COSPLAY: Are You Serious?
Introduction
What is cosplay?
Cosplay is a performance art in
which participants create, buy and wear costumes that mimic that of a character
in popular culture. It began as contraction of the words ‘costume’ and ‘play’.
It was first coined by Nobuyuki Takahashi of Studio Hard, whilst attending the
1984 World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) in Los Angeles. In the
photocopy of Japanese magazine ‘My Anime’
below, cosplay can be seen written as ‘kosupure’ (コスプレ) in katakana. He
comments on being impressed by the hall and by the costumed Anime fans. Cosplay
has since spread around the globe, and is widely regarded as a large part of
‘nerd’ culture, although in more recent years (especially with the rise in
comics and sci-fi as part of popular culture), costuming in general has become
more widely accepted and is now considered less of a subculture.
Chapter
1 – Costume, its definition and costume throughout history
“Costume
(or fancy dress) is the distinctive style of dress of a particular people,
class, or period. A costume can be a particular style of clothing worn to
portray the wearer as a character or type of character other than their regular
persona at a social event such as a masquerade, a fancy dress party or in a
theatre performance.” (Collins English Dictionary)
Cosplay is generally considered from Halloween
and Mardi Gras costume wear, as the intention is to replicate a specific
character, rather than to reflect the culture and symbolism of a holiday event.
These costume wearers often interact to create a subculture centered on role
play, so most time they can be seen in a play group, gathering or convention. A
significant amount of these kinds of costumes may be originally designed or
homemade and unique, depending on the character, idea, or object the costumer wearer
is attempting to imitate or represent. The costumes themselves are often
artistically judged to how well they represent the subject or object that the
costume wearer is attempting to contrive.
Chapter
2 – Cosplay… Why?
People have many different reasons to cosplay.
Some may do it for escape, some may do it for an ego boost, and some may do it
to simply step in to the shoes of another character for a short time. The
question ‘why do people” cosplay is very broad, and will yield a different
result depending on who is asked. Cosplay is ultimately ‘dressing up’, but a
reflection on our culture shows us that ‘dressing up’ is usually limited to
Halloween, child’s play and theatre performance. Why has this subculture of
adults begun to break the mould?
In order to gain a more personal insight into cosplay and the people
inside the costumes, a questionnaire was put forward to cosplayers at London
MCM Expo and Comic Con (24-26 October 2014), asking the following questions:
Why do you Cosplay?
When did you begin Cosplaying?
Why have you picked this character?
Did you make it yourself?
If yes/no why/how long/how much?
Do your costumes have sentimental
value?
Are you with anyone at MCM?
Do they cosplay too?
Do you know people that don’t
Cosplay?
What do they think of it?
Does any of your family cosplay?
Will cosplay remain in your life,
if yes, why?
7 people responded to the questions set out for them, and varying
responses were present in the answers. Some of the interviewees answered in
length, and some in brief, but the overall responses corresponded to
stereotypes set forth in the recent article “Comic-Con in London: a helluva costume drama” published in the guardian newspaper, written
by Zoe Williams:
"People
want different things from costumes, I realised, at the Comic-Con convention at
London’s Excel. Some people just want to show you their washboard stomach, and
will dress up as any character that typically wears a short shirt. Some are
transfixed by detail, and will spend three hours on a realistic wound or some
nose shading. Others still are trying to animate a character, drag Poison Ivy
into real life with careful attention to the bodice she might wear and the
facial expressions she would be likely to make. Some just want to carry a fake
gun." (Williams, the Guardian, 2014)
To some extent the article is kind
of out of context (as Williams herself is not a cosplayer), and written in what
seems a very disparaging tone towards cosplay - one of the comments on the
article states that the writer seems as out of place as a "non-feminist at
a feminism rally", and from reading the piece a few times, it seems that
the tone of not taking cosplay as a serious hobby is present throughout.
The themes (or purposes for
cosplay) Williams mentions in the above quote can be broken down in to three
prevalent types of cosplayers:
-
Those that have a relationship with a character
and do it for love of a fandom
-
Those that get a buzz from crafting the most
accurate costume and showing it off
-
Those that cosplay for the attention they will
receive
The first purpose might be express
a ‘love’ for or personal connection to the character that they have
chosen. This type of cosplayer will most
likely be a fan of the character or fandom they are portraying, and will seek
to become that character in their costume. Such cosplayers are known to mask
their own personality with that of the characters. Cosplayer Oliver Mansfield
mentions in his response to the questionnaire, based on the Red Power Rangers:
In Space (Saban, 1998) ranger that “This
particular Red Ranger is one [I] have a long history with. It was the first
series I got really into (and continue to be so today), the helmet design is
still perfect in my opinion, and last but not least, the character. He’s very serious,
and is a bit of a lone wolf – characteristics I can relate to.” (Oliver
Mansfield, 2014)
This
can also be applied to Oli’s other costumes (mainly Power Rangers in various
incarnations) but it is mostly prominent in his relationship to the Red Space
Ranger and the tenth incarnation of The Doctor (famously played by David
Tennant, Doctor Who, 2005-2010, BBC)
– another one of his favourite cosplays.
“I
enjoy being someone else for a short while. There’s a challenge in each costume
I do – for example The Doctor, he’s diplomatic, eloquent, non-violent, and has
a freaking time machine! What I don’t have, he makes up for in his personality
and admirable traits.” (Oli Mansfield, 2014)
Oli Mansfield’s relationship with
his costumes might stem from his Asperger Syndrome (or AS for short), an
Autistic Spectrum Disorder characterised by significant difficulties in social
interaction and communication, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of
behavior and interests. This is perhaps a very general assumption to make, as
face to face interaction with Oli is no different to that of a person that does
not have AS, and he appears confident, social and very outgoing. However the
above mentioned traits can be eased through the integration of cosplay in
Oliver’s life.
“I
gain confidence in different costumes. A trait of my Asperger’s is to apply
different personas and accomplish things that wouldn’t normally be achieved
outside of costume”. (Oli Mansfield, 2014)
The ‘difficulties in social
interaction’ element of his disorder means that Oliver may find it harder to
interact with people that are not of a like mind to him – cosplay gives him a literal
and mental escape and places him in a situation where he is surrounded by
people of a like mind, and gives him a character’s mask through which to
interact.
According to Oliver, it takes him
way out of his comfort zone travelling to these conventions –Oli is a native to
Denmark, and he travels to the UK to attend London MCM Comic Con twice a year,
and possibly more depending on the company. His dedication to the cosplay scene
in this country must mean that he takes this hobby seriously - enough to spend
money on air fare and accommodation in a foreign country, as well as making and
purchasing the costumes he will wear.
In brief – Oliver’s hobby of
Cosplay gives him a completely alternate way of life for a brief period of
time, and he can feel comfortable in his own skin, whilst being surrounded by
others that are also in a similar mental frame to himself. This is one of the
primary reasons that this category of cosplayers takes the hobby so seriously –
the cosplayers need to cosplay. As
Oliver quotes himself, he "...might
not need the 'play' part of cosplay, but the costuming part is definitely a
creative outlet [I] rely on a lot in life."
The comic-book, games and anime
niche has always been deemed something that ‘nerds’ do – since its inception.
Paul Graham writes a thesis entitled “Why Nerds Are Unpopular” and he uses the
application of school and academic intelligence (introverted nerds are always
less popular, but generally smarter than their ‘popular’ counterparts) to back
up his argument. The subculture of cosplay can also be applied to his writing, as
it is still seen as a subculture – an
activity or culture that deviates from the norm.
“...If
intelligence in itself is not a factor in popularity, why are smart kids so
consistently unpopular? The answer, I think, is that they don't really want to
be popular.” (Graham, 2003)
The above statement sums up
Graham’s thesis on the topic. If one assumes that the ‘smart kids’ are also
introverted and have these niche hobbies of reading comics, playing games and
watching anime (which would fall under the stereotype) the statement is very
applicable to the subculture of ‘nerd-dom’ – which cosplay is a large part of. A
small interest in mainstream films like the ‘Marvel
Cinematic Universe’ (Marvel Studios, 2008-present), or the playing of
commercial AAA game titles like Call of
Duty (Infinity Ward/Treyarch, 2003- present) can be considered fairly standard practice in
today’s society. Nerds take it much further – learning the locations of
landmarks on fictional maps, having a superb knowledge of details that are not
actually divulged in the original work, or knowing the customs, histories, or
languages of fictional peoples. Nerds generate this subculture in order to find
something that they all have in common that does not focus on the same types of
escapism as regular ‘surface’ folk.
“I
like being able to bring something to life from one of my interests. An
idea becomes a concept, design and crafting all the way through to finally
wearing a costume and being a part of a group with the same kind of goal.”
(Clark Gardiner, Warhammer 40k Cosplayer, 2014)
Clark Gardiner’s response to the
incredibly broad question “Why do you Cosplay” fits nicely in to the next
category that can define another type of cosplayer – the craftsmen. These
cosplayers enjoy the creative process and the sense of personal achievement
after completing a complex costume. The costumes made are generally more intricate
than that of the previous category, such as can be seen in the illustration of
Clark Gardiner’s Warhammer 40K ‘Adeptus Custodes’ armour, and Daniel Knox’s
visually impressive and accurate Warhammer 40k ‘Adeptus Astartes’ armour that
makes him stand at
nearly 8 feet tall.
These cosplayers more
often willing to spend more money on these better-quality costumes and will
have a wider pool of resources, a wider knowledge base and skill set (such as
working with particular materials, often EVA Foam carving, moulding and casting
techniques and sewing complex patterns) and will dedicate a lot more time to
making the costume. Upon completion, the cosplayers will often engage in
photo-shoots with professional photographers, and are more likely to participate
in cosplay competitions, where the standard is exceptionally high. The
‘competition’ element of cosplay will be discussed in greater depth later on in
this report, as for many cosplay is simply a hobby (although there are a few
notable professional costumers that get paid a large sum of money to produce
costumes and attend events, such as Yaya Han and Kamui Cosplay), so why is the
competition element such a massive part of this hobby? To argue this, issues and
topics surrounding ‘competitive play’ will be applied to cosplay and briefly analysed
– to be continued later in this report.
These cosplayers that strive for costume
accuracy will often commission a prop or item from a crafts person that makes
them, especially if the item requires specialist techniques such as resin
moulding and casting, or a large sum of intricate woodwork. Cosplay as a
business will also be mentioned later in this report.
The third and
final cosplay stereotype is that of the cosplayers that enjoy the attention
garnered when portraying a certain popular character.
“Jessica is a Cosplayer, she’s one of a hand full of
people, mainly women, who are lucky enough to have turned their hobby,
cosplaying, into an actual profession. She makes her living from playing dress
up. As part and parcel of that, she’s well known within the cosplay community
and is prolific throughout social media. But she is still fairly unknown to
anyone who doesn’t have an interest in cosplay.” (Andrew Dobell, Creative Edge
Studios, 2013)
Andrew Dobell is speaking of Jessica Nigri – a
minor celebrity and well-known figure in the cosplay community. “Jessica Nigri seems to be a magnet for a huge amount of hate and
vitriol, with people passing comment on her in very negative ways all over the
net” (Dobell, CES, 2013) What Dobell states is true – Nigri has become
somewhat infamous for the costume that first put her in the public limelight: a
very sexualised Pikachu character, with ample amounts of cleavage and bare
midriff.
The
illustration shows the image that went viral online, and garnered most of her
social media attention. Since then, she has been hired by Warner Bros. as a ‘spokesmodel’
and panel host to promote new games.
This chapter will continue discussing the three
main categories of cosplayer that can be found within the community. The
subject of sexual harassment and sexism in cosplay will be touched upon, and
controversy surrounding some of Jessica Nigri's costumes and the reactions from
conventions that they garnered. This will be interesting to reflect upon by
relating it to cosplay in the real world (particularly at local conventions)
and what is deemed inappropriate, yet accurate in regards to the characters the
cosplayers are portraying. Cosplay and
dressing for body type and age will also be mentioned here, and some negative
points about the community (such as 'fat-shaming', not asking a cosplayer's
permission for photography, and over-sexualising characters) will be discussed
in a critical manner.
Cosplay and business
continues the over arching theme of cosplay 'as a serious hobby'. It will
follow on from discussing Jessica Nigri and her early career as a 'booth babe',
promoting games for various games and media companies and being paid to attend
conventions in her costumes. From there, other examples of women that use
cosplay as a business outlet (such as Yaya Han and Kamui Cosplay) will be
discussed, as Han sells prints and calendars of her in costume, and Kamui is
noted in the community for her work with the thermo-forming material 'Worbla',
and she has since released a series of books based on using the material.
Prop-making
and commission based cosplay and photography will be mentioned also in this
chapter, and how the craftsmen and photographers in the community make money.
Questions asked in this chapter will include: the discussion of whether it is
right to charge someone for photos of their hobby, what happens to the money made
from these cosplayers, and discussions based around the monetization of props
and brands that ban selling of anything under their Intellectual Property
rights - for example Games Workshop, the owners of the Warhammer franchise -
have banned anyone form making money from anything related to their brands
which is not directly derived from the brand itself. This prevents craftsmen
from accepting commissions of armour, weapons and other accessories relating to
the fandom, as it is in breach of their rights as a company.
Chapter
4 – Cosplay reintroduction as ‘Play’ and ‘Competitive Play’
Chapter six will reintroduce the theme of cosplay
as a serious hobby. As mentioned in the above chapters, there is usually an
amount of competition involved in cosplay. To form an argument based around
cosplay as a hobby, and why it possibly contains elements of competition,
research and critique of Henry Jenkins's theory of 'Participatory Culture' will
be applied, and related to the online subcultures that cosplay produces.
Research around the topic will also include a comparison of cosplay to ‘games
as competitive play’ - another form of past time or hobby (like cosplay) that
actively requires some form of competition within its definition. A study of
the 'community' mentality of Participatory Culture reflects that although it is
widely based online, many skills can be garnered away from the computer screen
that help young people exposed to the subcultures actually gain skills that
help them in a real-world situation. This can be applied to cosplay, where the
participatory subculture has an incredibly resourceful community, sharing
ideas, tutorials, cosplay videos and photography.
Conventions
are known to be the primary source of escape for cosplayers, and they function
as a giant playground of fun. This chapter will relate cosplay to children’s
play, dressing up and discuss its higher functions, as dressing up should be a
vital part of each child’s developmental growth.
“…When
he's imagining himself as a race car driver, he's actually learning -- not to
drive of course -- but the actions of sitting in a car, buckling a seat belt
and putting the key in the ignition.” – Amanda Rock, About.com, 2014
The chapter will discuss cosplayers
and their previous experiences as children – asking cosplayers if the dressed
up a lot as children, why they felt they did it, and how they feel it has
translated in to their costuming habits as adults. It will also discuss
children’s relationships with characters and emotional attachments/empathy with
fictional people – for instance, the superhero genre and its appeal to a young
audience.
It will also continue on from the
previous chapter, reflecting on the ‘participatory culture’ theory mentioned by
Jenkins, and comparisons between cosplay and child’s play (with this applied)
will be analysed, mentioning similarities such as community, skill development
and practical application of those skills learned.
Chapter
6 – Cosplay and anonymity, carnival and the history of costumes in performance
art
Costuming has many roots in the celebratory
period of Carnival – a festive season that usually takes place immediately before
lent, in February. The events of a Carnival are a sort of combination of public
celebration or parade, combining elements of circus, masquerade and having an element
of street performance. This chapter will relate cosplay to a form of
performance art rather than a hobby, and will question whether or not that
defines it as more than a serious hobby.
Group mentality and anonymity will also be
discussed in this chapter – in relation to ‘carnivale’ in Venice where mask
wearing is very typical. It will discuss theories of anonymity including
personality masking, group mentality and masked mentality. To back up the
arguments here, stories such as Carnival being banned in 1797 under the rule of
Napoleon – from fear of rebellion from the people under masks – will be
researched, as will Venetian carnival in general, as a leveller of class and
stripping everyone of social ranks. Can cosplay do the same? Are cosplayers
more likely to do something inappropriate in guise of a costume?
Cosplay and performance go hand in hand, and
cosplay skits and stage performances will be discussed here as a literal
performance art.
Conclusion
The conclusion will summarise in brief the points
made in each chapter. Then a conclusion to the theme of hobby as a serious
cosplay will be made, based on the arguments and questions that have been put
forward in the report. A future assumption will then be made, grounded in
facts, discussing the future of cosplay and its integration in to mainstream
culture.
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