Faux: Fantasy Edition

F A N T A S Y

October 2016

E D I T I O N

AUS

CONT PAGE 3-6 Regrets of a Failed Fantasy AUTHOR: Liam Wilson DESIGNER: Liam Wilson

PAGE 7-12 Facades in Fantasy Females AUTHOR: Leo Elijah Cristea DESIGNER: Holly Ashhurst-Smith

ENTS PAGE 13-18 Online Identity AUTHOR: Alice E. Marwick DESIGNER: Jacob Hurney

PAGE 19-24 Fantasy in Reality AUTHOR: Patricia Hernandez DESIGNER: Sam Field

Regrets of a Failed Fantasy

I’ve always thought I had tallent, not A grade

From the age of 5, I’d play Football every Satur-

tallent, but more B+ tallent. I could always run fast,

day, and train twice a week. Sometimes even going

but not fast enough to make it into any competition,

across the road to the park with my Father to

I could always run far as well, but I’d always man-

practice and learn from him as he too has played

age to get a stitch whenever I’d represent school

his entire life. He would get frustrated if I didn’t

as a kid, never when training, never in trials, but

pick something up quickly enough for his liking,

always in the competition.

repeat repeat repeat, “practice makes perfect” he

I find this to be the epitome of my life in anything

would say, and so practice I did.Going across the

I endevour to be great in. Sports I try and hobbies

road to that park became a semi-regular pass time

that pass as a phase are nothing to loose any sleep

as a child and teenager, it had goal posts, beyond

about, but its those Fantasies, those dreams that

an entire football fields lenght and a giant hill that

are left as just dreams, when you think you could

my Father reccomended for running up, which

have had a chance, are the ones that creep up on me

although now doesn’t look so big, as a kid it was one

from time to time.

of the most daunting things known to me, being at its sumit felt almost vertical. The park had everything I needed to train to be fit, be skillful, to shoot, to be great. Now this enthusiasm (for lack of a better word) that my dad had towards my Football life would rear its ugly head every weekend. If I didn’t peform well enough, I’d hear about, oh boy did I hear about it, there would be no stone unturned. I didn’t see the good will in my Father’s critique at the time due to his...enthusiasm to doing things right. “You don’t ever listen do you, why won’t you get it through your thick skull” were phrases acompanied by his favorite highlight from the game. As a child sitting in the back seat, I never necisarrily took in what my father was saying I should do differently, but in hindsight I did learn something. I learnt to always doubt my performances, to this day I don’t walk away from a game thinking I’m top shit, I’m always thinking about that one bad pass, that one moment when I shouldn’t have taken a risk. This frame of mind isn’t necisarily a bad thing, especially so in sport, this way of thinking is what made me go home after a game and then go straight to the park to run some more. In the past I may have

blamed this on the fear I had for my Father, but I

team member who throughout all of schooling years

never wanted to be just okay. For years I’d train at

had been ‘that sporty guy’, whom at one point I

that park, and think that I’m training well enough,

probably idolized. Everything was good, great even,

only to go to team training to find that I was only

now theres no freak accident that comes next, there

average, only good. But towards my early teens it

wasn’t a make it or break it snap decision that set

started to pay off, I left East Gosford FC to rejoin

me onto a

my home club Wyoming FC’s Under 13 Cs. This

disasterous. It just slipped away.

was a step down from the previous years Under

I didn’t become a bad player, I didn’t stop trying, I

12 B’s but it was a necsarry jump because East

didn’t even loose the passion for the game. I sup-

Gosford intended to put me into their Ds team, and

pose I just lost momentum. The next season came

so my Father pulled me out because he believed I

and the team got a lot of new players from other

was better than that. That year I became one of the

teams, good players, some better than me.

stand out players of the tream, and that was just

The team also peformed better as a result, we fin-

completley differen’t course, nothing

the success I needed to have

ished 1st on the table and made

the the Under 14 Bs Coach

it to the semi finals, which was

for the following season pick

enough to gain promotion to

me for the team. That year

A grade for the next year. That

I had the best season of my

year as a team didn’t go so well,

Football Career to date. But

we finished near bottom of the

it wasn’t because of my hard

table, and looking at the difi-

work, in all honestly I dedi-

culty of the league there were

cate it to a convenient growth

far better players than B grade

spurt. I was farely taller than

and a plethora of players better

average at the time, my speed

than I. That year though, there

was unparralled by almost

was still a glimour of hope, the

everyone in the league and

Coach of the Clubs Premier

my poor games were few and

League (The best team the club

far between.

can offer), was Co Coaching my

My hardwork wasn’t wasted,

team, and he had selected a few

it did contribute to that sea-

players to be set aside to play

son, but at the time I didn’t

for their reserve team from time

realise how significan’t my

to time. This was the closest

growth spurt was in compari-

thing to the A league you could

son. Everything was just easy,

get, the peak of club Football,

I would tear between people,

if there was ever a chance to be

duck and weave between

great this was it. I was amoung

mutiple attackers, I felt like

those chosen players, but due

nothing could stop me.

to my farely mediocre perfor-

I even won the player of the

mances that season, I was never

season that year, ahead of a

called up. Following season the

5

club couldn’t get enough players to make a Under

what could have happened if I’d tried harder, if I’d

18s team, so my only other option was to direct-

trained more, If I’d actually done well when it mat-

ly try out for their Premier League team. Where

tered most instead of letting the pressure get to me

during pre season, anyone who intended to do so

like it so often does. I look back on how my Father

could train with the Premier League team. And so

brought me up, on one hand it got me this far in

I trained hard, harder than I had ever done. I was

Football, being self critical of myself was needed

at my fittest, I felt like, at least on a confidence

for me to improve myself. You can always work

level I was back to being as great as I was in Under

towards something with a self aware attitude, but

14s. I was even carving up training against reserve

what happens when you fail, something happens

grade and all age players, people far older than I. I

that you can’t fix or change, when something isn’t

was holding my own. Try outs finally came around,

an ongoing process, its called history. So what good

after almost 2 months of training. I player half of

is it when you’re looking back on a failed fantasy?

one game, and ofcourse at such an important time, I underperformed. I made a mistake maybe once or twice and didn’t do anything to stand out, and thus ended my hopes of being picked.- I later went on to join an All Age team within the club because the Premier League Coach wanted to keep tabs on me. Which would have left a glimmer of hope to being picked up again but he has since left the club.

I’ve enjoyed mild success in the last 3 seasons spent in All Age, making the semi finals one season and being awarded player of the season for another. But I’m just comfortable now. I’m only 19, I’m still young, I could easily try out for the Premier League team again, but I’m just busy, too bust for it to be at the forefront of my mind. Football has taken a backseat and I’m kind of okay with that on the surface. Although, sometimes something will remind me of

Facades in

Fantasy Females

T

he problem with the new and yet very im-

we supposed to really start demonstrating realistic characters? This is a problem on all sides of the

strong women with agency, is that some

gender spectrum: the concepts of masculine and

people fixate entirely on the first part

feminine need to be pared down to basics in order to

of this – the word “strong” – and

utilise them correctly. As concepts

take it to mean something very

instead of labels that are rigidly

specific. In fact, it has created a

applied. But it’s complicated and

stereotype in and of itself. One of

people prefer simple.

the biggest problems created by

Sftd by kir-tatHowever, before

fixating on the notion of a Strong

we can properly talk about strong

Woman, is that only one prevail-

characters, let alone women, we

ing definition of the word shines

need to address gender. Gender

through, thus becoming the norm

isn’t binary, but rather a spec-

and therefore what many writers

trum – so it makes senses that, for

adhere to, and many readers come

there to be different expressions of

to expect.

gender at all, that each shade of the gender spectrum embodies differ-

But if we’re picturing a heart-

ent concepts, different aspects and

less assassin with a dark past

personalities. Masculine and femi-

and unrivalled skill with a sword

nine do exist, but they are not nec-

(and in one way this is excellent,

essarily tied to “men” and “wom-

because the dark assassin, the

en” as much as they are tied to the

hooded man, has now become

genders of male and female. This is

the hooded woman), or the savvy

a new truth that requires learning.

and slick urban fantasy private

It needs to filter down and become

detective setting out to save her

part of the social bedrock. Gender

city, putting any Harry Dresdens

is a spectrum, a scale.

who get in her way to shame with her discipline, determination and

Someone very typically female

prowess, or even the dedicated

might present and identify as

priestess, devoted to her goddess

entirely feminine with no mascu-

and participant in a holy war, sure

line identity whatsoever. Consider

of herself and true – where then is

people like this between a nine and

the place for the Sansa Starks, the

a ten on our gender scale. Now

Clary Frays and Tessa Grays and

imagine the scale as a sliding, fluid

the Ineveras and Leesha Papers, if

expression of gender that works

we’re constantly expecting these

both ways. A person identifying

strong women to be – let’s face

as male could very easily consider

it – female incarnations of our rudimentary SFF

themselves a four on the scale (with one being fully

heroes (traditionally and typically male). How are

masculine and male, and ten being fully feminine

9

and female), thereby

Never mind the fact that she is catering to a “most-

expressing himself as

ly” male-appreciated aesthetic. “Mostly” and not

masculine with strong

entirely, because women do enjoy seeing sexier,

aspects of femininity.

badass characters they can aspire to. It is abso-

This is a thing. There

lutely fine for women to appreciate themselves in a

are characters that fit

physical sense, which sometimes might be leather

this expression, only

and a handgun, because it is badass. However, she

we don’t notice, don’t

isn’t essentially speaking for or to women, which is

involve it in our commentary and dialogue. Imag-

a bigger problem.

ine light and dark to visualise “opposed” concepts.

There is true dark and full light – and absolutely

It isn’t this leather-clad heroine who creates the

everything between. Like gradients of colour.

problem, but rather those who assume her to be the standard. The norm. This urban fantasy diva with

Let’s simply accept at face value that this is how

her attitude and gun-slinging night-job isn’t the

gender works, and now we can actually discuss

only woman out there, taking on the night.

how men and women are or are not and should and should not be presented in SFF.

Molly Carpenter from Dresden Files ComicIf we’re speaking entirely of urban fantasy as a starting

Tea by Toru-meowOver the course of the next few

point, I’m going to put Molly Carpenter on the

articles, we’re going to look at a range of charac-

table. Here we have a young woman who is abso-

ters, both male and female, and present character

lutely not our familiar gun-toting dark vixen. She is

studies that talk about everything from gender to

badass nevertheless. Whilst there are many prob-

personality, and why these particular characters

lems with how Butcher composes his women on

are not only strong people with agency, but also

the page – never mind how Harry Dresden himself

set the bar for other characters to aspire to. This

approaches and treats women – Molly is one aspect

will include characters from early fantasy, right up

of the Dresden Files that stands strong. She is first

until next Tuesday. The findings will probably show

presented as an accidental villain and realises her

trends, and that will be interesting to explore. For

mistakes. I would like her to feel less guilty over her

now, we’re going to skim the surface of what is to

mistakes, but even in this she has a strong sense of

come, an elongated abstract if you like.

The female characters presented in the opening are excellent examples of why setting warrior women as the standard can be problematic. A great number of people imagine leather-clad women with loose dark hair and a black handgun, staring over one shoulder in urban fantasy, and our dark, heartless assassins with troubled pasts in epic fantasy.

This is one definition of what strong means.

who she is. She has agency and even though she is

Throne of Glass by FetschRecently I attended an

pulled into matters deeper and more tangled and

event where Sarah J Maas spoke about her work.

she is made for, she remains independent whilst

She raised precisely the point that is central to the

still under the tutelage of Harry. Sometimes, choos-

examination of female characters and what makes

ing to accept helps demonstrates agency, because

them strong. When you immediately think of Dis-

she has that choice. Molly, in many ways, is one of

ney princesses, strong isn’t what comes to mind.

the more important characters in the series.

There are problems with Disney (many, many problems), but in highlighting the negative aspects,

Sansa Stark by rai-mondSliding back to more tradi-

as often happens, people gloss over the points that

tional fantasy, Sansa Stark looks absolutely noth-

shine. In fact, Maas expressed that the whole idea

ing like your typical strong, independent female

for Throne of Glass came from Cinderella; from a

character. However, the fact that she is enamoured

piece of music, a scene, and the question that fol-

with the idea of being a princess – and then Queen

lowed Cinderella’s flight from the palace: What

– and wearing beautiful dresses, living in a palace

if Cinderella was an assassin?

and experiencing a fairy tale life, doesn’t strip her of any strength or reduce her agency. In fact, Sansa

But Maas also said she considered Cinderella

Stark is arguably one of the strongest characters in

strong. And she is. She endures emotional and

fantasy, especially earlier in the series.

physical abuse (Celaena Sardothien and Sansa Stark, anyone?) and remains kind and dignified

Sansa survives. She weathers and

and strong throughout it all.

protects herself with everything

Moreover, she suffers all this

she has at her disposal. She is

and does not become her abus-

placed in precarious situations,

ers. The cycle ends there. She

time and time again, where we

remains open to love. That is

see her agency and freedom

huge.

questioned and threatened.

This highlights perfectly the

Much of her choice is taken

problem with this close exam-

away, but she clings to what

ination and expectation of what

choices she is presented and

female characters should and

weighs the hand she has been dealt. Each time

should not be. They should be anything they want

she adapts and survives and continues to grow as

to be. They should not have to sacrifice being “girlie

a character and a woman. She is young but learns

girls” just to be strong women. There are many dif-

quickly. She makes mistakes, remains naive and

ferent types of strength and varying degrees of how

learns more. She is a teenage girl in a destructive,

this strength can be used. It’s the strangest thing

insidious game of thrones and crowns and she soon

that in the quest to give women more agency and

begins to teach herself and learn the finer aspects

more of a natural and equal place in literature (and

of the game. Her long hair and pretty dresses – and

media) we are somehow still forcing a mould. In re-

her love for these – do not alter her agency or her

ality, what we’re doing is expecting female charac-

strength. Being traditionally female, being a ten on

ters to fulfil the expected roles of men and deciding

the gender scale, does not lessen her.

that achieving this makes them strong.

11

Oliver Twisted by karichristensenIn this same vein,

visible and invisible strength and/or agency. Char-

male characters who do not fulfil traditional male

acters who need to start populating fantasy more

roles are usually used as weak plot devices: ignored,

and more. We’re going to look at characters and

killed off or made into the amusing foppish dan-

discuss what makes them strong, what makes them

dies. This is the same treatment received by many

worthy of notice. Some already have this limelight,

of the more feminine characters. The norm is mas-

but others will invariably have gone unnoticed as

culine is strong; feminine is not. That is changing,

important threads in the tapestry of presenting real

but not fast or widely enough.

and realistic characters.

So, in the subsequent parts of this series, we’re going to take a look at the best examples of these characters, male and female, who slide along the gender scale and who exhibit varying kinds of

By Leo Elijah Cristea

W

hat constitutes “identity”? If I am

a self” (1996, p.85) – a single, essential personality

asked about my identity, I might

tied to an earthly body, which remains constant.

describe myself as a woman, a New

Thinking of identity as static makes it possible to

Yorker, or a feminist. Other people may mention

group people based on characteristics like race,

their ethnic or racial background, politics, sexuality,

class, and gender, whether for demographic or

or religion. Still other people would talk about their

political purposes.

personality traits, emphasizing who they “really are” or their “true selves.” Identity can mean sub-

This model is not really how most people expe-

jectivity (how we think of ourselves), representation

rience identity. The sociologist Erving Goffman

(how different facets of identity are depicted in

concluded that people present themselves different-

culture and media), or self-presentation (how we

ly based on context (where they are) and audience

present ourselves to others). It can refer to our per-

(who they’re with) (1959). Someone hanging out at

sonal identity as an individual, or our social identity

a bar with friends will speak and act differently than

as a member of a group.

they would in a job interview. In fact, research in symbolic interaction shows that we present our-

Online, most research on identity has focused on

selves slightly differently to different people. Identi-

self-presentation (boyd 2010; Wynn & Katz 1997;

ty is flexible and changeable, and people are highly

Papacharissi 2002; Baym 2010).

skilled in varying their self-pres-

Social media like social network

entation appropriately.

sites, blogs, and online personals require users to self-conscious-

Identity is thus socially construct-

ly create virtual depictions of

ed in tandem with the people

themselves. One way of under-

around us. Cultural studies

standing such self-representation

theorists like Stuart Hall (1987)

is the information and materials

and Angela McRobbie (1994)

people choose to show others on a Facebook profile or Twitter stream. But identity is also ex-

Some people carry out more sinister fantasies online than others.

pressed through interacting with

proposed a pluralist subject that was not only socially constructed rather than biologically essential, but also flexible and changeable

others, whether over instant messenger or email.

over time. Terms like “women of color” or “queer”

Since there are fewer identity cues available online

were strategically constructed to encompass many

than face-to-face, every piece of digital information

different facets of modern identity for political

a person provides, from typing speed to nickname

action or affinity politics (Hall 1987; Lister et al.

and email address, can and is used to make infer-

2003). The concept of a multiple self explains why

ences about them.

people vary identity performance based on context: multiplicity is an inherent property of identity rath-

We typically think of identity as something that is

er than somehow dishonest or false (Baym 2010).

singular, fixed, and unchanging throughout a lifetime. This classic liberal humanist subject consists

Another aspect of the social construction of identity

of what Sandy Stone calls a “body unit grounded in

was pioneered by queer theorist Judith Butler, who

14

maintained that popular understandings of gender

Wear are predicated upon the idea that people can

and sexuality were constructed entirely through dis-

improve aspects of their personality and appear-

course and social processes. She argued that gender

ance to correspond with prevailing social norms.

is performative, in that it is produced through millions of individual actions, rather than something

When computer-mediated communication became

that comes naturally to men and women (1990).

common in the mid-1990s, it consisted primarily of

Similarly, anthropologists have long viewed race as

textual conversation that took place through early

a social construct rather than something rooted in

social technologies like Internet Relay Chat (IRC)

the body. The implications of these theories is that

and Multi-User Dungeons (MUDs): people met

the way that “race” or “gender” operates in society,

and talked without seeing photographs or videos

both offline and online, is ideological— in other

of each other. As a result, some scholars theorized

words, to maintain or further a particular balance

that this “disembodied” communication could free

of power (in this case, structural sexism or racism)

society from discrimination based on race, sex,

(Omi & Winant 1993). Despite this, “race” and “gen-

gender, sexuality, or class. They speculated that

der” remain powerful concepts with very real effects

communicating without traditional identity cues

on people’s lives.

might enable people to experiment with different identities and personalities, making it obvious that

An alternate approach to identity construction

categories like gender were social constructions

comes from postmodern theorists, who theorized

(Turkle 1995). More radical theorists posited that

that people construct identities for themselves

cyberspace would liberate people from their bodies,

using mass media and consumer goods. Anthony

blur the lines between human and technology, and

Giddens famously referred to identity as a “project,”

potentially evolve into a higher type of conscious-

something that can be actively worked on (1991).

ness, becoming post-human (Stone 1996). Thus,

According to this perspective, people construct

new media would fundamentally change the way

their identities through the media they consume,

people thought about identity.

the clothes they wear, how they adorn themselves, and even how they transform their bodies through

There are three primary reasons that the idea of the

exercise or plastic surgery. In other words, people

internet as an “identity workshop” did not come

differentiate themselves from their peers by buying

to pass. First, most people did not create radically

and displaying goods that serve as symbolic mark-

different selves, instead opting for relatively sim-

ers which signal something about who they are

ilar online personas (Baym 2010, p.106). Second,

(Woodward 1997). A Chanel bag, a Jay-Z sweat-

discrimination like racism and sexism are not solely

shirt, and a tweed jacket with elbow patches all

based on appearance. Oppression is structural,

mark personal identity. This concept of identity as

meaning it is fundamentally part of society, existing

project is exemplified by the makeover, a trope of

in everything from institutions to speech patterns.

popular culture in which people are actively trans-

Early papers on textual chat frequently observed

formed into “better” versions of themselves. Televi-

sexist speech or derogatory slang, as people com-

sion shows like The Biggest Loser and What Not to

municating through chat rooms or IRC were still

15

people (Herring 1999; Soukup 1999). Even if users couldn’t see who they were talking to, their beliefs remained intact.

Third, the move to commercial social software like social network sites, blogs, and media sharing services has brought with it an impetus to adhere to a single, fixed identity. Rather than letting users choose nicknames like “SoccerGuy91,” Facebook asks users to provide a real name like “Jason Smith.” Sites with similar policies claim that this design decision prevents deception and assures safety, but it also benefits their business model.

Most commercial sites collect user data and aggregate it with information collected elsewhere, creating sophisticated personal dossiers (Nissenbaum 2010). Other technology companies sell advertising based on demographic information. If people maintain several different profiles on the same site or use obscure nicknames, they are difficult to track and there is no indication that the information they provide is accurate, making it less valuable for marketing purposes. The fantasy of the single, verifiable identity that follows a user from site-to-site is very appealing to advertisers and data-collection companies, and it is becoming possible with technologies like Facebook Connect (Stone 2008).

Since the internet became popular in the mid1990s, people have asked whether new media changes identity or the way people express themselves. Certainly it has provided a new set of tools for self-expression, from blogs to tweets. Moreover, sites like Friendster and MySpace made the social construction of identity self-conscious and visible.

People know that they must choose what facets of themselves they want to present online, and unlike in face-to-face environments where it is possible

Think similar.

to switch self-presentation strategies quickly, this

of an interested audience, but they also further spe-

must be determined in advance. While there are

cific ideas of what it means to be an accomplished,

currently no tools to manage context collapse, peo-

modern individual—namely, fit and educated.

ple use a variety of creative strategies including obfuscation, multi-

Contemporary internet users can

ple accounts, posting coded

find people to talk to about

messages, and retreating to

virtually any subject. It is

smaller sites for

easier to learn about punk

private conversations.

rock, veganism, transgender issues, libertarianism,

It is clear, however,

environmental activism,

that the internet has not

high fashion, bicycling,

liberated people from the

or any other pastime or

structural oppression of dif-

identity position than ever

ference, and structural sexism,

before. The resources available

racism, heterosexism and so forth

to use to construct, perform, and

are just as prevalent online as they are in

mobilize identity make it possible to try out

face-to-face contexts.

different lifestyles and subjectivities. However, sites like Facebook which emphasize “verifiable” identity

“The fantasy of the internet as disembodied playground is just that, a fantasy.”

and the persistence of online content, facilitated by search engines like Google, make it difficult for people to experiment with subject positions without leaving a permanent record.

At the same time, social me-

This back-and-forth between

dia’s tendency to make identity

concepts of singularity and multi-

construction explicit may have

plicity is likely to remain in sharp

far-ranging effects that are yet

focus, for internet users, technolo-

to be determined. For instance,

gy creators, and internet scholars.

the internet offers a plethora of tools for self-improvement, from exercise and diet trackers to study aids and educational materials.

Sites like RunKeeper, SparkPeople, OpenCourseWare and Khan Academy combine a strong focus

privacy boundaries can break easily.

on one’s own progress with support drawn from internet-enabled interpersonal connections. These tools let people explicitly work towards desired identities in front

17

Chapter from: Marwick, A. (2013). “Online Identity.� In Hartley, J., Burgess, J. & Bruns, A. (eds), Companion to New Media Dynamics. Blackwell Companions to Cultural Studies. Malden, MA: Blackwell, pp. 355-364.

W

hat hatmost mostofofus usget gettotosee, see,cosplaycosplay-

“When you’re a fan of

wise, is the part where a costumed fan

comic books and games.

something, cosplay is like the ultimate homage.”

What most of us experience is the ‘product.’ The

The issues are not always bullies, though.

stands before the flash of the camera,

posing as their favorite characters from movies,

end result. But there is a person underneath that costume. That person has a story, that person has

“The vast majority of my friends are cosplayers,”

reasons for putting themselves out there for the

DeLoria explained, and entertaining people through

world to see. And that person likely put in a lot of

your cosplay means “being asked for photos,

work to bring a character to life. Turns out, there is

making passersby smile, watching kids freak out

a whole lot more to cosplay than just what can be

because they’re meeting Batman for real.”

photographed and put into galleries.

Of course, as sincere and as earnest as the To be a cosplayer is to be a fan—the cosplay itself

sentiments fueling cosplay are, they still have to

not much different in spirit than writing a fanfiction

put a costume together. First a character must be

or hoarding collectibles of your favorite media.

chosen. Or, perhaps it might be more accurate to

“I don’t think anyone in their right minds would

say that the character chooses you. Folks tend to

hot glue N7 armor to their skin for a Mass Effect

gravitate toward characters that they feel

cosplay or go two days without sleep while sewing

a connection to.

Super Sentai suits if they weren’t a fan of it,” Elizabeth DeLoria, an Australian cosplayer with a

The degree to which a cosplayer might take it upon

fiery attitude explained to me in an interview.

themselves to create a costume and reach “screen accuracy” is staggering. Sometimes, the efforts

Perhaps not surprisingly, there is also an element

require you to go through a crucible of sorts. “There

of escapism to cosplay. A nerdy outcast can find not

is a lot of pressure, I personally feel, in looking

only an outlet for their devotion to something, but

exactly like your character,”

also a strong community that shares a

she explained.

similar passion.

Elizabeth as Thor Such was the case with cosplayer Kat Elisabeth, who was “teased pretty badly” growing up because of her

Meeting expectations to adopt

interest in games, anime and sci-fi, she told me on

a character’s essence can be

an online chat. That didn’t stop her from fostering

grueling. Things go wrong

“a love and connection to [characters]” that was

with your sewing

strong enough to want to bring said character

machine, your wigs,

into our world. In the face of such obstacles, every

your props, you

convention can feel like a victory, Kat said.

run out of money,

20

real life gets in the way, you don’t know how to put

“Its hard to accept that you WON’T produce

something together, the paint job went wrong, the

amazing, awestriking work without some cash,

glue didn’t hold, you didn’t lose enough weight—

effort, and time, time time,” Kat said, “What stops

the number of things that can get in the way when

me from cutting myself a break due to my economic

doing cosplay is crazy.

status and mental issues is that I know someone out there has it worse, and is still doing stellar work.

Going the extra mile to cosplay can also

And I will find that sonofabitch and throttle

be expensive, and certainly there

them until I learn their secrets.”

are cosplayers who are willing to shell out as much money

Wearing something is not all there is to a

as it takes to ‘become’ a

cosplay though, and this is where things

character. As respectable

get particularly fascinating. Both Kat and

as that dedication to

DeLoria have taken up extra hobbies to

being accurate is,

supplement their cosplays. In researching

it’s not something

for Avatar cosplays, for example, Kat

DeLoria and Kat

came to take up martial arts such as tai

always have the

chi and kung fu. This allowed her to take

privilege of doing. They

up better poses for pictures, as well as be

have to regularly improvise

able to assume a character more fully.

and sometimes even rely on

Sometimes, this also involves adopting

individual flair for a costume that’s

affectations for skits and acts that one puts on

not exactly a recreation.

whenever they’re interacting with fans. If you cosplay as, say, Commander Shepard, for instance,

“I prefer to not worry about screen accuracy,”

you might like ending conversations with his

DeLoria said, “because it means I can also add a

signature “I should go.”

little bit of artistic license while still keeping it recognizable.”

Elizabeth as Bane

Plus budgeting means having to be creative, which

“When I put on my Bane mask it’s almost

in a way could be seen as a test of how much

impossible for me to not imitate his voice and stride

passion a cosplayer has. When someone figures

around,” DeLoria remarked, “When I’m Mary Jane

out how to use $2 plastic bins instead of foam or

I call everyone ‘tiger.’ It’s often just little things but

wonderflex for a part of a costume, it’s difficult not

if I can get people to laugh or get excited because it

to feel awe at their ingenuity.

feels even a little tiny, itsy bitsy bit real to them, t hat’s a rewarding feeling for me.”

“What stops me from cutting myself a break due to my economic status and mental issues is that I

DeLoria has also taken up dieting and weight-lifting

know someone out there has it worse, and is still

in the past. Sometimes, what you do to look like a

doing stellar work.”

character isn’t healthy. DeLoria recalls going on a ‘very intense’ exercise kick for a Valkyrie cosplay,

21

along with eating habits that left her in pain. “I have

“The effort and experience

a body type that I’m not comfortable doing a lot of cosplays in” DeLoria divulged, “I have big hips, a

in the end is more worth it than looking just like them,”

large bust, I’m not the most physically fit of people.”

Given how much of your body can be on display in cosplay, the extent of stress one feels can be great.

The issue is when other people don’t respect a “No amount of working out, creams, lotions, or

cosplayer simply because they put themselves

makeup would leave me satisfied,” Kat recalled,

on display. Sometimes, accusations of doing a

when thinking about her earlier cosplay days. “I had

‘sexy’ cosplay merely for attention rise, and here

poor body image anyways, and an eating disorder

is where the ‘fake geek girl’ stuff pop up—is that

slowly creeping up on me before emerging into full

cosplayer actually clueless about their costume?

static bloom last year that left me crying over my

While unfair, in a twisted sense the insecurities

body after hours in the gym when I should’ve been

make sense: if some of the cosplay community is

doing schoolwork.”

made up of defensive outcasts that have rallied together for the communal love of a

One’s natural body poses more challenges than

piece of media, someone not actually

one might think when it comes to cosplay. Well-

being knowledgeable about that

meaning cosplayers will tell you that it’s not

media might be seen

about looking exactly like a character,

as ‘threatening.’

especially if it’s physically impossible, but rather about having fun and

But as women, the

engaging with the community.

pressures that both DeLoria

Kat as Yoko from Gurren Lagann

and Kat face are tied with the

Still, I’ve occasionally stumbled on

expectation that

darker parts of the community,

a woman’s body

who get angry when someone

is public domain

dares to cosplay as someone

and they have

that’s a different gender, race

a responsibility to

or especially body type. Kat told me

never subject people to

about an early cosplay where she was

anything less than a hyper-

called out for not being the right skin tone,

idealized body. Anything else is

and she’s had to “lighten my skin, cover freckles,

offensive and a blatant disregard for

[and] attempt to color my darkass eyebrows.”

the poor sensibilities of a hyper -entitled viewer.When you look toward ‘sexy’

Those alterations stem from a desire to recreate a

cosplay as a means of empowering yourself, as

character and she doesn’t have a problem doing it.

DeLoria does, things get complicated.

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In a culture that is convinced that a woman can

But as women, the pressures that both DeLoria

‘ask for it’-dressing provocatively as, say, Metal

and Kat face are tied with the expectation that a

Gear Solid’s EVA-can cause people to think they are

woman’s body is public domain and they have a

being invited to flirt, touch or harass a cosplayer.

of ‘WHORE/BITCH/SLUT’ or ‘PUT ON SOME CLOTHES’ while I’m trying to get to my hotel, nor

Elizabeth as EVA

do I ask to be glomped/grabbed/have someone try and remove my top/kissed/pulled at/or anything

“I find it’s a hard balance because I am a very

like that. It just makes me feel worse about myself.

sexual person and I enjoy characters like Ivy and

I can’t look exactly like this pale, really oddly

Black Cat where I get to play around a little bit with

proportioned, yellow-eyed bitch on the screen, so

that, but at the same time I know a lot cosplayers

obviously I’m just here for people to ridicule, no

aren’t like me and I don’t want to perpetuate this

matter how much I like the character.”

idea that if you’re in a ‘sexy’ cosplay, you HAVE to be flirtatious and want to flirt. I like getting into

There are even instances when, after an assault,

character when I cosplay and it’s part of why I

depending on what the cosplay was, a cosplayer

choose the characters I do, but a lot of cosplayers

might be blamed for the incident. “Well, maybe

don’t, so sometimes I worry that while I’m prancing

you shouldn’t have dressed like that” is a literal

around calling everyone ‘sweet-heart’ and blowing

thing someone has said to Kat, and there have also

kisses that I’m making some people think it’s okay

been occurrences where people shut down any

to assume all the other cosplayers at the convention

conversation that brings up an incident of assault.

are going to act the same and be okay with that kind

She’s not discouraged, though—the love for cons

of interaction.”

and cosplay is too great.

Kat has a number of stories of cosplay-community

“People have a right to feel awesome....I try to

gone wrong when it comes to ‘sexy cosplay.’

make my costumes to the best of my ability, and

responsibility to never subject people to anything

really have to work on realizing that I can’t please

less than a hyper-idealized body.

everyone/wont always have the right complexion/ body type, etc [but it’s fine as long as it makes] ME

“I don’t ask for the comments

happy.”

“For the most part,” DeLoria clarifies, “we’re a pretty welcoming bunch and watching the uninitiated become one of us over time is something we really enjoy...I firmly believe that if you want to cosplay a character, you should go for it.”

And ultimately? Despite the time, dedication and sometimes drama that the cosplay life can create, the camraderie, culture and strength that cosplay gives is worth it.