Wonder (Wo)man:
Examining Gendered Identities and Gender Bending Through [the art of]
Cosplay
Daniel Skentelbery | MRes in Film Studies
Gender bending cosplay has often been understood in relation to drag theory,
yet some existing writings offer a prescriptive and critical outlook on drag as
restrictive and conformative to heterosexual norms. With specific reference to
the works of Judith Butler, this paper seeks to examine the diversity that exists
within gender bending cosplay. With specific reference to male cosplays of
DC’s Wonder Woman, following the success of the recent film Wonder Woman
(2017), it is possible to argue that firstly, gender can be multiple and the
individual can transcend cultural norms, and secondly, gender bending cosplay
can and should be treated as a serious from of social transformation.
Keywords| cosplay, drag, gender bending, identity, Wonder Woman.
Amongst the cosplay subculture, cosplays of DC’s Wonder Woman have become increasingly
popular, particularly following the success of the film Wonder Woman 1 . Cosplay, an
abbreviation of “costume play”, is the practice of dressing up as characters from popular media
and embodying their characteristics, often in the contexts of fan conventions. A subsection of
this community includes gender bending cosplay, which is the cosplay of a character of the
opposite gender to that of the cosplayer. Gender bending cosplay has been documented by
several writers, including Joel Gn, Suzanne Scott, Jason Bainbridge and Craig Norris all of
whom understand cosplay as existing within queer frameworks 2 . This paper intends to develop
these studies by examining specific male cosplays of Wonder Woman, to highlight the diverse
forms that gender bending cosplay can take, and the subsequent discourses they create. The
cosplays referenced throughout this paper have been made publicly available by the
cosplayers online; and, whilst there is a focus upon the recent Wonder Woman film, certain
cosplayers referenced depict the earlier Wonder Woman television series 3 , encouraging
Wonder Woman to be understood as a cultural icon whose cultural significance has re-
Wonder Woman, [Film] Directed by Patty Jenkins (USA: Warner Bros., 2017). According to Los
Angeles Times the film is the highest grossing film within the DC Cinematic Universe. (‘‘Wonder
Woman’ is officially DC’s domestic box office goddess’ by Libby Hill on latimes.com (2017)).
2 Joel Gn, ‘Queer Simulation: The Practice, performance and pleasure of cosplay’, Continuum:
Journal of Media & Cultural Studies 25:4 (2011): 583-593; Suzanne Scott, ‘‘Cosplay is Serious
Business’: Gendering Material Fan Labour on Heroes of Cosplay’, Cinema Journal 54:3 (2015):
146-154; Jason Bainbridge and Craig Norris, ‘Posthuman Drag: Understanding Cosplay as Social
Networking in a Material Culture’, Intersections: Gender and Sexuality in Asia and the Pacific. 32
(2013).
3 Wonder Woman, [Television series], Created by William M. Marston and Stanley R. Ross (USA:
Bruce Lansbury Productions, 1975-79).
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