Introduction to Culture Studies Exam Paper

Introduction

The concept and portmanteau word of cosplay is come from Japan. It is called “コスプレ” in Japanese that it can part into two different words—“コス” and “プレ” which means costume and play separately. (Culp, 2016, p.3) added cosplay that it is a performing art that performer called cosplayers who might dress up in different costume or specific accessories to act diversified characters. The cosplayer may need to inject emotions and dialogue of the characters in story. The source of characters is always in accordance with the manga, anime or gaming figures.

With this thinking, cosplay is usually linked up with gender fluidity and postmodernism. According to Lam (2015) mentioned that gender fluidity means that “it has not a fixed sex and it can change at any time or has more than one sex at the same time.” Another concept of this question is postmodernism, what is the definition of postmodernism? We can refer to (Butler, 2002, p.5), the theory is formed when 1960s to 1990s and there is a precise generalization or definition but It is characterized by the theorist's opposition to conventional forms.

Under this understanding, this paper is going to talk about the relationship between cosplay, postmodernism and gender fluidity by using different perspective of cosplay like the source, clothing, grooming, merchandise to explain the concept of postmodernism and gender fluidity.

The relationship between modernism and postmodernism

To understand the theory of postmodernism, we should clarify the concept of modernism since postmodernism is derived from modernism. The theory was caused when 1870s to 1945s. (Law, 2005, p.15) discussed there are two greatest perspectives of modernism which are dehumanization and doubt spirit.

Dehumanization is to say that the core of this concept is that to deny people's self-esteem and “humanity”. In sharp contrast with humanitarian as it the theory that people are inherently good or kind so it can be shown in few aspects.

The first one would be the emptiness of the human spirit and the numbness of the soul. (p.15) Given that people live without any emotions or feelings and just like robots with no humans’ characteristics inside and became mechanized. This is to say, McDonaldization is the classic. Ritzer (2013) argued that McDonaldization is, “it adopts the characteristics of a fast-food restaurant” (p.6) with four main principles that are efficiency, calculability, predictability and control. (p.13-15) From this, we find that people work with these four requirements but not concerning the issue of people is an emotional animal but not a working machine.

The second one is that human morality is low. (p.16) In the grounds that people become selfish and put profit first. Sweat factory is the case that it can explain. As sweatshops refer the shop where working conditions are poor and workers' rights and interests are exploited. Workers' bodies and minds are damaged by poor working conditions, such as those that are filled with hazardous substances, high heat, low temperature or radiation working in the environment even employing with child labour, often resulted in long hours and low wages. Therefore, people will only pay attention to the growth of interests and ignore the needs of people.

The last one is that human pity and helplessness. (p.16) Thanks to the technology, people builds and produces more and more modern objects and produce lots of negative impacts. Just like the skyscrapers as it seems like a high-tech product but the closer examination, as (Leung, 2017) mentioned that it will lead the space oppressive and stressful as skyscrapers make cities denser. From this, people seem to yearn for modernity but they feel unhappier when they had hoped to improve the quality of their lives and make themselves happier before.

Above is the part of dehumanization in modernism and it emphasis on rationalism to profit by the enlightenment of Descartes. That triggers that postmodernism criticizes rational discourse like the sociologist of (Bauman, 2013) described that modernism is kind of “holocaust.” On the other hand, postmodernism is all about feeling which is based on the matter of personal taste. (Lytoard, 1984) in his book The Postmodern Condition stated that the reason put forward in modernism is instrumental reason and there is a “postulate” grand theory to support it. In this way, postmodernism opposed that there is a set of background and postulate ideas and avoids the grand schemes of legitimation.

From the aspect of doubt spirit, a phrase from Descartes shows the meaning of it which is, “I think, therefore I am.” (Levene, 2010) This sentence expresses the importance of doubting or thinking. In the process of doubt, we find that the doubt itself is unquestionable. I doubt, and so should the doubting I. This to say, it questions the veracity of truth. (Plato, 2017) use the metaphor of cave to explain that human ignorance knows only “form” but not “idea” which is the true knowledge. With this, it is very important to notice that people need to their levels of knowledge which is ignorance so that it is easier for us to find the real one.

However, when it comes to postmodernism, it still retains the spirit of skepticism but the things it doubts become different. From the truth, reason, reality to maintain a negative or skeptical attitude. As Nietzsche (2016, p. 21) analyzed in his book The Will To His Power that, “Everything changes, there is no eternal truth and there is no absolute truth.” That means Nietzsche did not believe that there is such a thing as an absolute or eternal or objective metaphysical truth. What he really believed that the world has a different interpretation. This also reflects the characteristics of postmodernism, that even the truth itself is skeptical, there is no specific truth.

Cosplay sources, postmodernism and gender fluidity

Of all the features of cosplay which are related to the postmodernism, none are obvious as the characteristic that the source of cosplay. We can refer to a survey conducted by (Donna, 2019). It reflects that the top three figures that people present which are Spiderman, Captain America and Black Widow. In this survey, we can state that most of the source are come from the movie or gaming. Furthermore, as the origin of cosplay is come from Japan as I told that in the part of introduction. We can believe that some of the characters are presented in the Japanese culture or media like manga or anime. Given that cosplayer need to invest in the character and emotions of the character so that the character can be brought back to reality. We can refer to a video called Cosplay is also a creation (2018) that the cosplayer had said that, “If you're not in character, it's no different than a hanger.” and there is a video that inviting some cosplayers to express their opinions which is (Hong Kong Cosplay, 2018) the cosplayer mentioned that they need to know the whole story of the characters so that they can fully understand their past or thinking. In this way, we can say that cosplayer need to know detaily about the character no matter in different perspectives so that the cosplayers can act well.

With this thinking, the concept of gender fluidity can be fulfilled. As the concept means it can transfer the gender from man to female or female or man and even more than one gender or no gender at the same time. As being cosplayer, what we need to do is you need to act like your favourite character just like above paragraph mentioned. Therefore, the performing is based on the character no matter what gender he or she is, it still need to let go of your identity and commit to your role. Ching (2017) interviewed the man cosplayer need to act Kukko from the animation of Nyaruko which is an anime woman with red hair. He commented that, “I need to go close to the world of women, to the role of a good interpretation.”

Of course, it also related to the theory of postmodernism. As cosplay is a performing art that the characters in the virtual world need to be re-represented in the real world. In this point can relate explain (Baudrillard, 1994)’ s view of postmodernism in his book Simulacra and Simulation that there are omnipresence of media images and cosplay character is one of the media sign. He explored that the distinction between objects and representations, between things and concepts has also lapsed. The world is thus made up of simulacra, which have no real basis and are only self-referential. With this, the real world and the virtual world don't matter as there is no absolute truth like I explained in the part of modernism and postmodernism. In this way, cosplay wanders between the real and the virtual even moving virtual characters to “reality” as the dissolution of animation into life and the dissolution of life into animation.

Moreover, cosplay can also response to the feature of postmodernism of identity is not fixed. In the grounds that what cosplay need to do is to fit in the different character. Like (Barker, 2004, p.21) said that the identity of human is constantly constructed. Since when the cosplayers act the dramatis personae, they would change it into the play. In this way, we can notice that cosplays can be conducted into different person as-long-as they need to act or cosplay in the stage. When cosplayers get into the source of performing, they need to conduct with the individual or identity of the media.

Cosplayers’ appearances, postmodernism and gender fluidity

At the same time, it is equally important to notice the perspective of cosplayers’ appearance. What I want to say is that if the above part which is the source of cosplay is the inner one, this part is going to talk about the form or the outlook of cosplay. It is not difficult to understand that appearance is the most important element of cosplay with the first impression to notice the cosplayers. To dress more alike the characters, they put a lot of thought into it. We can refer to a video (The cosplayer of Arisa, 2015) that show the cosplayer in-order-to get or make the outfit of the character, she even need to rent the studio to make and the cosplay clothing costs hundreds to thousands of digits. With the high requirement of cosplayers’ outlook like (Raham, 2014) with the wig of color, the clothing materials or even the color of eyes’ lens since it is hoped that to alike as one hundred percent similarity.

Also, it also fit the concept of gender fluidity as the gender can be flexibility to change that according to your favourite or performing character. Take the example of the video (Men's suits as women's Cosplay, 2018) reported that when the man need to cosplay the character as a female that they need to do a very hard work with using different tools or the props to present the specific character. The male cosplayers stated that the props are included in wigs, dress or even fake breasts that those are the characteristics of women or the females’ characters.

In this case, the male cosplayer not only the outfit need to fulfill the anime character Hatsune Miku, but also need to wear wigs with long fake green-blue color hair and make up to present the character. In this way, cosplays can turn the gender to fit the character in virtual world like animation, manga or movie.

The concept of postmodernism is also included in the point of cosplayers’ appearances. In a sense that the principle of postmodernism is to oppose takes all forms by convention. According to the (Bai, 2006) explained that postmodernism challenge the integrity of modernism. It is similar that I have said in the part of the relationship between modernism and postmodernism which the issue of people being mechanized that they dressed uniformly. As (Wen, 1996) said that since modernism blindly seeks the criterion of “efficiency” and “consistency”, the society cannot be led by reason, and human beings sink into “collectivization”. Post-modernism criticizes modernism and questions its “consistency”. In the contrast with people in Pakistan that they dress similar the cosplayers wear unfixed clothing that can be very diversified.

The products of cosplay

In fact, cosplay is not only the performing culture, but also it will create products in cosplay. Given that the Anime festival is the classic example. Don’t get me wrong, what I really mean is not the products of animation but are the products of cosplay like the photo albums. For instance, (KS media, 2019) reported that the cosplayer Sheena promoted her cosplay photo in the Hong Kong Anime festival. With this, we noticed that the cosplayers used to took the photos as a product that selling to the consumers. On the other hand, some pop stars may even use cosplay as a method to appeal people to buy the products. We can refer to the news (Hoi, 2019) that some visitors reported that the desire to buy increased because the sellers were dressed up or cosplayed.

With this, this might also relate to the theory of postmodernism as (Bulter, 2002) stated that culture and economy break and permeate each other as it broke the order on all sides like the culture one and the economy one. In the sense that cosplay originally a Japanese culture since cosplay has its own dedicated local and international competitions, as well as social networks, websites and other forms of media centered around role-playing events. However, cosplay had become the commercial products for people to buy like the cosplays albums I just mentioned or using cosplay techniques to attract people to take a look to the products. Under this thinking, we noticed that the culture and the economy are mixed together as people may this cosplay culture to earn more profits.

Conclusion

To sum up, this paper has already discussed the relationship between the cosplay and postmodernism with two perspectives which are the inner and the outer. Moreover, this essay also talked about the analyzation between the gender fluidity and the cosplay. Of course, there are lots of features of cosplay and postmodernism that haven’t mentioned in the essay as the word limited. For example, cosplay can perform in different places which means it doesn’t have a stage to perform as long as the cosplayers are ready to perform. This is also one of the feature of postmodernism which is there is no concept of place as the fluidity of venue. Lastly, it is hoped that cosplay allows more people to know and try to understand and appreciate as the cosplayers had put a very hard work in it.

Reference

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