#StopCosBullying shouldn't even exist.

A hashtag to combat bullying in the cosplay community seems silly on its face. Why would a group of nerds spending countless hours making costumes and applying makeup to dress as imaginary characters for nerd conventions be bullied on their own turf?

Alas, the nerd world is very much a part of the real world and all the prejudices found therein.

In person and online, brave souls who dare to don the cape hear comments from fans about how their cosplays don't fit into narrow, racist, size-shaming and ableist interpretations of a character. Black cosplayer Krissy Victory brought the virulence of the problem to the fore in June 2017 when she shared Facebook comments she received when she cosplayed as D.Va from the video game Overwatch.

"Since when do monkeys have bunny ears?" one commenter wrote.

The atmosphere around cosplay has transformed in the past two decades from safe space for the marginalized to a hypercompetitive industry with an evermore demanding clientele. Cosplayers are expected to pose for pictures, perform and in some cases provide racy photographs to indulge the fantasies of fellow fans. In March, Italian cosplayer Daisy Cosplay started the hashtag #StopCosBullying to try and reopen the doors of cosplay to everyone. But even a hashtag is a Band-Aid on a cancer.

"The first time I dressed up as Maui, I got body shamed," said Brian Harris, 29, a Filipino-American engineer from Palm Bay who portrayed the demigod from Disney's Moana. "People who worked for the convention told me I needed to put a shirt on — even though there was another (shirtless) Maui there."

Harris almost let that incident, coupled with a previous incident where he was criticized for being a brown Bane from the The Dark Knight Rises, steal his joy. Fans held both his race and body type against him, giving him an impossibly narrow field of characters to portray. But other people at the same convention embraced his Maui and he remembered a fundamental fact.

"I thoroughly enjoy cosplay."

That's it. That's all you need to know. Remember this as Tampa Bay Comic Con opens Aug. 3 at the Tampa Convention Center. If you are an aspiring cosplayer of color, size, meager funds or any other category that gets negative comments from the insular fandom community, do what makes you happy.

Harris pushed past his negative experiences and now tours conventions all over Florida as Maui. His next gig is MegaCon Tampa Bay in September.

"I'm a completely different person when I put on my wig and necklace," Harris said. "My voice changes. I love singing the songs and interacting with the kids."

Summer is con season in Tampa Bay. From Tampa Bay Comic Con to genre-crossing MegaCon, there are plenty of opportunities for new cosplayers to get off the fence and into some Lycra.

"I learned to sew in 2012, but didn't improve until 2014," said Duy Truong, 25, a performer and professional cosplay designer from Orlando. "I try not to think about how much I spend on average; it might make me cry. Cosplay is for fun. And what's fun for me is getting really detailed in my costuming."

The best cosplayers capture the character's spirit, he said. Last year, he portrayed the Evil Queen from Snow White.

"People said I really gave off that vibe, even though I wasn't performing," Truong said.

Diverse by nature, the cosplay community is more welcoming than the fandoms they represent. In Truong's experience, it isn't fellow cosplayers making others feel unwelcome. It's the folks without the guts.

"Cosplayers know what goes into it, so they aren't as critical," he said.

So, ignore the haters. That loser who dropped $60 and absolutely no effort on a vintage Mobile Suit Gundam Wing T-shirt can't tell you your Sailor Moon cosplay is unbecoming.

Cosplayers Kieron Phoenix, cosplay stage name Bane Bravo, and Hillary Giordano, a.k.a. Lady Bane, who plan to appear at MegaCon, are always pushing boundaries. As a personal trainer physique model, Phoenix has been just about every man in a mask, from Spider-Man to Black Panther. The Egyptian-Iranian has also trotted out a shirtless Bane and a maskless Boba Fett from Star Wars.

Bullying, he said, may never go away.

"It's a part of geek culture and they will always 'own' it," said Phoenix, 37, of Fort Myers.

But greater representation only happens when a diverse set of people turn out. He was once approached by a kid whose friend was thinking of quitting cosplay. Then, he learned Bane Bravo was a guest and changed his mind.

"I'll never forget that and carry it with me for the rest of my life," Phoenix said.

The world of professional cosplay has a few big names with even bigger bankrolls for materials and construction. Your first cosplay isn't going to set the world on fire. So have fun with it. And don't let the potential for rejection deter you.

Harris used a garden hose for his first Bane mask. Now, his Maui hook has LED lights and detailed Polynesian carvings.

Giordano, 26, a photographer, personal trainer and Etsy entrepreneur, shaved the sides of her head and decided to cosplay as Captain Marvel, portrayed by Brie Larson in the upcoming film.

"Jaws dropped from across the room when we walked in. We must have taken 1,000 photos minimum," she explained. "I picked her because she's badass."

The commitment shone through, although the Puerto-Rican and Italian Giordano doesn't have the blond Carol Danvers look.

A older woman from Jamaica approached Giordano. She was too old and not the right type to cosplay, she thought, even though she wanted to badly. The woman liked Elastigirl from Disney's The Incredibles but was worried what people would say.

"That has nothing to do with cosplay," Giordano told her. "Just put on the suit and rock it."

Contact Robbyn Mitchell Hopewell at rmhopewell@gmail.com. Follow

@rmhopewell.