/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

>high school
>weird, no friends
>graduate
>college
>quiet, no friends
>start cosplaying/wearing lolita
>get into the comm
>everyone knows everyone
>meet my best friends through lolita
T-thanks /cgl/

>have friends that are into status quo shit
>I hate everything they are into
>discover cosplay
>go to conns and hang out with lots of people but dont make lasting relationships
>hang out with my friends and closet cosplay

ohh my wallet >.<

Honestly? I have no idea. If anything it's made me more picky.
I can't stand attention whores now (see 90% of cosplay/lolita comms), I'm more choosy over the quality of clothes, and cosplay is more like a chore because I make sure I have all the details now whereas before I would make it from vague references.

Wish I was still in blissful, weeby ignorance sometimes.

I'd say it has. I came to this place where I am not knowing a damn soul, save for one person I met and chatted to over the internet. She invited me to a cosplay meetup, and now I have a buttton of friends in just a year.

If I hadn't met them I'd be stir fucking crazy by now so yeah my quality of life has improved. As well I think it's improved my ability to talk to strangers by a ton.

Yes and no.

I met new friends, but they're all faggots because they would rather sit around and play video games and listen to one dude play the guitar rather than drinking a beer and smoking a hookah. A FUCKIN HOOKAH!

>learn about why all the cosplayers I admired are terrible people
>learn all the myriad ways my body is disgusting
>spend far too much money on burando
>find myself missing fat old cosplayers I've never met
>learn too much about personal lives of people I don't care about
>realize a lot of the cosplay I found so impressive before was terrible and/or store-bought
>learn about huge backlog of dramu every time I meet a new lolita
>assume all lolitas I don't know are bitchy cunts
>become a bitchy cunt
>hate self
>hate you
>hate everyone
thanks /cgl/

>too autistic to make friends at cons
>spend too much on my costumes
>become even more self conscious about my body and facial features
>walk around being absolutely miserable and alone at cons
Honestly I think I'd have more fun if I just stopped cosplaying and focused on photography at conventions

I was a social recluse for a year and a half, nearly full hikki mode. Lolita, anime and cosplay has made me go outside and make friends and get a job.

>was on her way to becoming a Hispanic version of PT
>lurk /cgl/
>come across PT threads when they were prevalent
>become horrified
>PT becomes my anti-role model
>begin trying to be a better daughter for my mom
>start working on my fashion sense

>>6639357
you too..?

>halfway done with anime when I come across /cgl/
>find some good advice between dramu
>fall for dramu
>can't help but notice the same things about people around me
>fuck everything

>>6639398
>social recluse
>hikki
>female

NO, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS AS ME, WOMEN LIVE EASY MODO YOU CAN'T POSSIBLY HAVE PROBLEMS

Sorry, I just had to.

It's improved my skill somewhat thanks to the tutorials and help people post. Otherwise though it's just made me super critical of myself and others.
>Cosplay = No fun
>Attention whores are the scum of the earth.
>Must be fit and attractive or get out.

>get into lolita
>all friends stop talking to me
>hate local lolita community
>become obsessed with being lolita popular

...nope. but at least the joy of wearing lolita gives me something to live for.

>>6639555
good luck being popular lmao chances are you won't

Lolita inspired me to stop sitting on my fat ass and lose weight. The dresses are motivation, not a goal. But I've lost 60lbs so far and I'm still not close enough to my goal (another 40lbs or so to go), but as I've been losing weight and fitting in to really nice clothes that aren't target or old navy I've been gaining more confident in myself and caring about the way I look. That's overall improving my life because I always lacked self-esteem and tried to just blend in.

>hate middle school
>start watching anime and playing games
>stop socializing with friends
>discover /cgl/
>embrace dramu
>now a no life loser stirring delicious dramu

>be into drugs all throughout highschool, horribly depressed
>be diagnosed with BPD, bipolar, anxiety, depression with psychotic features
>be smoking weed erryday and doing salvia, mushrooms, acid, anything that is given to me
>become a depressed delusional mess
>tfw if I never strayed from the weeaboo path this wouldn't have happened
>start doing less drugs, go to university
>start realizing I need to accept my "inner child" if I want to foster an identity (BPD recovery bullshit)
>buy sailor moon collectibles to connect with inner child
>start to wear hime gyaru, mori, dolly kei
>finally felt like I was starting to have a "self" other than miserable poet artist whose life must end in suicide
>watch lots of animu and dress up like characters, make nice paintings, buy all of the Japanese clothes
>feel pretty, have healthy hobbies to enjoy, have things to occupy time with, have interests to share with others
>somehow this works and in my 4th year of uni I'm almost completely recovered from a lifetime of depression

t-thanks for holding my hand along the way, /cgl/

>>6639216

It's been good motivation to help me lose weight so far.

pros
>used to be vulgar and (potentially) slutty and generally gross; into hardcore music scene bullshit
>find out about lolita
>love
>pull the hair out of my face and tuck the loose strands behind my ears
>be happy to wear a smile
>be happy to be polite
>be happy to be happy to be happy
>finally accept my appearance and who i am etc.

[spoilers]
cons you didnt want to hear
>thin or I hate you
>so anal about fat, i hate fat
>girls people consider "thick" i consider "fat"
>fat fat fat obsessed with fat
[/spoilers even though cgl has none]


inb4 fatty

>>6639706
This sounds beautiful anon,tell us more!

>>6639744
love you. I know there are more like us.

>>6639536
I am actually a 40 year old fat Japanese otaku inside. I have a dakimakura and everything. Lolita and cosplay has just made me go outside and wash which I didn't do when I was hikki mode. I still only love 2D though.

For a while cosplay wimmins where my best thinspirations. Seriously lacking that right now.
Skinny wimmin step your game up unless you want another fatty fatty boom boom wandering around this hobby. I don't hate fat people, I just hate being fat...but I hardly have motivation to not be fat...so....your move skinny wimmins.
(Ps, skinny wimmins with nice boobies. Flatty patties need not apply.)

>>6639806
Who's your daki? Do you husbando or do you slut around? (I slut around, no judgments.)

>High School Freshman year
>slightly chunky, not fat, but definitely getting there
>Think I'm the ugliest shit alive
>ending my weeb stage but still there
>Summer after freshman year, lose 20 pounds via diet and exercise
>Sophomore year lose another 10 pounds
>I'm now eating about 500 calories a day, and exercising at home everyday, burning about 600 calories in an hour.
>I become obsessive with my weight and exercise, to the point where I will exercise even if I did strenuous activity (hoeing the garden, cleaning the attic, etc.)
>continue this til I graduate High School and go to college.
>Take Japanese class for language requirement, because why not?
>Join Culture Club and Anime Club as well
>Find out what a weaboo is at Anime Club
>At culture Club, meet my first lolita
>Fall completely in love
>Start lurking on egl, tumblr, etc, all the while not sure if I should try it.
>Still think I'm ugly as sin at this point.
>find article about self confidence and Lolita. Read whole thing and decide to give Lolita a shot.
>I've been in it for a year now, and my self confidence has definitely improved. I've still got a long ways to go, but I think I can do it.
Thanks, lolita.

>>6639756
I don't know what else to say! I still have a lot of social anxiety issues but I've never been this happy before. Even when bad things happen I can pick myself up. It was scary for a while because, as someone with bipolar, I assumed me recovering was just hypomania and that I could slip back into it at any second. I'm amazed myself at how I recovered, it seemed impossible for me. Three years ago I definitely thought I was going to kill myself, I had concrete plans, and backup plans in case those didn't work, and didn't tell anybody about it. I was really, really depressed and I couldn't shake myself out of it. Around that time I put down the Sylvia Plath and made a new blog that focused on the happier things I enjoy, because I was sick of being miserable, and sick of feeling like I didn't know who I was. I realized there was still so much I wanted to do with my life and that I have a lot of potential, so I didn't just want to throw it away. I couldn't sit around feeling sorry for myself anymore, so I surrounded myself with things that made me happy, and it eventually really started to work. It sounded stupid at first even to me, but doing things as small as buying cute school supplies with happy messages on them, listening to happier music, and wearing brighter, prettier clothing made a world of difference, because it completely changed how I perceived myself. I was so terrified of losing my old identity because I clung to it so firmly, and because I couldn't think of anybody I wanted to be. Finding this world of weeaboo allowed me to finally move on from who I thought was doomed to be. /cheese

>>6639706
Shit nigga, you're making me cry.

>like animu and vidya
>fairly low powerlevel
>defensive, caustic demeanor makes it hard to make friends
>go to conventions
>make total ass of myself, but have fun doing it
>nothing like this out in the regular world

I don't know if I've succeeded or fucked up

>improved your quality of life?
hahaha No

>look around at all the fat, sweaty, poorly-costumed losers at cons and realize that these are the exact people sitting behind their computers trying to make everyone else feel insecure about themselves on 4chan
>stop cosplaying
>have a hard time enjoying cons anymore because of the hypocrisy and the nerd-on-nerd bullying
>MEANWHILE
>make a zillion friends in lolita
>take amazing trip to Japan
>get picked to model in brand shows
>gain self-esteem
>have closet full of gorgeous dresses that I love
>do photoshoots all the time
>gain an interest in fashions outside of Japanese stuff and start dressing well all the time
>college, highschool, and work friends think my lolita outfits and activities are awesome and ask me about them all the time, bringing us closer together

Cosplay had a negative influence on my life, but wearing lolita has been an overwhelmingly positive experience for me.

>>6640029
At least you're self-aware and honest with yourself!

>crippling social anxiety
>been lurking cgl for a few years now
>been meaning to get into cosplay for that same amount of time
>panic attacks over what might happen when i become a cosplayer/go to a con in cosplay/the aftermath
>constantly worried
>admire cosplayers from a distance

> Complete social failure
> How do I clothes/makeup?
> See lolitas think they are beautiful
> Decide to lose weight, stick pictures of dresses on the fridge to remind me not to eat crap
> Learn makeup and how to coord
> My comm are lovely and meets get me out socialising with strangers
> Holy crap I can talk to people!
> Holy crap people want to be my friend!
> Pray thanks to Mana-sama

>>6640122
What a nice fairy tale.

>>6640131
You aren't alone, my friend.
We will cosplay (and hold conversations with three dimensional human beings) one day.

>>6640217
I agree, my life is pretty great now. Sorry yours isn't!

>>6640126
I guess...

>punk rocker many years
>be in mid 20's
>poor makeup choices and techniques add an appearance of 5+ years to face
>poor punk rock fashion choices intimidate everyone and no one wants to be friends with me
>discover ulzzang makeup and fashion
>discover all things kawaii
>now look 10 years younger
>now look like a doll
>can't go out without getting complimented or hit on, even for a midnight run to the grocery store
>get free shit from Korean restaurant owners whenever I go eat
>get free shit from Korean grocery store owners whenever I go shop
>get free shit from any Korean business owner really
>because Koreans are shallow and are proud to have me "represent" them even though I'm hapa and if I were ugly they'd probably hate me

ITT: pipe dreams

It hasn't, it's just made me poor.

>>6639706
Do you blame the drugs for your depression? Because if so, that's pretty stupid.

You should try them again. Tripping and being high is so much more fun when you're not depressed.

Lolita has really done nothing besides make me poor and happy.

I don't live anywhere near other lolitas, and even the closest comm is so far away I can only really make the trip to a few meetups a year.

I have few female friends, and none of them are interested. I've even tried to get my male friends into it, and that's not happening either...

So instead I waste my time on steampunk (haha. I'm such a fag.)

>Confident in weight and in way of dressing, I feel like I'm the most special person out of everyone I know
>Browse /cgl/
>Realize I'm fat and that I can never be as pretty as the people that wear japanese brands
>Go on crazy diets and to the gym, not losing any weight at all
>Can't find a job to afford buying the pretty clothes
>Gained weight in the shape of a potbelly and have been only wearing wool sweaters and leggings

cgl has made me regress.

>>6640703
Wow, you're unlucky

>>6640703
I used to have loads of self confidence in middle and highschool. I never understood why girls on tv shows were always so worried about their looks.

I never thought about WHY I never had a boyfriend while I was growing up. I just thought the guys at my school were hoodrat idiots.

>graduate
>realize 'adult' men aren't interested in me
>male customers are rude to me while they flirt with the other cashiers at my store
>guys only ever want to have sex with me but have no interest in dating me
>never pursued by men
>suddenly realize I'm ugly and fat

>>6640230
Wow, Calm down. Post more. Please, Tell us about your glorious adventures.

When I first started going on /cgl/, I was so into it. I got really into the "rules" of lolita and cosplay and bitched about people who were "ugly" or "doing it wrong", etc. etc...

Then I stopped going on /cgl/ for a while. I grew up and stopped being so rude and nasty. I realised it was just a stupid waste of time and was ruining my enjoyment of lolita and cosplay. Plus, half the people I bitched about weren't even doing that much wrong. It's not like they're hurting anyone by wearing a bad outfit or something.

So actually, being OFF this board is what helped me. I'm glad I can browse it now for pictures and help threads and discussion without being so judgmental and bitchy all the time. If that's what you like doing, fine, whatever, but I feel so much happier now that I don't waste my time complaining about what other people look like.

Coming here has made me feel a lot shittier about being black/mixed... like I'll never be "/cgl/ pretty" because I'm not pale and stuff.

>>6640131
>>6640227
Me too :[

>>6640727
Preach it! Yes, they look weird. Does it matter? Nope. Do I also look weird? Probably. Should we just move on? Yep.

>>6640727
I feel exactly the same. I realized one day while on /cgl/, that maybe I was the bad person, not the girl wearing a dress she thought looked good and felt pretty in. So I took a break, and now, when I feel the urge to give a mean comment, I just think of how I'd react to see something like that written about me. I stay away from the drama threads and I'm only here for inspiration, help and calm discussions (as few of those as we have).

>>6640825
Don't care about being "/cgl/-pretty", nobody is pretty in the eyes of this board. There's always one little detail people can blow up and rip you apart for, no matter what you do. So focus on being pretty for yourself instead!

>>6640853
This, exactly. Haters gonna hate, people will nitpick at you for anything and everything. All you can do is improve for your own self, not for other people's approval.

>>6640853
>>6640863
Thanks guys :3

I grew up in an emotionally abusive household and thought I wasn't good at anything, that I was worthless, and that I shouldn't ever try anything because I was just going to suck anyway. Then my best friend's mom taught me how to sew and encouraged me to try cosplaying along with my best friend, and I realized I'm actually fairly artistic and love to do creative things as well as to work with my hands. It opened me up to trying new hobbies, and going to cons helped me to be more social and gain confidence. I've always had body image issues as well, and while sites like /cgl/ haven't helped that, I have been more motivated to get in shape for a costume rather than starving myself after bein involved in cosplay, for whatever reason.

So I'd say that, overall, yes, cosplay has helped me in a lot of ways.

>>6639565
Lolita and cosplay have helped me want to lose weight too. I've lost about 40 pounds so far, and I have about 40 more to go before I'm not a hambeast anymore, but I'm glad that I have a hobby that has inspired me to lose weight. Sitting around and playing WoW didn't really do that.

>>6639216
Your mother OP sounds like she's bored of her own life. People who bitches on cgl are pretty much
>bored, ugly and insecure

staying here makes you even more
>bored, ugly and insecure
because you won't get time to think or do anything else but have these opinions on an anonymous board. all of my lols for seagulls who thinks cgl or lolita improved any quality of life.

Are you kidding me? What a shit thread.

>>6640554
No, they just made me quasi-psychotic and delusional. By "lifetime of depression" I meant I literally had depression my whole life, and I think I did drugs to cope but they made it worse at the time. I still do hallucinogens in the summertime, and have a hoot once in a while, but I like to keep my mental health in check for the most part.

>>6640554
Also they were really fun, even at the time! I never had a bad trip. It was actually just when I wasn't doing them, and was by myself, and when I was smoking weed almost constantly that it really fucked with me.

/cgl/ has helped me with one thing outside cosplay. It gave me confidence to break up with a weeaboo boyfriend and lose the friends holding me down.

>I have horrible self confidence issues
>Randomly poking around because I heard of cgl from coscom
>Got posted as a 'doing it right' cosplay thread >Then anon called me pretty
>Started going on /cgl/ regularly
>Ton of fun at the get together at a convention and make new friends that don't put me down

Cosplay wise, cgl has made me more detail oriented and given me many many tutorials for my cosplays. I'm very happy to have discovered cgl.

Being able to make things that are nice enough for other people to compliment, and nice enough for friends to ask me for sewing lessons or help really helped my confidence.