life ’ 10 , Stephen Valocchi agrees , ‘ Thus , we are men or women , masculine or feminine , gay or straight . Of course , sociologists admit that these are social constructions , but they are social constructions with consequences ’ 11 . Therefore , if a man dressed as Wonder Woman outside the convention space he would likely be ridiculed for not conforming to social expectations . These limitations , however , should not detract from the cultural significance of gender bending as an act , but merely highlight the specifics of its located function .
Man ! I feel like a Wonder Woman : Drag and performing gender
From this point on , cosplayers will be referred to as means of highlighting the different forms gender bending in cosplay takes shape . For example , drag queen Beardonna ’ s cosplay ‘ Wonder WoBear ’ 12 . The title of the cosplay is a typical playful pun , the term ‘ Bear ’ referring to bear culture , a subculture of the gay community identified by Michael G . Cornelius as consisting of ‘ certain physical characteristics , among them a hirsute appearance , a stocky build , and facial hair ’ 13 . This is applicable to ‘ Wonder WoBear ’, who ’ s physical appearance fits this hyper-masculine ‘ bear ’ aesthetic . However , this bear appearance , is in conflict against feminine codes which define Wonder Woman ’ s appearance : long hair , earrings , and a figure hugging costume . Alana Kumbier considers drag as ‘ a social technology that challenges discourses and practices which perpetuate the “ naturality ” of binary systems of gender and sexuality ’ 14 . ‘ Wonder WoBear ’ s ’ conflict between male and female codes creates a parodic excessiveness ; his scruffy beard , incongruous wig , and oversized earrings , plays with gender and exposes the false ‘“ naturality ” of binary [ gender ] systems ’.
In contrast , drag queen Tracy Trash ’ s Wonder Woman cosplay 15 is much more of an overtly sexual display . Tracy Trash ’ s red lipstick , cocktail , and groomed flowing hair are typically alluring . The hyper-feminine performance disregards a conflict between male and feminine codes , by refusing to expose the masculinity of the cosplayer . In Taylor and Rupp ’ s ethnographic study of Florida ’ s drag communities they found that ‘ Perhaps most important in their [ interviewees ] stories of becoming drag queens is sexual attraction to and desire for men ’ 16 . Tracy Trash ’ s cosplay is a distinct performance of culturally-specific notions of
10
Judith Butler , ‘ Performative Acts and Gender Constitution : An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory ’, Theatre Journal , 40:4 ( 1988 ): 527 .
11
Stephen Valocchi , ‘’ Not Yet Queer Enough : The Lessons of Queer Theory for the Sociology of Gender and Sexuality , Gender & Society 19:6 ( 2005 ): 752 .
12
Beardonna , ‘ Wonder WoBear ’ < https :// www . youtube . com / watch ? v = ZKSnbOA2NMU ( 2016 )
13
Michael G . Cornelius , ‘ Bear Culture ’, Reader ’ s Guide to Lesbian and Gay Studies ( 2000 ): 80 .
14
Alana Kumbier , ‘ One Body , Some Genders ’, Journal of Homosexuality 43:3-4 ( 2003 ): 193 .
15
Ibid .
16
Verta Taylor and Leila J . Rupp , ‘ Chicks with Dicks , Men in Dresses ’, Journal of Homosexuality 46:3 4 ( 2004 ): 120 .
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