Guidelines for Cosplay: hetalia

Guidelines for Cosplay

Recently there was an incident at Anime Boston, that involved an ill-considered Seig Heil in front of a busy street on Passover. Details are here. And there are reports that this was not an isolated incident.

There seemed to be general agreement that this behavior reflects poorly on our community. To that end, I have compiled suggestions and general guidelines, from community members, for cosplayers, event organizers, and con attendants.

About cosplay etiquette: Costumes and Behavior

Cosplay is a lot of fun. It's a great way to show your love for your series. I've done it on several occasions mostly to show love for more obscure anime series.

However as cosplayer, you represent the fandom, especially to non-fans.

Moreover, Hetalia cosplay is a bit trickier than most other cosplays. The characters represent real countries and historical periods. They can include elements of military uniforms and in some cases will be mistaken for these uniforms by people unfamiliar with Hetalia.

And depending on the context, the actions you take can have repercussions outside getting thrown out of a con. Ill-considered behavior can hurt your chances of future employment, or it can get back to your parents or school.

Here is a list of guidelines to consider when representing our fandom to others, which has been collected from other members of the community.

Let's be clear: these aren't rules. We can't enforce these. Many cons, however, do have rules and can kick people out if they're not followed. Please at least keep them in mind.

For cosplayers:

Keep the following guidelines in mind when designing your costume and attending conventions. These aren't hard and fast rules—use your best judgment and you'll be fine. Most cons have rules in a similar vein. These guidelines apply to Hetalia cosplay, but they can apply to other fandoms that reference historical events.

Follow con rules. Many cons prohibit historically sensitive symbols such as swastikas. After the AB fiasco, more may follow. If yours is one of them, please listen to them and don't give them any trouble about it. They work very hard to organize these events, and their regulations ensure more fun for everyone.

Some cons also restrict realistic-looking weapon replicas, so double-check beforehand if you plan to bring one.

Follow the laws of your country. This post is primarily for cosplay guidelines in places like America, but other countries have laws about historical and national imagery. For example:
--The swastika is banned in Germany and Austria. See this Wikipedia article.
--France has similar laws prohibiting the display of Nazi imagery.
--The Communist hammer and sickle and the Red Star are banned in many former Soviet-occupied countries, such as Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland

Even if these symbols are not banned in your country, please be aware of the effect they have on people and the reasons why they can be banned.

Also keep in mind laws concerning civilian use of military uniforms. (though Hetalia uniforms usually diverge from real life military uniforms). This particularly applies outside the convention center. See this post for more details.

Think. Mind your behavior. It is easy to get carried away in the moment, thinking harder about being “in character” than how you, the cosplayer, are coming across to everyone else. But when you act people will see YOU before your character. In general:
--No unsolicited physical contact. What can be playful IC behavior for a character can be unpleasant harassment for others.
--Seig Heils are not appropriate behavior in public spaces. Seriously.

Respect the countries. We all love Hetalia and its nation-tans. All fans hope they'll be respected. Here are a few tips from community members:
--Researching your costume is a great way to show respect for the character and the country they represent
--Language: if you want to use bits of your cosplay's language, if you research not only the words but the inflections, you'll look like a smarter, more dedicated fan.
--To that end, if your costume includes a flag in it, please respect it. For more details and why this is important, see this post. The US in particular has a flag code that many people take seriously, including veterans and military personnel. What constitutes as "respect" varies from country to country, though better safe than sorry.

Be extra careful in non-convention spaces. Photoshoots are sometimes held outside the convention center, where people may not be aware that country-associated images and military uniforms are only cosplay. It's even more important to be on your best behavior. Due to the presence of the general public, it's more likely that your behavior will have real-world consequences.

Guidelines for organizers of photoshoots or other Hetalia events:

Especially if you're a new organizer, we recommend setting down rules for behavior and dress (drawn from here or elsewhere). I know a lot of you do something like this already, so if you do, way to go! Just remain vigilant and firm. Common topics include:

-Fascist imagery such as swastika armbands, the Nazi salute, and the Nazi flag (if not covered by general convention rules).
-Disrespectful treatment of flags; varies by location
-Inappropriate/unwanted physical contact.

From con staffer

kamuriakane: For people intending to run their own shoots, please remind people of their behaviour before you start taking pictures. You can't watch everyone, but you can have a better chance if you tell the crowd.

Finally, something that applies to us all, whether we cosplay or not:

-Don't be afraid to speak up if you see ignorant or disrespectful behavior, or tell a con organizer about it. I know it can be hard to correct your fellow fans. It can feel like tattling on them. But it is the best thing for them, for the fandom, and perhaps most of all, for you.

---

If you like these guidelines, please bookmark this page and share it with event organizers and fellow cosplayers. Or you can link to it on your journal, especially if you know a lot of people outside the main community.

On another note, I love this community and Hetalia fandom: the silly and the serious. I hope we can work together to show everything that is good about our fandom.

Feedback on these guidelines, any informative details that I missed, or suggestions for how to best to publicize them, are welcome.

If you're a event organizer and you'd like me to rewrite a copy of this for you to give to your cosplayers, please post a request here (including any additional specifications, like a tone adjustment or more/fewer rules). Or feel free to copy it and add whatever you need.

-----

Credits

This post is thanks to thanks to all the community members, especially:

-

seraphoftales for passing around the first version of this and soliciting community responses. You've been awesome!
-

jjblue1 for an awesome list that became a significant part of the early version
-

onacrystal for mentioning the existing guidelines in the Chinese hetalia community and giving us a translation for them.
-

punpunichu for another detailed and well-researched addition to the early version.
-Editing advice and encouragement from

pyrrhiccomedy
-The Hetalia mods for their correspondence, and community profile consideration
-For contributing to the discussion on flag/country/military respect:

akillarian,

atiko,

aznlunchboxxx,

choco_bani,

herm_nafer,

iroh_fancier,

kagekitsunea,

kawaiisyaoran,

manga_devotee,

mayahyena,

narcomanic,

seatapp,

silverpaws,

simplisticstar,

thecurtain
-For contributing to discussion on con behavior and historical representations:

austrian_melody,

box_of_doom,

carmisa,

miss_margherita,

pockygirl,

prussianegoist,

qualapec,

rofflecakes,

starfishyfish
-And a BIG thank you to everyone who weighed in on the original incident, especially

rose_n_carousel for bringing it to our attention. Your heartfelt feelings, thoughtful comments and support for Hetalia were what convinced seraphoftales and me that something like this was possible. We have done our best to absorb it all, and this is the result.

(please let me know if I've missed anyone, you have been miscredited, or would like me to take your name down)

Version Information
Version 1 (4/9/10): Original version
Version 2 (4/12/10): Added the following elements: details of France's anti-Nazi policies (suggested by

little_bakemono), changed a few details on the treatment of flags (suggested by

mephisto5), added an informative quote from

kamuriakane, mentioned other fandoms connected to historical events (suggested by

miezen, added a link to a post about the use of military uniforms (given by

reikofanel)
Version 2.5 (7/5/11): Added a line about weapons and changed some language.

disownmereturns

April 9 2010, 10:44:43 UTC 7 years ago

New comment

Woah, appropriate cosplay behavior is indeed a big issue. Thank you so much for drawing this up! I've linked it over at

hetalia_ph (Hetalia Philippines).

omgimsuchadork

April 9 2010, 10:59:32 UTC 7 years ago

*mems this post*

Thank you so much. :D

miezen

April 9 2010, 11:00:07 UTC 7 years ago

Excellent list is excellent, and I do hope that the people who need to see this will see it.

Also, I know this is a Hetalia specific comm (durr), but might I add something? These rules should apply to cosplay for any character that has a costume closely resembling a real military uniform, not just Hetalia. Most Hetalia fans that would be cosplaying are probably into other anime, some of which may have characters with realistic military uniforms. If you're cosplaying, say, Schrodinger from Hellsing, you should probably mind what you're doing re; being potentially offensive just as much as if you're cosplaying Germany.

IMO it needs to be kept in mind that, when cosplaying a character, you're not only representing the fandom for the series that character is from, but you're also representing anime fandom in general. A lot of non-fans will see you in costume at cons.

So please be on your best behavior when in a potentially offensive costume. You're not just representing yourself; you're representing your fandom and anime fandom overall.

alors_indikaze

April 9 2010, 23:24:07 UTC 7 years ago

Ooh! Good point about other fandoms.

kamuriakane

7 years ago

mykonos2

April 9 2010, 11:18:56 UTC 7 years ago

This is a good and huge step to improve the whole com, I like this. It should definitely be distributed...

senorita_7

April 9 2010, 11:51:35 UTC 7 years ago

Linked it at

hetalia_cosplay.

aznlunchboxxx

April 9 2010, 12:19:50 UTC 7 years ago

I'm tempted to make flyers...lmao.

youshi_semenjyu

April 9 2010, 12:24:20 UTC 7 years ago

It really just comes down to a real good dose of common sense in a lot of aspects, something a lot of the con-going population in general lacks as the con-going attendees grow younger and younger.

Though I do agree, respect for everything and everyone, including yourself, is totally key.

elanor_gilmor

April 9 2010, 12:45:37 UTC 7 years ago

I am so, so incredibly sad that because of the stupidity of a few we have to put down guidelines. All of these should be common sense.

That said, since they obviously are needed, it's good to see them written down, and if they stop one more incident like last weekends, then they are a good thing. I love our fandom, and I am glad to see people taking steps to change the way that other people see us.

missjoongie

April 9 2010, 12:52:19 UTC 7 years ago

wow kinda sad these guidelines are needed they're all pretty much common sense. hopefully moar do follow these.

ginnyseta

April 9 2010, 13:30:16 UTC 7 years ago

I've said it before, but I'll say it again: There was an incident after Katsucon this year (not Hetalia related, but it involved swastikas) and I was utterly disgusted by the direction the discussion about it went on a cosplay forum. So when I saw that this incident had happened, I was bracing myself for more idiocy.

As a whole, the fandom was EXTREMELY appropriate about it, and I LOVE how there have been discussions regarding etiquette and guidelines. It was great to see people CARING about these things, instead of just saying "Oh what's the big deal, get over it." This really showed me what this fandom is made of. Thank you. These guidelines are fantastic.

And yes, while these things SHOULD be common sense...they are unfortunately not. With the rise in bullshit I've seen lately...I'm afraid these are necessary, not just for Hetalia cosplayers, either!

Deleted comment

teruhiko

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sppandaaa

April 9 2010, 14:40:48 UTC 7 years ago

Thanks for posting this. This really needed to be done.

I was embarassed to be associated with fellow Hetalia cosplayers at Boston. I can't count how many times me and my friends were raging about the countless people who decided it would be cool to use flags as capes. -_____-

mephisto5

April 9 2010, 14:56:14 UTC 7 years ago

Agreed on the Nazi salute, but that post about flag ettiquette? Bit OTT.

April 9 2010, 23:33:19 UTC 7 years ago

Originally it hadn't crossed my mind, but during the discussion there were many outspoken community members who were as passionate about flag treatment (including the person who made that flag post), so I decided to include it.

I think it's something to keep in mind at least, as a politeness thing.

kurukii

mcelligots_pool

April 9 2010, 15:34:31 UTC 7 years ago

-Disrespectful treatment of flags, such as dragging a flag on the ground or sitting on it.

THIS.

People, please remember that you are not 5 years old, and that a Country's flag is not a common blanket or towel. PLEASE, NEVER USE IT AS A CAPE. You have no idea how disrespectful that is to both the country and the countrymen. ;_;

Thank you for the guidelines, I'll keep it on hold to pass around communities :)

temiikon

April 9 2010, 15:50:12 UTC 7 years ago

Just when I was about to lose faith in the fandom -- especially after Anime Boston -- this post comes along. Thank you (and the contributors!) for being some of the more mindful people we're associated with, and for speaking the mind for those of us who don't act in a disrespectful way.

Now, I just hope that people actually take heed to this post...

na_nani_ni

April 9 2010, 15:57:25 UTC 7 years ago

This. Approved. 8Db

Go Hetalia Fan Community!

sweetngenki

April 9 2010, 20:13:46 UTC 7 years ago

Major thanks to you and all who contributed! I'm linking to it in

nm_hetaliafans.

April 9 2010, 20:25:00 UTC 7 years ago

Thanks for posting this. As someone who was in on the planning of the Anime Boston photoshoot, believe me when I say that we has spent months and countless posts telling people that these things were not acceptable. I genuinely believe that the people who instigated it were not people who frequented the forums. Does that make it better, no, but it is something to keep in mind at shoots. Everyone is not on the forums or a member of this community.

I left said photoshoot partway through to run a panel on called "Swastika in Anime and you or Why Cosplaying a Nazi isn't cool." Specifically set up because we were afraid someone would pull this. I am bringing this panel to other NE cons, so encourage people to come! If anyone in any other areas is interested, please contact me. We would all be glad to share what we came up with.

For people intending to run their own shoots, please remind people of their behaviour before you start taking pictures. You can't watch everyone, but you can have a better chance if you tell the crowd. We've got to police ourselves far better than we have been. Having "rules" is great, but if people aren't aware of them, they are of little use.

April 10 2010, 00:09:23 UTC 7 years ago

Ah, great! I was hoping to talk to an organizer. Thanks for commenting.

Yeah, the main reasoning behind this post (and the discussion that preceded it) was that I had hoped to put the community on the same page as the planners. Hopefully it would increase the probability that people would know about the guidelines, and that would make it easier for you guys to enforce them or determine your own.

A big YES to your last paragraph; mind if I add it to the main post?

Thank you very much for all your efforts especially regarding that panel! That level of dedication is an inspiration to me.

prussianegotist

April 9 2010, 20:25:21 UTC 7 years ago

Oh I'm all a flutter about being credited ohoho.

I'm glad that the accent thing I was worried about got toned down to a much more agreeable standard than NO ACCENTS EVER. The tone of the whole thing was very friendly but formal, it's so nice.

roxas4ever

April 9 2010, 20:27:14 UTC 7 years ago

Thank you so much for posting this <3 This is a subject which needs to be communicated more. I saw some obnoxious behavior at a convention last year that made me a little sad to be a Hetalia fan. Hopefully we can clear up the bad rep Hetalia is getting by showing the better, more globally aware side of the fandom :)

seraphoftales

April 9 2010, 20:41:07 UTC 7 years ago

Yo! You posted it~

Thank you for the credit. (I honestly wasn't expecting that)

I'm going to try and see if I can get the Hetalia fanclub on deviantart to post these guidelines too. And well the hetalia_ph got this as well... Oh, I could got to the hetalia masterlist moderator and ask to put a up link under cosplay.

April 10 2010, 00:14:11 UTC 7 years ago

Man, there was no way I couldn't credit you. You got the whole ball rolling with the discussion post after all! (not to mention all the feedback you gave) ♥ ♥

The masterlist is a great idea!

kogetoasty

April 9 2010, 20:48:16 UTC 7 years ago

Thank you.
Let's hope people will at least learn a thing or two about being respectful.

badlucktuckxl

April 9 2010, 22:04:16 UTC 7 years ago

-bookmarks-

I'm cosplaying at a convention in about 2 weeks. I usually try to keep calm, but I'll remember all these so that I don't say or do anything stupid in the midst of the excitement. Thank you so much for posting this, I'll tell my friends about this too.

nickelodeon

April 9 2010, 22:38:43 UTC 7 years ago

Thank you for this post. Seems a little over the top but thanks nonetheless.

frerardislove

April 9 2010, 23:11:39 UTC 7 years ago

Thanks for posting. I myself was a bit wary about cosplaying for an upcoming convention. Being groped by a Korea cosplayer wouldn't be so worrisome if I wasn't a female. Or had D cups. xD I hope a lot of people read and learn from this. *adds to memories*

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