convention virgin

i am wondering what the general percentage of cosplayers are at conventions... really, i am concerned that showing up in "normal" clothes would somehow make me stand out, and i definitely don't want that...

You will be fine there are alot of people that go to conventions that arent in cosplay. You could go "normal" and have a great time, but if you feel uncomfortable you can always buy a face mask, cat ears, a tail, ect. while your there.

Showing up in normal clothes isn't bad. As Frankie said, if you have cat ears, a cat tail, or a mask you'll probably fit in quite well. The only reason I wanted to cosplay is so I would fit in, I felt ignored in regular clothes. However, for your first convention, regular clothes are the way to go.

It's no problem. Dressing in regular clothes is just as acceptable as being in cosplay. I didn't wear costumes except for 2007 New York Comic Con and last year's New York Anime Festival. You'll fit in just fine.

ok, on the flip side... say you cosplay but don't want to be bugged and have pix taken... i think i could probably get away w/ this if it was something generic, like kitty ears, but ??

As a convention cosplayer and non-cosplayer, I don't find it a conflict conversing and hanging out with people not in cosplay when I am or vise-versa

Generally the people who do elaborate cosplays get bugged for photos a lot. Sometimes even if you do a bad cosplay, someone who really liked the show might ask for a photo, but not often. Another way around getting asked for your photo is to cosplay something that's from an anime not a lot of people have seen, because people won't know who you are, and won't want your picture.