herself being a jerk/moron. Stu and I boycott the creator of the webcomic "Least I can Do" because he is also a sexist jerk. (Seriously, the guy has been through three artists and one of them admits that he quite because he has three sister and couldn't stand being forced to draw the sexist jokes the creator was asking him to do.)

Here, this comic is also pretty awesome, we need more like this: http://eastofthemoon.tumblr.com/post/37401141331/thegoddamazon-jakface-ive-seen-my-share-of

[brendala.livejournal.com]

That comic was awesome! I want my own Con Mom to follow me around! :)

[secondlina.livejournal.com]

First off, that damn video, I love it. I would wed this video.

Second, THIS GUY. I WISH A FLAMING PHOENIX WOULD EAT HIS FACE. I hate how, more and more, in every aspect of geekdom, women have to "prove" their worth. Even moreso is they happen to be attractive. Feminity is associated to low quality ("girly fanfics") or lies in geekdom. It's exasperating.

Honestly.

[brendala.livejournal.com]

It used to bug me when I met cosplayers who weren't into comics and did it simply because they like fashion and/or they wanted to get into modeling. But then I realized that, whether they like nerd culture or not, they're still giving us something cool to look at. So why get bent out of shape over it? Especially since a lot of those girls do commission work for nerds who want to cosplay but lack the skills to make a decent costume.

I meet a lot of weapon hobbyists at cons who make replicas of Gunblades and Kenshin swords even though they don't care about games and anime. These guys aren't "real nerds" either. But you never see them get grief over it.

[secondlina.livejournal.com]

Costumer is a job, and showing off their work at a con is publicity. I see nothing bad about it if their aim is to live off their art and make people happy. I think that might be the only type of "fake" geek that could be found. I doubt there's girls who do it just to troll for dicks and sweaty stares, as the guy says...

I mean, if you are hot and non-geeky, there's easier ways to get guys.

[brendala.livejournal.com]

I have a co-worker at my restaurant who majored in fashion. She knows nothing about cosplay or nerd culture beyond what I've told her about it. But she recently told me that she was thinking about trying to commission for cosplayers because one of her old classmates advertised at a con and made some money sewing custom dresses and props.
I think it would be AWESOME if she was able to do it even if she never learned to love the con scene the way I do (especially if I can get a cool outfit out of it).


I mean, if you are hot and non-geeky, there's easier ways to get guys.

Exactly! If I wanted to do that, putting on a mini-skirt and walking to the local public park is WAY easier and WAAAAY cheaper than making a costume, driving to a convention center, paying for admission (and a hotel if its far away), and trolling the creepers there.

[secondlina.livejournal.com]

Basically, anyone who took the time to make a costume is either a geek, or looking for work. Thinking that they are trolling for dicks is just showing one more time how a lot of middle class white dudes seem to think everything is about them and their sexuality.

[ladyrogue79.livejournal.com]

Took me a minute to figure out what he was saying. Protip to him: Spelling and grammar are good things.

And seriously, why do they always assume geek girls are fake? I'm sure there are fake geek guys out there (case in point: Playing nothing but Madden does not a gamer make.)

[brendala.livejournal.com]

Took me a minute to figure out what he was saying. Protip to him: Spelling and grammar are good things.

Now we know why he's an artist and not a writer. XD


And seriously, why do they always assume geek girls are fake? I'm sure there are fake geek guys out there (case in point: Playing nothing but Madden does not a gamer make.)

Ditto. I wish the DudeBros who think playing Halo and Madden makes them "gamers" would get half as much grief as the girls who have the audacity to dress up as Black Widow without first reading every Avengers comic in existence.

[steamage.livejournal.com]

Oh... My... Goodness. ಠ_ಠ

What.


Gross. No. I never cosplayed much, but I PROMISE YOU I never wanted gross guys to think of me when... Ugh, no. Just no. This guy is so pervy that he really thinks that cosplayers think that way? I *NEVER* went to a con to find a date- I just enjoy sewing costumes and dressing up like characters I liked. And most of the time, I knew every little bit of miniutae about the series I was cosplaying, and most of my costumes were VERY modest.

This guy is projecting his own perviness onto other people- he seems like the gross bed-intruder type. ;___; Dang. Ugh. People like this exist? ;____;

[brendala.livejournal.com]

I think Harris hit on a scantily clad "COSPLAY-Chik" at a con (probably assuming she was easy just because she was dressed as Emma Frost or whatever). And when she told him to f**k off, he wrote this screed on Facebook.