The Secret Boyfriend

So let’s get a little into PR and cosplay. You’d think ‘Oh this is just a hobby, surly no one can take this seriously enough to take drastic PR tactics to improve their image.’  Well then you’d be wrong. Now let start by stating not all cosplayers are this way, most treat it as a hobby, but there are many cosplayers out there who use their cosplay as a business or present their cosplay as a public figure. We call these pseudo-celebrities and most of them the average person has never heard of.

Most cosplayers will use a fake name for their cosplay pages or create an alter ego for their cosplay self. One of the most drastic PR tactics some cosplayers will use is the ‘Secret Boyfriend’ tactic. This is when a cosplayer has a boyfriend in their real life but does not disclose so when relating to their cosplay life. Many will have their real life boyfriend attend conventions with them but when time comes to chat with a fan they pretend they are single and the real life boyfriend disappears for a bit.

An Anonymous Takopop Contributor from ‘KOTAKU” published an article disclosing the relationship of a ‘secret boyfriend’. In his article Anon states “Let's be honest folks, celebrities don't date fans. Cosplayers don't date fanboys. I could go into some deep rant 'Barney Stinson style' about the rules of the universe, but that is just the way it is. A guy going to a cosplayer's Facebook page and commenting about how sexy she is and oogling at her boobs is the same as going to a strip club and throwing money on the stage. It is just an illusion. If that stripper revealed she has a boyfriend or a husband and five kids, would she still be attractive? ”

Spot the Bag Boy

Even if these cosplayers are pseudo-celebrities they still have to deal with fan boy problems. No matter your level of fame there will always be those people who play into the illusion, believing its reality. So if they believe that the best way to deal with this is through social suppression of their relationship, or they believe that suppression is key to their feed their fame, then that is their choice to make.