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Why I *Probably* Won't Cosplay Harley Quinn Again

5/23/2017

11 Comments

 
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Harley Quinn was my first waifu, my intro into geekdom, and the first comic book character I ever felt a connection with. This is why I *probably* will never cosplay her again.
I've been cosplaying officially for just over two years now. It's been a short adventure so far, but it's been a whirlwind nonetheless. I've been a geek for much much longer. I wasn't a geek through out school - just a dweeb. I had glasses and braces at the same time. Therefore, I don't have an emotional recount of being bullied* for being a geek and making a comeback to show them what's up.

*I was totally bullied throughout school. Just not for being a geek.
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​I developed a love for geekdom shortly after high school through mutual friends and ex-boyfriends. I was introduced to so many fandoms. I'd never seen so many Spider-Man comics in one place before. And then a few hangouts later I was hooked with my good friend's collection. We'd spend nights playing 8-bit TMNT, or Capcom vs Streetfighter, or Lego Batman.
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​I adopted a dog named Harley, and rather than imagining a bike or a romance novel, I saw the love of Mista J's life. The underrated villainous queen of comics. Although she did suffer the nickname Harley Rae Jepson for a short while...

​​Harley led me to a nerdy relationship watching all the seasons of Yu-Gi-Oh and going to my first ever comic convention. Shortly after that I fell in love with cosplay and even dabbled for the first time a few years back.
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One of my first official completed cosplays was Bombshell Harley Quinn. It was the easiest variation of her I could pull off with my timid beginner thrifter skills. I had plans and aspirations to do all versions of her eventually, and I even still have designs for an apocalyptic / steampunk version of her still in my cosplanner list.
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But 18 cosplays, and 11 cons later, I find myself dreading the idea of a Harley Quinn cosplay. I still adore Harley Quinn as a character, I even loved the brand new update she got in Suicide Squad. But the thought of cosplaying any version of her now makes me a bit sad.

​​I guess I should be happy that Harley is finally getting the recognition she deserves, but for whatever reason, she seems to have lost integrity at conventions. It seems like a game to count all the Harley cosplays at a convention because you're guaranteed to see a large number of them every day, in different variations of the character. It seems like every cosplayer has tried a variation of Harley Quinn at least once in their career.
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​Is this a bad thing? No! Everyone still looks amazing, and the cosplay is in no way a taboo. But for me, I look at this special character I connected with for the past 10 years. She was underrated, unique, and rare. Now she's an iconic symbol of geeks everywhere. I feel like I've lost the special connection with her I once had.

​Friends still send me memes that reference her, or fan art mashups with her, and I will always say how cool it is, but my heart just doesn't appreciate her as much anymore. My waifu is now just a symbol of my past and something everyone else does. Just not me!
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I've always been one of those people who said "I liked this before it was cool." I did it with music, tv shows, clothing style, whatever. I've always liked feeling different and special. *GASP* SOMEONE IS ADMITTING THAT ON THE INTERNET. So now that my Harley Quinn is as common as the air we breathe, I'm just kinda bored of her.

​​I know I have all the wrong reasons and I shouldn't care about anyone else's opinions, but it's exactly how I feel and I'm wondering if others feel the same! Comment below whether you agree or disagree to open a friendly discussion!
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11 Comments
Chris
5/23/2017 02:48:38 am

it does seem like everyone has done a Harley Quinn. I thought there was more at Edmonton Expo than Calgary Expo, but maybe that's because I've started to tune her out? I would like to see different versions of her other than Suicide Squad but that's just me

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FairChild
5/23/2017 02:57:36 am

This is the same exact reason I have never cosplayed Harley, even though I loved her.

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B
5/23/2017 08:03:29 am

It definitely kinda sucks the fun out of characters we love!

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B
5/23/2017 08:04:47 am

I love seeing all the variations of her that people come up with! It just feels overdone now though. I definitely feel like people have started to tune her out after the flood of suicide harleys!

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Dee link
5/23/2017 10:10:41 am

First your Harley Cosplays were amazing!
That Harley is become like the Slave Leia for a few years ago.
Also I hate that everyone wears the tee all the time. Learn more about the character than that version of her!

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B link
5/23/2017 10:14:10 am

I definitely respect that some people love her at different levels, but that's been the same for every character that has more than one version. Comic book characters are especially hard to "learn more about" because they have crossovers and have different comic runs. So I would never expect someone to learn everything about a character. just loving one version of a character is totally acceptable in my books. It doesn't make someone ignorant or disrespectful by any means. =)

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Danielle @ From Girlie to Nerdy link
5/23/2017 11:18:08 am

I can absolutely understand this. It's like she's no longer just that special character to you, but now everrrrrrryone is all about her - make it is less special.

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B link
5/23/2017 11:29:25 am

Exactly! ?? She's just less shiny to me now. lol

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Garry
5/23/2017 06:40:17 pm

You can't hold on forever. I grew up during the dynasty years of the Edmonton Oilers. To me those players were sacred. Gretzky especially. I essentially stopped watching or at least closely following hockey the day he was traded to the LA Kings. He was no longer mine...he belonged to a bigger audience. To me he will always reside in my memories as an Oiler. I cling to the past. Christopher Reeve will be the only superman that matters, not because what is new doesn't compare; on the contrary what we have now is so much better. The fact is we want our memories to stay untarnished. We ignore what we need too in order to preserve what is left in our minds.

Harley Quinn indeed became popular and I am sure plenty has been written as to why; the fundamental truth is timing. The time was right for her to develop as a character that can transcend the relatively small confines she was originally meant to exist. I can recall seeing her on TV the first time. She was launched in one of the most groundbreaking animations around, but that didn't make her popular. Perhaps it was luck, but she struck a chord and the planets aligned and she became a strong independent woman while still so dependant on her man. Obviously that barely makes a speck of sense but in many ways that hypocrisy, that complexity draws people to her. The end result is she opened the door and made accessible the nerdom that has allowed so many to be accepted in ways that was unthinkable only a handful of years ago.

So shunning Harley is your way of hanging on to the Harley that meant something to you; but don't disparage what she has become. She opened the door for so many to participate in cosplay. All of those weekend warriors out there who grab the low hanging fruit and become Harley Quinn or joker, or deadpool have helped to create an atmosphere where the hardcore cosplayers who mash up psy duck with lord knows what a chance for greater acceptance and freedom.

Harley is a hero in many ways. Nerdom owes her a lot. It sucks she no longer belongs to us the way we want her to but we will always have our memories. Perhaps some day you can bring her back. When the next big thing comes around and Harley settles into the background...she just may rise again....you can only go so long with out puddin' afterall...

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B
5/23/2017 06:44:49 pm

This was actually one od the best things I've read in a while. You are so right. Harley has evolved and has become special to so many other people in ways I can't grasp anymore. She will always be special to me, and I'm definitely holding on to an older image of her. And of course she deserves her chance in the spotlight and so do all the cosplayers who represent her.

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Mariah link
5/25/2017 09:35:27 pm

I love your version of Harley.

I just went to a convention and I saw at least 2 Harley Suicide Squad cosplays. The character is popular now and so I can see where you would want to move on to other cosplays.

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