The Big Read: Beyond the wigs and fancy costumes, cosplay is serious business and a safe space for some

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SINGAPORE — An unlikely relationship began to form between Maoru and cosplay when she was in secondary school.

“, I was actually not a big fan of cosplay,” said the 24-year-old graphic designer who initially found it"odd" when two-dimensional characters were translated into real life.

Maoru shared that when she was younger, she did not have many strong opinions to share and hence would tend to keep mum during conversations. Interacting with more people who share a common interest through cosplay gave her the opportunity and confidence to voice out her thoughts more often. “I was going through the greatest and longest emotional turmoil ever experienced, and needed an activity to refocus,” said William, who only dresses up as a plague doctor of the 16th and 17th century — donning a bird-shaped mask and all-black costume.William and Maoru are walking testimonies of cosplayers who have found a deeper meaning in a hobby that, according to industry players, has been gaining traction locally and globally in recent years.

“As such, cosplay can be a space to fulfil fundamental human needs for self-expression and acceptance.” The triad are the two-day convention EOY Japanese Culture Festival, Singapore Comic Con and the three-day Anime Festival Asia. They are typically held annually, but were disrupted for two years due to Covid-19.

Though attendance is not exclusive to costume wearers, cosplayers and organisers said that the number of cosplayers has indeed been growing. Costumes, an integral part of the cosplay experience, are also more readily available at lower cost, said cosplayers, who pointed to newer international e-commerce platforms such as Taobao that did not exist when they first started.

“My follower count is relatively small so I don't really earn much and I don't expect much as I'm doing this as a hobby,” said Narumi, 19, who also declined to share her full name out of privacy concerns. She has about 2,500 followers on Instagram.While Mr Goh, 20, cosplays mainly as a hobby, he said that he felt it was a"huge honour" knowing there are people out there who enjoy his content enough to buy his merchandise.

“I found myself really just going home straight after work, and then spending all my remaining evenings doing my livestream, or filming sponsored content or just doing up my costume in general. Malaysian cosplayer Hakken earned an average of US$5,000 to US$6,000 a month, reported Insider.com in October 2021. The figure could go up to between US$20,000 to US$30,000 “on a good month”.

“I really enjoy the idea of taking on the persona of a character that you enjoy watching from an anime or reading a manga. She also finds joy interacting with “wonderful people” in the community who offer her support and encouragement to continuously improve her craft. “For those who may have felt isolated or excluded, being a part of a community can be empowering and healing.”

After becoming interested in cosplay, Ms Goh realised that she “felt comforted by characters that looked more androgynous” and felt incredibly good about the way she looked when she dressed up like them.Freelance video editor Evelyn Goh, 29, said that cosplay has been a “huge part” of her gender identity journey.

However, excessive escapism “may indicate an underlying mental health issue, such as depression or anxiety”. William said that there had been “quite a number of times” when people he interacted with touched him and his props unceremoniously, without realising that they should seek his permission first.

“Cosplayers, like other online communities, can be targeted by cyberbullies, trolls, and stalkers,” said Mr Quek of Talk Your Heart Out.

 

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