Costuber/Costuming Community - Part 3

[YellowSubSammie]

But Sewstine definitely which side of her hobby is monetized. She had a corporate sponsor before she even hit Youtube, and her Etsy shop with its ocean polluting plastic, alibaba-sourced badges has been there from the very beginning. And she sold hundreds of those Bernie patterns there.

But she wore a sash once that said “Costumers for Climate Action” so that solves all the problems right?

[SnarkySnax]

Now that I think about it, it might be why she wrote so much about how she didn’t like Costume College because it was too ‘cliquish.’ Historical costumers are, from what I’ve seen, generally introverted people who are first and foremost about making costumes.

I know at least two of my favourite costumers have gone online to apologize if they came off as cold or unfriendly in person, it’s just because they’re shy and a little awkward in social situations.

If she approached people in the hopes of networking to build her social circle or getting noticed, I can see where there was a clash of personalities.

I got the impression that Sewstine's Facebook spying on behalf of Abby's vendetta was definitely fuelled by a desire to belong to that clique.

But Sewstine definitely which side of her hobby is monetized. She had a corporate sponsor before she even hit Youtube, and her Etsy shop with its ocean polluting plastic, alibaba-sourced badges has been there from the very beginning. And she sold hundreds of those Bernie patterns there.

But for her that might be necessary: the way she conducts her historical costuming is expensive. Those photoshoots alone to make her look unrecognizably fashionable in those historical clothes cost several thousand dollars per session. Add to this the fabrics, the embroidery threads, the machinery, the travel, the custom accessories and you can bet that she spends the equivalent of a a household income in the US just above povery line every year. (That $26,200 a year for a family of two adult and two children.)

It's obscene. But let's focus on Disney being #problematic to finance that shit.

Sewstine is definitely in the top tier of income earners in this hobby, so a lot of the stuff she throws money at would make most of us blanche. Those photo shoots cost easily $4-5k per shoot (not sure if hair and makeup is included. Sometimes it is, sometimes it’s extra, depends on the photographer). One of the more recent shoots she did, she tagged the photographer and suggested people check her out and hire her, and me being curious, checked her out and realized I could pay off one of my credit cards for the cost of a single session.

I don’t begrudge Sewstine for her money, honestly. She earns it by being a doctor and she no doubt works her ass off for it. We just see the pretty costume side of her life. But she does come across as a little too “let them eat cake” in terms of promoting a hobby lifestyle that is way out of reach to the vast majority of the community. Those photo shoots for instance: I have been saving up to do a similar pinup photo shoot for a long time, and I’ll probably only get one shot at it in my life. But she’s flying to another city and dropping thousands on these shoots 3-4 times a year. I would just appreciate her being honest with everyone that she can afford this luxury but most of us can’t, instead of the implication of “you must do this, or else you’ll regret it!” Girl, don’t you think we would ALL be having our photos shot by professional fashion photographers if we could?

And don’t get me started on the brand ambassador side of things. She no doubt can afford to buy her own fancy shmancy embroidery machine, but it was given to her by Babylock. Who doesn’t like free stuff, but when it’s something that costs as much as a new car… it just underscores the wealth disparity between the costume influencers and the rest of us. Wealthy is rewarded with attention and freebies. Yay, privilege!

And I think that’s the thing that really grinds my gears about her in particular. She can afford pretty much all of this stuff on her own day job salary, but a lot of it is given to her for free. So there’s this weird dynamic where she doesn’t have to run the Etsy store to make ends meet, she just does it for shits and giggles. She doesn’t have to monetize her YT videos, but she does because who doesn’t want extra money? She doesn’t have to accept freebies from sewing machine brands, but hell, why not? Free $$$$!

[Belzebuds]

But Sewstine definitely which side of her hobby is monetized. She had a corporate sponsor before she even hit Youtube, and her Etsy shop with its ocean polluting plastic, alibaba-sourced badges has been there from the very beginning. And she sold hundreds of those Bernie patterns there.

But she wore a sash once that said “Costumers for Climate Action” so that solves all the problems right?

…Doesn’t she fly to costuming meetups across the country? And fly overseas for things like Fetes Galantes and Carnival?

Like I get flying is hard to cut out, especially for those of us who have family overseas or have to travel for work, but that is a lot of recreational flying for a side hobby for someone claiming to be in support of climate activism.

[Gaia-Star]

The thing that really bothers me about the Sewstine video is the fact that it achieves nothing. Everyone who will watch the video already knows about the awful tropes and stereotypes in past Disney movies and they are widely recognised as being problematic, so the video just seems like another example of speaking the bleedin’ obvious. I’m not saying we don’t need to have conversations about these issues but look at the problems that exist in the present, rather than spending time rehashing Disney’s well-known r*cist past. The most recent movie they profiled (The Princess and the Frog) was released 11 years ago for goodness sake!

I’m generally miffed about the lack of any purpose to the video. If you’re going to present a panel discussion, wrap it up with a discussion of how Disney should go about avoiding making similar mistakes in the future. I get that it’s not the job of minorities to educate us all about how to avoid being prejudiced in everyday life but for a video purporting to educate, simply saying “do better” is not enough.

I also found it disconcerting that Disney’s efforts to right their wrongs were all mocked. Why scoff at their diverse casting for the live action Lion King? Ok – so it may be perceived as tokenistic but it’s a step towards greater inclusivity. As for the rebranded Splash Mountain ride, sure, it may not come across well that Tiana gets it but frankly it’s a famous ride in a prime spot in the park and will probably remain as a Princess and the Frog ride for decades to come, raising Tiana’s profile significantly. I have to wonder what the panel’s reaction would have been if it was turned into a Brave ride for Merida.

My point is, if the efforts creators make to improve are mocked, what hope is there? Is it basically game over for those who have done r*cist things, even if they take steps to learn and improve? I don’t have any sympathy for the main offenders but I also don’t like the idea that someone can never recover from a bad deed.

A couple of the points made made me laugh out loud, particularly Muse’s rhetorical question about why the lion voiced by a famous BIPOC actor dies in the “first few minutes” of the Lion King. Mufasa dies because (spoiler alert) Old Hamlet dies at the start (well, before the start) of Hamlet, not because his character is implied to be BIPOC and/or voiced by a famous BIPOC actor...

Anyway, I think this video shows that Sewstine and the members of her panel are realising that the big views lie in these videos rather than sewing content. Better brace yourselves for more...

[stormpie]

I got the impression that Sewstine's Facebook spying on behalf of Abby's vendetta was definitely fuelled by a desire to belong to that clique.

But Sewstine definitely which side of her hobby is monetized. She had a corporate sponsor before she even hit Youtube, and her Etsy shop with its ocean polluting plastic, alibaba-sourced badges has been there from the very beginning. And she sold hundreds of those Bernie patterns there.

But for her that might be necessary: the way she conducts her historical costuming is expensive. Those photoshoots alone to make her look unrecognizably fashionable in those historical clothes cost several thousand dollars per session. Add to this the fabrics, the embroidery threads, the machinery, the travel, the custom accessories and you can bet that she spends the equivalent of a a household income in the US just above povery line every year. (That $26,200 a year for a family of two adult and two children.)

It's obscene. But let's focus on Disney being #problematic to finance that shit.

Sewstine is definitely in the top tier of income earners in this hobby, so a lot of the stuff she throws money at would make most of us blanche. Those photo shoots cost easily $4-5k per shoot (not sure if hair and makeup is included. Sometimes it is, sometimes it’s extra, depends on the photographer). One of the more recent shoots she did, she tagged the photographer and suggested people check her out and hire her, and me being curious, checked her out and realized I could pay off one of my credit cards for the cost of a single session.

I don’t begrudge Sewstine for her money, honestly. She earns it by being a doctor and she no doubt works her ass off for it. We just see the pretty costume side of her life. But she does come across as a little too “let them eat cake” in terms of promoting a hobby lifestyle that is way out of reach to the vast majority of the community. Those photo shoots for instance: I have been saving up to do a similar pinup photo shoot for a long time, and I’ll probably only get one shot at it in my life. But she’s flying to another city and dropping thousands on these shoots 3-4 times a year. I would just appreciate her being honest with everyone that she can afford this luxury but most of us can’t, instead of the implication of “you must do this, or else you’ll regret it!” Girl, don’t you think we would ALL be having our photos shot by professional fashion photographers if we could?

And don’t get me started on the brand ambassador side of things. She no doubt can afford to buy her own fancy shmancy embroidery machine, but it was given to her by Babylock. Who doesn’t like free stuff, but when it’s something that costs as much as a new car… it just underscores the wealth disparity between the costume influencers and the rest of us. Wealthy is rewarded with attention and freebies. Yay, privilege!

And I think that’s the thing that really grinds my gears about her in particular. She can afford pretty much all of this stuff on her own day job salary, but a lot of it is given to her for free. So there’s this weird dynamic where she doesn’t have to run the Etsy store to make ends meet, she just does it for shits and giggles. She doesn’t have to monetize her YT videos, but she does because who doesn’t want extra money? She doesn’t have to accept freebies from sewing machine brands, but hell, why not? Free $$$$!

So your saying you would knock back free stuff - I mean if she was actively trying to get free stuff that’s one thing but being offered it - I would take it.

My thoughts are that she comes from money - not like Kardashian’s but upper middle class, never worry about a meal or roof money. She is an anaesthetist which is one of the highest paid medical specialties and you bet your ass she worked hard to get there. And yes she splashes her hard earned money around on photo shoots and super expensive silk. Does she NEED an Etsy store or a YT channel - not at all but she likely enjoys it - maybe she has plans to retire early from medicine who knows what her plan is - but it doesn’t matter she is no less evil for monitization than any other channel.

I don’t think she is wrong for promoting getting professional photos maybe it’s a bit tone deaf to insist that everyone should do it or they will regret it but that’s the biggest sin she is committing. Though there are plenty of photographers cheaper than the one she uses.

[Fuilemaus]

Sewstine is definitely in the top tier of income earners in this hobby, so a lot of the stuff she throws money at would make most of us blanche. Those photo shoots cost easily $4-5k per shoot (not sure if hair and makeup is included. Sometimes it is, sometimes it’s extra, depends on the photographer). One of the more recent shoots she did, she tagged the photographer and suggested people check her out and hire her, and me being curious, checked her out and realized I could pay off one of my credit cards for the cost of a single session.

I don’t begrudge Sewstine for her money, honestly. She earns it by being a doctor and she no doubt works her ass off for it. We just see the pretty costume side of her life. But she does come across as a little too “let them eat cake” in terms of promoting a hobby lifestyle that is way out of reach to the vast majority of the community. Those photo shoots for instance: I have been saving up to do a similar pinup photo shoot for a long time, and I’ll probably only get one shot at it in my life. But she’s flying to another city and dropping thousands on these shoots 3-4 times a year. I would just appreciate her being honest with everyone that she can afford this luxury but most of us can’t, instead of the implication of “you must do this, or else you’ll regret it!” Girl, don’t you think we would ALL be having our photos shot by professional fashion photographers if we could?

And don’t get me started on the brand ambassador side of things. She no doubt can afford to buy her own fancy shmancy embroidery machine, but it was given to her by Babylock. Who doesn’t like free stuff, but when it’s something that costs as much as a new car… it just underscores the wealth disparity between the costume influencers and the rest of us. Wealthy is rewarded with attention and freebies. Yay, privilege!

And I think that’s the thing that really grinds my gears about her in particular. She can afford pretty much all of this stuff on her own day job salary, but a lot of it is given to her for free. So there’s this weird dynamic where she doesn’t have to run the Etsy store to make ends meet, she just does it for shits and giggles. She doesn’t have to monetize her YT videos, but she does because who doesn’t want extra money? She doesn’t have to accept freebies from sewing machine brands, but hell, why not? Free $$$$!

So your saying you would knock back free stuff - I mean if she was actively trying to get free stuff that’s one thing but being offered it - I would take it.

My thoughts are that she comes from money - not like Kardashian’s but upper middle class, never worry about a meal or roof money. She is an anaesthetist which is one of the highest paid medical specialties and you bet your ass she worked hard to get there. And yes she splashes her hard earned money around on photo shoots and super expensive silk. Does she NEED an Etsy store or a YT channel - not at all but she likely enjoys it - maybe she has plans to retire early from medicine who knows what her plan is - but it doesn’t matter she is no less evil for monitization than any other channel.

I don’t think she is wrong for promoting getting professional photos maybe it’s a bit tone deaf to insist that everyone should do it or they will regret it but that’s the biggest sin she is committing. Though there are plenty of photographers cheaper than the one she uses.

I agree. Anesthesiology is one of the hardest specialties to get into from med school. There's also a lot of hidden costs to just living the way she does that we don't know about. Her putting most of her time and money into costuming and kids means she sacrifices something elsewhere we just don't know. Many photographers are taken for granted, underpaid and undervalued. As a fellow photo/videographer, I'd be more annoyed if she with her salary went out of her way to pay less for photography. Also I think it's fine to monetize YouTube. Video production isnt free. Many youtubers outsource post production and in her case where she has a hospital job and a family to take care of, I think it's totally valid that she outsources editing. When I produce content for corporate I sure heck would want some type of compensation.

I'm not a fan of Sewstine but I respect her for her job and how serious she takes her hobby. Popular influencers get most of their stuff for free. But it's not also 100% free if she does promotion and advertising for them. I guarantee if you were in her position you'd take the free stuff. You build your brand with effort and money and if corporations want to benefit from it then they need to give something. Financially successful people find multiple avenues for profit.
Sure she might have an easy going attitude but at least she doesn't try to hide her wealth like BB does and play the poor relatable YouTube personality. She doesn't go around feeling guilty about her money either cause why should she when she made her money.
I don't like that she sells polluting plastic shit on etsy. At the same time as far as sustainability goes though, we have no visibility in her private life on how she lives. Perhaps she invests in carbon offsets to make up for whatever she causes through flying. But whatever she does, it's not like we're much better than her. It's impossible to live 100% sustainably unless you sacrifice many many many things.
The wealth gap isn't Sewstine's fault. In fact as a small Asian American woman in the medical field, it can be even harder to get to where she is. There's a wealth gap between us and all popular YouTubers. Look at Logan Paul who makes bullshit meaningless content and gets millions of dollars. I thought her Disney video had a lot of inaccuracies and was cringe but I would not judge her lifestyle without knowing what happens behind the scenes. She could be the sole breadwinner of the family for all we know (I haven't heard her talk about her husband).

[Belzebuds]

But whatever she does, it's not like we're much better than her. It's impossible to live 100% sustainably unless you sacrifice many many many things.

The difference is most of us aren’t actively trying to brand ourselves as climate activists.

[Fuilemaus]

But whatever she does, it's not like we're much better than her. It's impossible to live 100% sustainably unless you sacrifice many many many things.

The difference is most of us aren’t actively trying to brand ourselves as climate activists.

You are correct. I haven't seen all of her videos so I don't know about that aspect. I think it's a little ironic to sell yourself as a climate activist as a costumer. Making clothes produces so much waste (I guess unless you're BB who keeps all her scraps or uses 100% natural fibers? O__O). Not to mention a lot of mixed fabrics with synthetics are very anti ecofriendly. I have looked into some of the nice fabric shops Sewstine buys from, many of them are mixed with polyester or rayon. So yes if there's something to criticize her for then I would say it's the climate activist portion. I just haven't seen enough of her to hear her talk about it. I do think costumers should reduce the amount of social justice topics they publicly dab in that make it harder for them to defend themselves or if they don't take the time to understand how they fit in those issues.

[LadyViorica]

A couple of the points made made me laugh out loud, particularly Muse’s rhetorical question about why the lion voiced by a famous BIPOC actor dies in the “first few minutes” of the Lion King. Mufasa dies because (spoiler alert) Old Hamlet dies at the start (well, before the start) of Hamlet, not because his character is implied to be BIPOC and/or voiced by a famous BIPOC actor...

Muse is so full of shit. Seriously, I have a lot more patients for parts of CallOutTube than a lot of people on here, but they are a 100% bullshit artist who happens to occasionally make decent points. They deliberately cast everything in the worst light possible so that they can have someone to rail against, because that's their whole business model. There are SO many things to critique about Disney's handling of race, "Mufasa dies" doesn't even crack the top 1000.

I would be careful about befriending them, if I was Sewstine. Not because they're full of it, but when someone's entire internet persona relies on making callouts and they pride themselves on "clapbacks" to people who disagree . . . you're going to be in the hot seat sooner rather than later.

[Iamnothere]

Speaking of Sewstine, looks like she's going to be going on a break.

[Fuilemaus]

Speaking of Sewstine, looks like she's going to be going on a break.

Yikes that's not cool at all. DMs are one thing but personal WhatsApp and even referencing her kid...Hope she finds out how her number leaked =/

[GingerbreadJane]

Speaking of Sewstine, looks like she's going to be going on a break.

Well that's a creepy message.

[Iamnothere]

Yeah, I can't figure out if it's someone being perverted or one of those people who have a weird obsession with multi racial children. Either way, gross to send that to someone. I hope they don't have any other way to contact her, and that they're all safe.

I wonder if she'll stop showing her son on her social media. I wouldn't blame her, and would be supportive of it. I wish all of them would stop using their children in their content, as they're too young to consent to being in the public eye, and who knows what kind of creeps are out there.

[SnarkySnax]

Speaking of Sewstine, looks like she's going to be going on a break.

That is not ok.

[stormpie]

The thing that really bothers me about the Sewstine video is the fact that it achieves nothing. Everyone who will watch the video already knows about the awful tropes and stereotypes in past Disney movies and they are widely recognised as being problematic, so the video just seems like another example of speaking the bleedin’ obvious. I’m not saying we don’t need to have conversations about these issues but look at the problems that exist in the present, rather than spending time rehashing Disney’s well-known r*cist past. The most recent movie they profiled (The Princess and the Frog) was released 11 years ago for goodness sake!

I’m generally miffed about the lack of any purpose to the video. If you’re going to present a panel discussion, wrap it up with a discussion of how Disney should go about avoiding making similar mistakes in the future. I get that it’s not the job of minorities to educate us all about how to avoid being prejudiced in everyday life but for a video purporting to educate, simply saying “do better” is not enough.

I also found it disconcerting that Disney’s efforts to right their wrongs were all mocked. Why scoff at their diverse casting for the live action Lion King? Ok – so it may be perceived as tokenistic but it’s a step towards greater inclusivity. As for the rebranded Splash Mountain ride, sure, it may not come across well that Tiana gets it but frankly it’s a famous ride in a prime spot in the park and will probably remain as a Princess and the Frog ride for decades to come, raising Tiana’s profile significantly. I have to wonder what the panel’s reaction would have been if it was turned into a Brave ride for Merida.

My point is, if the efforts creators make to improve are mocked, what hope is there? Is it basically game over for those who have done r*cist things, even if they take steps to learn and improve? I don’t have any sympathy for the main offenders but I also don’t like the idea that someone can never recover from a bad deed.

A couple of the points made made me laugh out loud, particularly Muse’s rhetorical question about why the lion voiced by a famous BIPOC actor dies in the “first few minutes” of the Lion King. Mufasa dies because (spoiler alert) Old Hamlet dies at the start (well, before the start) of Hamlet, not because his character is implied to be BIPOC and/or voiced by a famous BIPOC actor...

Anyway, I think this video shows that Sewstine and the members of her panel are realising that the big views lie in these videos rather than sewing content. Better brace yourselves for more...

Very well said - however I do disagree on who’s job it is to educate - if you are going to put yourself out there like this and make these claims it is your job to back them up. Muse likes to say they are educating on things but then claim it’s their job to educate - well then what are we here for. True it’s not for any random to be expected to educate or speak for Their minority but if you put yourself up as a voice for a minority then I will hold you to the standard you claim.

Beyond that everything you said is right - and yeah mufasa dies at the end of act one but he come back in act 3.

[Julienne]

She is an anaesthetist which is one of the highest paid medical specialties

Does she NEED an Etsy store or a YT channel - not at all (.........) but it doesn’t matter she is no less evil for monitization than any other channel.

No other costuber monetizes videos with their child with so little financial incentive to do so. No costuber this rich sells cheap plastic trinkets while proclaiming to be a climate activist.

If you have considerable financial resources besides your Youtube income, the choices you make with the way you monetize your hobby invites more scrutiny. I give greater leeway regarding sponsors and monetized content to a Costuber whose main source of income is YT than to BB with her million dollar Manhattan apartment.

Maybe you find monetizing your child on YT ethical and on par with all of the other Costubers' monetization. I fundamentally disagree with that. The fact that it's not necessary, just makes it worse.

[Saffity]

A couple of the points made made me laugh out loud, particularly Muse’s rhetorical question about why the lion voiced by a famous BIPOC actor dies in the “first few minutes” of the Lion King. Mufasa dies because (spoiler alert) Old Hamlet dies at the start (well, before the start) of Hamlet, not because his character is implied to be BIPOC and/or voiced by a famous BIPOC actor...

Muse is so full of shit. Seriously, I have a lot more patients for parts of CallOutTube than a lot of people on here, but they are a 100% bullshit artist who happens to occasionally make decent points. They deliberately cast everything in the worst light possible so that they can have someone to rail against, because that's their whole business model. There are SO many things to critique about Disney's handling of race, "Mufasa dies" doesn't even crack the top 1000.

I would be careful about befriending them, if I was Sewstine. Not because they're full of it, but when someone's entire internet persona relies on making callouts and they pride themselves on "clapbacks" to people who disagree . . . you're going to be in the hot seat sooner rather than later.

Didn't Muse already call her out during the ERC fall out for not responding to it quick enough? Perhaps it was more of a general "Popular cosplayers are silent and there's a reason" call out, but I know Sewstine was clumped into that mix because she had the post explaining she was on a 24 hour shift.

All it takes is another issue like ERC and we'll be watching friendships burn as people try to be the most woke first.

[SnarkySnax]

She is an anaesthetist which is one of the highest paid medical specialties

Does she NEED an Etsy store or a YT channel - not at all (.........) but it doesn’t matter she is no less evil for monitization than any other channel.

I didn't say Sewstine was "evil" for monetizing. I said the situation made me feel weird because it's not like she has to rely on monetization, affiliate links, and hocking products like someone like, say, Rachel Maksey. If Maksey's revenue stream dried up tomorrow, I'm sure she'd feel the pinch in a big way. Sewstine, on the other hand, probably wouldn't. And yes, it's just speculation because we don't know the reality of Sewstine's finances and maybe she is deep in debt and barely scraping by. That said, a significant amount of discussion on this here gossip board is nothing but pure speculation.

It boils down to costuming already having a perception problem that it is predominately a hobby for wealthy people, and Sewstine (and BB and others of a certain income bracket) definitely underscores that perception. The people making things on a shoe string budget aren't getting nearly the amount of attention as those who are wealthy and well-connected and can afford the jaw-dropping reproduction fabrics and state of the art embroidery machines. Nobody is giving someone who thrifts all of their costume supplies the same kind of publicity and freebies as those who are able to afford Vogue-style photoshoots a couple times a year and pay for a photographer to accompany them to Versailles and Venice (looking at you, VC). It's a disparity that makes me feel very uncomfortable and helps feed into the drama that the CallOutTubers are constantly trying to stir up. The fact that every other week we have Muse lecturing us that the costuming community is biased against the poors and POCs really does show that the hyperfocus on those who can afford fine fabrics and trips abroad to palaces and castles is alienating a significant amount of people who see that and think "I can't join in because I'm too poor and/or not white enough."

I'm not saying Sewstine should give up costuming because she's too rich, lol. I am saying that I wish she would be more self aware about the level of luxury she's casually representing and try to tone it down a tad because it's playing into a lot of the negative stereotypes about the community. Or not. I mean, whatever she wants to do is up to her, I'm just a bitch with an opinion on the internet like the rest of us here. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

No other costuber monetizes videos with their child with so little financial incentive to do so. No costuber this rich sells cheap plastic trinkets while proclaiming to be a climate activist.

If you have considerable financial resources besides your Youtube income, the choices you make with the way you monetize your hobby invites more scrutiny. I give greater leeway regarding sponsors and monetized content to a Costuber whose main source of income is YT than to BB with her million dollar Manhattan apartment.

Maybe you find monetizing your child on YT ethical and on par with all of the other Costubers' monetization. I fundamentally disagree with that. The fact that it's not necessary, just makes it worse.

Yes, this, all of this.

[someloser]

I got the impression VC’s photographer she takes on trips is her friend. I feel differently about that then staged fashion photos with styling, hair, makeup, etc.

[someloser]

I wish I could have great photos of my work. I don’t really fault people who CAN do it for wanting that. If I feel anything, it might be some jealousy.

What bothers me more is the attitude that assumes anyone can/should do it. I don’t feel like VC puts of that vibe, but some others do.