L.A. Times Discusses Crossplay!

A great article tossed to me by my good friend Andrea on Facbeook dove into cosplay in a whole new light. Crossplay is a section of cosplay where the character being portrayed will be gender-changed for the cosplayers needs (male character to female, female to male). While the article focuses on the phenomenon specifically happening in anime conventions, there’s also a wonderful mention of the Gender Bent Justice League from Comic Con!

For those not familiar with them, there’s another article about them: a group of cosplayers who decided to get together and cosplay gender-switched versions of their main characters. With names like Superma’am and Martian Maneater, they took the convention by storm.

Crossplay as a part of costuming is fascinating to me because of the versatility if offers to cosplayers in what characters they can portray. You don’t have to be worried about whether or not you can play Batman if you’re a girl, or not. Want to be Darth Vader instead of Slave Leia? Do it. It also allows girls who don’t fit the particular body type of a lot of characters to branch out into cosplaying something they’re more comfortable with. No bra stuffing for bouncy anime characters, you can play the bishonen of your choice! And the acceptance of crossplay as a part of the cosplay world warms the heart.

Myself? I’m right on this one for my first character. I’ve got a plan for a femme Harry Dresden costume in the works and have for some time. Reading this article just emboldens me to get out there and make it get done.

You can catch these articles here: Crossplay: An Introduction and San Diego Comic-Con Cosplay Spotlight: Gender Bent Justice League