From Sept. 25 to Sept. 27 FanX held its annual convention in Salt Lake City’s Salt Palace Convention Center. The convention focuses on many different pieces of pop culture with booths featuring merchandise, discussion panels, cosplay contests and celebrity meet ups.
With such a wide range of interests on display at the convention, many attendees can find other fans of similar pieces of pop culture that they didn’t know before.
“I used to run a cosplay account and I met some friends I still have today from it,” said FanX attendee Cairo Evans. “I think it’s really cool because a lot of people use cosplay to express themselves and then when you find people who express themselves similarly to you, that’s a really cool point for a connection.”
Evans has been able to build and maintain friendships through fandom culture and she said that her experience with fandom culture has been a positive one.
“I think that fandoms spaces are a really beautiful place to bring community together and I’ve never felt community like I have in a fandom space,” Evans said.
Brady Thompson, a first time FanX attendee, said that while there can be some bad people within a fandom community, they’re the minority.
“When you get a group of people together in any capacity above a certain size, there’s always going to be dark spots of that group where it’s just not a safe or good place to be, but they’re honestly just a vocal minority,” Thompson said. “There’s so much good within fandom spaces as well that can help people feel loved, accepted for who they are instead of being ashamed for just liking something that’s fun.”
Maddie Simmons, a multi year attendee at FanX, said that everyone she’s interacted with has been kind and provided a safe place for her to express herself.
“I think it’s nice to have a place where you can all share this one same interest without being shamed from any outside sources and really just be able to geek out,” Simmons said. “I think it’s a great place to really just express oneself.”
Thompson said that he’s enjoyed attending FanX with a group due to the bonding experience the event provides. He also has had positive interactions with strangers who were cosplaying characters from a similar fandom.
“It’s super fun meeting somebody near the beginning of the con because you’re cosplaying from the same show and you have a conversation, and then you see them four hours later at a different place, and you’re like, Oh, my gosh, I remember you. We’re friends now,” Thompson said.
Conventions like FanX and the community within can help people foster long-term relationships, like with Robin and Juno Morningstar, a married couple who met through fandom.
“We just started talking and connecting through conventions and then we just were like, ‘Hey, why don’t we actually date,’” Juno Morningstar said.
Robin Morningstar said that conventions and cosplay have helped her grow closer to her wife.
“We’ve been able to go and experience new things at conventions across different states that we hadn’t before. We get to do that together to help us bond and learn new cosplay tips to show each other and bond over fandoms and binge watch things together,” Robin Morningstar said. “Fandom and cosplay brought us together, and that’s our whole reason for being together, I think.”
The pair started dating at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, quarantining provided them an opportunity to share their favorite shows with their new partner. Robin Moringstar said that seeing each other get excited about their favorite things helped them bond together as a couple.
Juno Morningstar said that self expression was another thing that helped them grow together as a couple through cosplaying as romantic “ships,” a fan-made relationship between non-romantic characters in a piece of pop culture. She said that fandom has helped them be themselves around each other.
“I think, especially with fandom, live authentically yourself. Do not do things for others. Do it for yourself and be happy,” Juno Morningstar said.
