Word is that Jessica Nigri, a big-time cosplayer hired to portray the protagonist of Lollipop Chainsaw, was asked to leave the PAX East show floor yesterday. Why, you ask? Oh, I donāt know. Maybe that hot pink jumpsuit with a ānecklineā plunging to her crotch has something to do with it.
Sheās back today (here is Nigri, as Juliet Starling, at the Lollipop Chainsaw booth.) But Destructoid first reported that she was āasked to leave the show floorā until she had changed out of that pink outfit at right. But after changing back to the Juliet Starling costume, at leftāwhich she had worn all Friday with no issueāshe was asked to change again or leave the show entirely.
Nigriās Twitter feed does reference something like this. āHaha guys! I just had to tone down the costume!ā she tweeted this morning.
Robert Khoo, the president of business development for Penny Arcade, verified to Kotaku that Nigri was asked to change, or leave the show floor, because expo staff had received plenty of complaints about her attire, or lack of it.
Khoo said expo staff ānotified the WB booth on Friday of our concerns regarding the costumes, and although there was some confusion initially about which outfit was appropriate ⦠they understood the situation.ā
Penny Arcade has had a āno booth babeā policy at its expos, not wishing them to be known for models in skimpy clothes hawking products, as they do at other events in the video gaming industry. Two years ago, that policy was put to a vote of its community, which largely reaffirmed the idea. Costumed representatives are required to know something about their product. There is to be āno messaging that specifically calls out body parts,ā and while ācosplayed characters are allowed to wear revealing outfits, assuming it is true to the source game,ā there is a ban on anything considered āpartial nudity.ā This policy still is in place, Khoo said.
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āUltimately the costume policy is designed to keep the show family friendly, as we see a good number of parents being their young children to the show,ā Khoo said. āNo one, including WB, wants to upset their fans, so Iām perfectly fine standing behind the decision and policy.ā
Clarification: This story originally indicated, in parts, that Nigri was asked to leave PAX if she didnāt change. Penny Arcadeās Khoo clarified to us that she was asked to change or step off the floor (technically, to restrict her presence to a demo area inside a bus in the gameās booth). While this means she would possibly not be seen by showgoers had she not complied, she technically wouldnāt have been gone from PAX.