What is #NotACosplayer?

It is a photo-documentary project by the blog Food and Cosplay in which cosplayers hold signs quoting insults they received while in costume.

Where did #NotACosplayer come from?

Twitter account Food and Cosplay introduced the hashtag on March 9th, 2014, and began the sign portraits on May 15th, 2014.

What does #NotACosplayer mean?

The hashtag closes each quoted insult, pushing back against the "pretentious geek girl" stereotype and the idea that only certain people count as real cosplayers.

How do you use #NotACosplayer?

Participants pose in costume holding a handwritten sign with a verbatim insult they were given, ending the quote with the hashtag.

Is #NotACosplayer still popular?

It is best known as a 2014 campaign; most of its spread came in that year, including New Statesman coverage and a Tumblr repost with 18,000+ notes.

#NotACosplayer

2014hashtag / photo projectclassic

Published November 5, 2026

Food and Cosplay, a cosplay culture blog, launched #NotACosplayer in March 2014 as a photo-documentary project against cyberbullying and body shaming at conventions. By June 2014, a Tumblr collection of the images gained over 18,000 notes after the New Statesman covered the campaign.

internet memes

Overview

Each entry in the series shows a costumed participant holding a handwritten sign that quotes an actual insult directed at them, ending with the hashtag #NotACosplayer1. Signs range from body-shaming comments to accusations that the subject was too plain, too fat, too thin or not geek enough to deserve the character they portrayed2. The tone sits between protest art and testimony, with participants photographed smiling in full costume while displaying the words used against them.

The project targeted the misogynistic "pretentious geek girl" stereotype and the wider culture of policing who counts as a real cosplayer4. By pairing the quoted insult with an in-costume subject, each image turned the harasser's words into evidence against them rather than against the cosplayer2.

Gallery

Origin & Background

Platform

Twitter / Tumblr (viral spread)

Creator

Food and Cosplay

Date

2014

On March 9th, 2014, the Twitter account Food and Cosplay posted the first use of the hashtag1. Four days later, the account's owner clarified that #NotACosplayer was part of a project collecting negative comments cosplayers had heard while in costume4. Sign-holding portraits debuted on May 15th, 2014, when Food and Cosplay began posting cosplayers holding quoted insults that ended with the hashtag4.

How It Spread

On March 16th, 2014, Food and Cosplay compiled an album on the blog's Facebook page, and the post was shared more than 150 times within three months3. After a relaunch of the photo project on May 29th, 2014, outside press began covering it4.

On June 2nd, 2014, the New Statesman ran an article titled "'You're not a real cosplayer': since when did dressing up for comics conventions lead to bullying?" which featured the project2. Three days later, Tumblr user uncannycomicsmag reposted a batch of the photos, and that post gained over 18,000 notes inside two weeks5.

Timeline

2014-03-09

Food and Cosplay posts the first use of #NotACosplayer on Twitter[1].

2014-03-13

The account explains the hashtag is part of a project collecting insults cosplayers received in costume[4].

2014-03-16

Food and Cosplay compiles an album of the photos on Facebook; the post is shared 150+ times within three months[3].

2014-05-15

Food and Cosplay begins posting sign-holding portraits of cosplayers, each sign ending with the hashtag[4].

2014-05-29

The photo project is relaunched, drawing wider press attention[4].

2014-06-02

The New Statesman publishes a feature on the project and cosplay bullying[2].

2014-06-05

Tumblr user uncannycomicsmag reposts a collection of #NotACosplayer photos; the post reaches 18,000+ notes within two weeks[5].

How to Use This Meme

Participants typically pose in full costume and hold a handwritten sign that reproduces a real insult they received, closed with the hashtag #NotACosplayer. The common convention is to keep the quote verbatim, including slurs about weight or looks, so that the sign functions as documentation rather than a slogan.