Creating the Body Beautiful Cosplay: Crossdressing, Cosplay, and Hyper Femininity/Hyper Masculinity

Abstract

In dressing up and performing cosplay (costume play), practitioners will often change their appearance using wigs, makeup, layered shoes, and fantastic costumes. Increasingly, cosplay practitioners of all genders will use various means to alter the way their bodies look, adding curves or muscles with padding and binding or tucking away unwanted bulges. In addition to scholarly sources, this chapter will also make use of the commentary on gender, race, and body type posted by cosplay practitioners on public, global social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter in order to understand what constitutes the “perfect” or ideal cosplay body—if, indeed, such a thing exists. Rather than asking why these cosplayers dress up as their favorite characters from popular culture, the focus here will be on examining the ways in which cosplayers create their costumes. While many cosplay practitioners buy or commission their garments from online stores, the focus here is on cosplayers who create their own costumes for the purpose of taking part in competitions. This chapter will explore how cosplay practitioners sculpt the body beautiful cosplay and what the challenges may be in portraying in 2D superheroes and magical girls in a 2.5D or 3D reality.