[MUSIC PLAYING]
Cosplay's short
for a costume play.
And the idea is that
people dress in costume
and literally act out the
part of the character.
NARRATOR: I'd like
to think that there
isn't much of a difference
between cosplay and Halloween.
The basic gist is the same.
You pick something
or someone you like
and you embody that for
a couple hours or a day.
FRENCHY LUNNING: This is an
absolute element of fandom.
There are lots of fans.
I think it's based
because of the internet.
They come together on
websites and conventions.
There are people from
all over the world.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Cultures have rules.
Good evening, Mrs. Norton.
FRENCHY LUNNING: Those rules
have bounded categories.
So these things are allowed.
These things are not.
The difference
under costume play
is a difference that's
allowed by our culture.
It's the sort of relief valve.
You can be a guy
and play a girl.
You can be a girl
and play a guy.
The funny thing about cosplay
and Halloween, if you will,
are that you're allowed
to be the other gender.
Think of all of those
sort of World War III USO
shows where all the men
dressed up as girls.
Well, this was a
release valve, again,
for a patriarchal society.
It shows up, as we call,
a Gothic upwelling.
Those things that are
repressed in a culture
usually pop up in another way.
And since it is in
contemporary culture,
there are outlets for that
are allowed, that are legal.
And cosplay is one of them.
That's where it shows up.
This is a theory
by Felix Guattari
called the transversal.
And he came about
this theory working
in a psychiatric hospital.
And he watched how the
staff and the patients, when
they got together on a meeting,
everybody became equal.
And it developed a space
in which equality happened,
community happened.
That's exactly what
happens with cosplay.
That community develops
this transversals space
for behaviors that are
not generally allowed.
I'd say that
cosplay is definitely
a creative thing for me.
I really loved to
embody these characters
that I not only love,
but that most of them
I've loved since I was a child.
Being able to dress up like
Wonder Woman or Super Girl
brings so much power to you
just by putting on the outfit.
I think the creation
of the costume
itself is one of the most
important things of cosplaying.
It's the time and energy
that you put into it.
And then when you get to finally
show it off, it's all worth it.
[CHEERING]
There are tons of conventions
across the United States
alone and all over the world.
If you're at a convention
that's not in your state,
you know, you have
to pack everything,
bring it to your hotel,
get up most likely very
early in the morning
to start putting on wig
caps and the wigs and
the special makeup
and the special shoes.
And that usually
takes a lot of time.
But once you step out
of your hotel room,
it's like, this is it.
And you get on to
the show floor.
Letting other people see your
cosplay when it's finished
is one of the most important
things to a cosplayer.
That's where you're going
to get to meet other fans
and to see their
faces light up when
they see the work that you've
put into it is fantastic.
I think I even signed
an autograph once.
And I asked the person,
do you know who I am?
Do you want my
autograph or do you want
me to sign as the character?
And they said the character.
So nothing beats that.
Cosplay fulfills a lot of
different expressive elements
and social elements.
In my mind, cosplay isn't
different from going
to a ballgame.
You know, with any kind of
sporting event and wearing
your team's jacket and hat.
Your attire identifies
you as with your people.
And so I think cosplay
works the same way.
Doctor Andrea Letamendi and I
have done two research studies
on cosplay.
We found that some people,
when they wear a mask,
feel more like themselves.
And an equal number said they
felt less like themselves.
And so we think that it probably
depends on the character
that they're playing.
You do get to try on a persona.
Some of the people
I've interviewed who've
dressed as Batman
talk about having
experienced personal trauma.
[GUNSHOT]
His character really is
an inspiration for them.
And other people
that I've talked
to who dress as Wonder
Woman talk about her comfort
with her body that kind
of helps them bring out
a part of themselves that
otherwise isn't there
that they can use whenever
they want, not even in costume.
I think it's really
wonderful how, in some cases,
the character's-- I wouldn't
go far to say therapeutic
purpose-- but I think it can
be really helpful for people.
I'd say much like the
overall geek community,
cosplay is getting
more and more accepted.
More people are
getting used the idea
and seeing other people
do it and think, oh.
OK.
Maybe I'll try that too.
It allows you to try on
roles that aren't you.
And then when you
do it long enough,
it can become a part of you.
FRENCHY LUNNING: Fan
studies, you know,
is now this emerging category.
It's huge right now.
Fandom has become a kind
of a socialization process.
There are people from all
over the world participating.
It's pretty, actually.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
