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Whether you agree or disagree, this is likely one of the only places I could say that and have anyone know what I’m talking about. I’m not sure about the popularity of MAWS but being that it’s streamed by a major network it would be far more likely for someone nowadays to find Zombie Ranch and go “That’s Supergirl’s hair!”
There’s this concept of something or someone being “iconic” that gets arguably overused in our modern age. J.S. Sterling did a rant about it and they have a point.
The point being that something isn’t iconic just because it’s declared so. In fact if you have to declare something iconic, or explain why it’s iconic, it might not be as iconic as you think.
It doesn’t have to be global but there should be some critical level of recognition among the culture or subculture of the populace involved, the bigger the better. I would be brave (and bold) enough to state that a significant portion of humanity knows Superman. Less so Supergirl, but still a significant enough chunk that a Supergirl cosplayer will be recognized at your average comics convention. On the other hand Dawn was a Captain Marvel fan and until that movie came out most people misidentified her symbol for Wonder Woman.
It has to really stick in the mind, and be distributed widely enough for instant recognition and association before I would consider something iconic. Indiana Jones’s fedora and whip? Iconic. But prior to 1981 almost no one even knew of Indiana Jones, much less his preferred gear. And then there’s the question of if it’s going to last. Superman has been around for nearly a century and keeps returning to his classic look, but even though it’ll probably be one of the more popular Halloween costumes this year, I’m not going to lay money on Aussie breakdance “star” Raygun being considered iconic (you know, the one from the Olympics? No? Well, proving my point…)
So is Rosa iconic? I’ll come right out and say no. Suzie has probably one of the more potentially iconic looks of our cast but even she’s just going to look like some generic cowgirl to 99% of people at a comic-con, much less the genpop. We’d need a lot more inroad into the zeitgeist for that. Even with Supergirl above, how many people would recognize her just from that picture in her civvies? That hairstyle is not iconic to Supergirl (not yet, anyhow). Almost without exception when I see a Clark Kent cosplay they have their shirt open enough to show at least part of the blue top with the big “S” symbol that’s recognized the world over. Clark Kent is a just a guy in a suit, otherwise.
One game we used to play while sitting at our exhibitor booth watching people go by was the Three C’s game. You spot a cosplayer at a general pop culture convention in a suit and trenchcoat with a more or less rumpled air: are they Castiel, Constantine, or Columbo? All three are iconic, but have so much crossover in their look that Constantines would be well-advised to lean into blond hair or risk mistaken identification, which from my experience is a bummer for all parties involved.
But don’t mind me, I still remember dressing up as a sea turtle for one Hallowe’en, flippers, shell and all, and even in broad daylight everyone thought I was a parrot because their eyes went to the beak. So be ready for disappointment no matter how universally iconic you think something is. Or just stick to Superman. Welcome to Team Paranoid, Oscar! Spoiler alert: they really are out to getcha!