Sexual harassment a major problem at Birmingham MCM Comic Con
A high number of sexual harassment and assault complaints have been reported from Birmingham’s MCM Comic Con.
Reported on social media during the event that took place on the 18th and 19th November and after, many cosplayers – mostly women – experienced a number of issues including:
Catcalling
Groping
Harassment
Unconsented photos (including up-skirt shots)
Misogynistic comments
Clothing being ripped off
Every November and March, Birmingham’s NEC hosts the 2 day event. The event attracts thousands of visitors from across the UK across the weekend.
Cosplay is the practice of dressing up as a character from a film, book, or video game. However, female cosplayers are still being sexualised by the national media. See below for examples:
Source: Daily Mail
Source: The Sun
“They walked off laughing as if nothing happened”
Ashleigh Willis from Wellingborough told me about an incident that took place on the Saturday:
“A group of boys decided to pull off my wig and called me a slut for showing a bit of skin in my cosplay…they had grabbed my ass and pulled down to the ground and said sorry in an aggressive manner. They walked off laughing as if nothing happened. If it wasn’t for my partner and my friends coming with me to the con, I wouldn’t feel safe at all.”
Other cosplayers mentioned photographers taking between-leg photos without consent and focusing on the breasts of cosplayers rather than their costume.
Manvir Sohta travelled from Scotland to attend the event and cosplay. He spoke to me about an incident that took place in the men’s bathrooms during the event:
“…he wanted a picture so we took a selfie then he sort of stroked my right buttcheek...I have no idea but this convention seemed to be bad for it compared to how it usually is”
Lack of consent is still a major problem within geek culture, not just due to misogynistic attitudes. Sexualisation of characters and models has created a culture that not only allows this to happen, but makes it difficult to speak out. Victim-blaming as well as people within the community suspicious of those who speak out means these issues are difficult to remove.
One of the many issues is that victims feel they are not treated as human beings while in cosplay. Poppy Britter from Birmingham said her harasser “knew I was with someone yet obviously didn't care.”. Interviewees, such as Razz Berry, said they were “so dumbfounded by what had just happened that I was just left speechless and confused”.
Razz Berry (centre) with fellow cosplayers
What can be done?
Many have questioned whether there can be any solutions both at the events and within the culture itself, without affecting ticket prices, creative freedom and general enjoyment.
Ashleigh suggested “We should have tighter security so that if anything goes wrong, they are the first point of call and the problem would be sorted.” However, some were concerned about the rise in ticket prices as a result of increased security. Also, security cannot patrol outside of the event where harassment still occurs, especially when other conventions are being held in the same venue.
Manvir said that the issue goes deeper than the management of the events themselves:
“[F]irst of all for would-be predators to make them know that they won’t be able to get away with it and that it's not tolerated, and secondly for everyone else to be made aware…that the rest of the community is ready to listen and back them up so that victims feel they are in an environment where they can say "that man touched me" and something could be done about the predator straight away”
Poppy Britter in a Fallout cosplay
Other commentators suggest that the problem is also affected by the sexualisation of female characters in comic books and films. In Bridget McGuigan’s blog post, she criticises “how professional artists hired by big name corporations, like Marvel and DC Comics, can’t even draw a girl’s chest correctly.” If people within the community are sexualising women across the board, this complicity spreads into cosplayers in the real word.
Regardless of what actions are taken by individual companies and events, there is a deeper issue within the community that has to be addressed. Cosplayers do not feel safe and cannot express their own creative freedom without fear of sexual harassment or even assault.
We have reached out to MCM but they have not commented.
