Costuming Cosplay: Dressing the Imagination (Dress, Body, Culture)

Cosplay, short for "costume play", has grown from its origins at fan conventions into a billion-dollar global dress phenomenon. Costuming Cosplay takes us from elaborately crafted DIY costumes to online fandoms, examining how the practice of portraying fictional characters from popular culture through dress and performance has become a creative means of expressing and playing with different identities. With an approach that ranges from admiration and role-play to gender performance, this is the first book to fully examine the subculture and costume of the Cosplay phenomenon. Drawing on extensive first-hand research at conventions across North America and Asia, Therèsa M. Winge invites us to explore how Cosplay functions as a meritocracy of creativity, escapism, and disguise, and offers a creative realm in which fantasy and new forms of socializing carry as much importance as costume. Illustrated with color photographs of both celebrity and amateur Cosplayers, Costuming Cosplay is essential reading for students and scholars of fashion and costume, popular culture, anthropology, gender, and media studies, as well as global players and fans of Cosplay. Title Page 6 Copyright Page 7 Contents 8 List of illustrations 9 Figures 9 Plates 10 Acknowledgments 11 Disclaimer 12 Chapter 1: Let’s Cosplay! 14 Origins of Cosplay 15 History of Cosplay 16 Global Cosplay 18 Japan and Cosplay 20 Fan conventions 23 Why Cosplay? 24 Fantastic characters 25 Character costumes 26 Roleplay 27 Cosplay subculture 27 Cosplay and popular culture 28 Cosplay celebrities 30 Introductions to the Cosplay fan subculture 30 Cosplay research 31 Fandom ethnography 32 Researcher bias 33 Methodology 34 Cosplay themes 35 Book overview 36 Chapter 2: Cosplay fandom subculture 40 Cosplay fandom subculture 41 Cosplayers 46 Cosplay celebrities and professionals 52 Cosplay fandom hierarchy 54 Cosplay fandom conventions 60 Cosplay fandom experiences 61 Fan prosumption 62 Fandom researchers 65 Summary 66 Chapter 3: It’s not just a costume: Cosplay is a way of life 68 Cosplay constructs (themes) 68 Costume makes the superhero: Cosplay costume 69 Mirror, mirror on the wall: Constructed representations 83 A picture is worth 140 characters: Photographs and videos 87 You gotta have friends: Social networks and communities 91 I am just roleplaying my character: Performativity and roleplaying 94 Cosplay is the mother of invention: Creativity 98 With great powers come great agency: Empowerment and self-determination 99 Toto, we’re not at the convention anymore: Escapism 101 It’s not just a costume—Cosplay is a way of life: Devotion and obsession 102 Have fun! Fun and play 104 The Cosplay experience 105 Summary 107 Chapter 4: Dressing the part 110 Cosplay genres 110 Science fiction 111 Superhero/superheroine and supervillain/supervillainess 112 Anime and manga 118 Punk genre 121 Furry fandom 123 Videogames 125 Popular culture 127 Transmedia storytelling and characters 127 Cosplay characters 128 Mash-up characters 131 Original characters (OC) 131 Dress and appearance 132 Making costumes 138 Costume as storytelling 141 Purchasing Cosplay 144 Ritual of dressing in costume 145 Fan conventions in costume 146 Cosplay authenticity 147 Summary 148 Chapter 5: Girl power to the rescue 150 Dirty little secret 150 Women’s work 152 Halloween versus Cosplay 153 Exoticization and exploitation 154 Conflicted bodies and identities 157 Disabilities with abilities 160 Family affair 162 Cosplay identities 163 Males in the Cosplay fandom 165 Hazing and gatekeepers 166 Cosplay fan inclusivity 167 Cosplay is NOT consent 168 Costumed bodies: Transformation, conflict, and occupation 172 Cosplay environment 175 Girl power 176 Summary 177 Chapter 6: Worlds of Cosplay future 178 Cosplay popularity and impacts 179 Making room for Cosplay 180 Cosplay everyday 181 Buying and selling Cosplay 184 Challenges to the Cosplay fandom 188 Cosplay rules 189 Weights and measures of Cosplayers 192 Image-centric 193 The Internet and fans 194 Mass media and social media 194 Cosplay and Japan 195 Cosplay costumes 196 Cosplayer lived experience 197 The future of Cosplay is female 198 See you at the next con 199 Summary 200 Chapter 2 203 Chapter 3 203 Chapter 4 204 Chapter 5 204 Chapter 6 204 Notes 202 Bibliography 205 Index 214 "Cosplay, short for 'costume play', has grown from its origins at fan conventions into a billion-dollar global dress phenomenon. Costuming Cosplay takes us from elaborately crafted DIY costumes to online fandoms, examining how the practice of portraying fictional characters from popular culture through dress and performance has become a creative means of expressing and playing with different identities. With an approach that ranges from admiration and role-play to gender performance, this is the first book to fully examine the subculture and costume of the Cosplay phenomenon. Drawing on extensive first-hand research at conventions across North America and Asia, Ther sa M. Winge invites us to explore how Cosplay functions as a meritocracy of creativity, escapism, and disguise, and offers a creative realm in which fantasy and new forms of socializing carry as much importance as costume. Illustrated with color photographs of both celebrity and amateur Cosplayers, Costuming Cosplay is essential reading for students and scholars of fashion and costume, popular culture, anthropology, gender, and media studies, as well as global players and fans of Cosplay"--Bloomsbury Fashion Central "Cosplay, short for "costume play", has grown from its origins at fan conventions into a billion-dollar global dress phenomenon. Costuming Cosplay takes us from elaborately crafted DIY costumes to online fandoms, examining how the practice of portraying fictional characters from popular culture through dress and performance has become a creative means of expressing and playing with different identities. With an approach that ranges from admiration and role-play to gender performance, this is the first book to fully examine the subculture and costume of the Cosplay phenomenon. Drawing on extensive first-hand research at conventions across North America and Asia, Therèsa M. Winge invites us to explore how Cosplay functions as a meritocracy of creativity, escapism, and disguise, and offers a creative realm in which fantasy and new forms of socializing carry as much importance as costume. Illustrated with color photographs of both celebrity and amateur Cosplayers, Costuming Cosplay is essential reading for students and scholars of fashion and costume, popular culture, anthropology, gender, and media studies, as well as global players and fans of Cosplay."--Bloomsbury Publishing Cosplay, Short For Costume Play, Has Grown From Its Origins At Fan Conventions Into A Billion-dollar Global Dress Phenomenon. Costuming Cosplay Takes Us From Elaborately Crafted Diy Costumes To Online Fandoms, Examining How The Practice Of Portraying Fictional Characters From Popular Culture Through Dress And Performance Has Become A Creative Means Of Expressing And Playing With Different Identities. Therèsa M. Winge. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.