Under Construction @ Keele Vol. IV (1) | Page 34

degree of success that any artifice goes unnoticed by the onlooker. The excessive nature of ‘Wonder WoBear’ draws attention to its artificiality; however, if a cosplayer can appear ‘convincing’, the reading changes. One of the definitions Bainbridge and Norris apply to drag is, ‘about making the unreal real through cosplay […] Through the acts of constructing and wearing a costume, the fan constructs his or her identity’ 23 . Therefore, cosplayers who create ‘convincing’ representations of character through cosplay, encourage spectators to perceive the cosplayer as the character. ‘Gaygeekuniverse’s’ Wonder Woman 24 is a screen accurate costume worn by a bearded muscular man. Despite the cosplayer’s physique, this is not the focus point for many people commenting on the image, which consists primarily of praise for the costume’s accuracy and presentation. The costume is not only screen-accurate but also fitting to the male frame, it appears convincing and evokes the feeling of a Roman gladiator. Weltzien points out that ‘The modern superhero costume is reminiscent of imperial Roman armour […] like the gladiator, the profession and the dress of the superhero is located in the broader region between sports and the parliamentary’ 25 . Thus here, gender is ultimately irrelevant. From the perspective of the onlooker, ‘Gaygeekuniverse’s’ is neither male nor female: they are the warrior, a physical protector of justice. In turn, if ‘The fan constructs his or her identity’ 26 through cosplay, ‘Gaygeekuniverse’ becomes part Wonder Woman, both male and female, Roman soldier and modern heroine, at the same time. The cosplay of ‘such.a.classic’ 27 is similarly powerful. When next to the screen costume, it is clear how screen accurate the costume is. Discussing Wonder Woman’s origins, Neal Curtis explains that, ‘Hippolyte 28 creates her [Diana Prince’s] costume and Wonder Woman is born.’ 29 In donning Wonder Woman’s iconography ‘such.a.classic’ adopts Wonder Woman’s narrative, and values of defiance and justice. One might read ‘such.a.classic’ as not an adaptation of Wonder Woman, but actually having become Wonder Woman. One could even extend this understanding to ‘Wonder WoBear’, Tracy Trash, and Vera Wylde; whilst these cosplays embody distinct differences, they all embody a recognisable form of Wonder Woman. Bai nbridge and Norris define cosplayers as ‘a playful agent of change. The 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): 25. 24 Ibid. 25 Friedrich Weltzien, ‘Masque-ulinities: Changing Dress as a Display of Masculinity in the Superhero Genre’, Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body and Culture 9:2 (2005): 238. 26 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): 25 27 Photo by such.a.classic https://www.instagram.com/p/BUxkjLWla8k/?taken-by=such.a.classic 28 Queen Hippolyta is an Amazonian Queen, she is the mother of Diana Prince (Wonder Woman). 29 Neal Curtis, ‘Wonder Woman’s symbolic death: on kinship and the politics of origins’, Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics 8:4 (2017): 312. 23 27