Image Attribution: “Assignment 2, Part A” by Jessica Nigri is licensed under CC0. (See interactive map)
J. William Howard
Terryl Atkins
VISA 1500_02
15/10/21
Assignment 2, Part A
The image above is of a famous American-New Zealand cosplayer, Jessica Nigri, wearing her gender-bending Deathwing cosplay. The visual concept for the cosplay was brought to life by an artist hired by Nigri, known as Zach Fischer. The costume itself was crafted entirely by Nigri after receiving the visual concept from Fischer. The image is from Blizzcon, 2015. Blizzcon is a convention hosted by the video game company Blizzard Entertainment, the creator behind the massively multiplayer online roleplaying game(MMORPG) World of Warcraft, the fictional universe in which Deathwing resides. The convention has a cosplay contest that it features each year.
The Deathwing character is a giant male black dragon that can take both human and dragon forms. Deathwing in the form portrayed by Nigri is an avatar of destruction symbolized by his return to the world in a violent firey wave of terror, depicted sweeping across the game world and destroying all in his path.
The cosplay outfit resembles the human form of Deathwing with some alterations to the armour. The cosplay captures the essence of Deathwing in the jaggedness of the armour, the imposing stature and the grim colouring; however, the cosplay augmentations add sexualized elements. The original human form of Deathwing does not show a stomach or have an open gap in his armour between his chest and armoured jaw. These changes bring attention to the more slender waist and feminine figure of Nigri’s reimagining of the iconic villain.
The imitation of a character by a cosplayer comes with great weight. Reception from the cosplay community plays significantly into how well a cosplayer represents a chosen character (Brownie and Graydon). Nigri’s first attempt at cosplay came off the back of a conversation with a friend who told her that people would “dress up” as characters for conventions. Nigri thought the idea sounded fun and took to her first Comicon dressed as the popular Pokemon character Pikachu. Unaware of what cosplay truly was, Nigri returned home unaware of the outrage brewing across social media within the cosplay community. Other cosplayers from the Comicon criticized her cosplay, labelling it “sexy Pikachu.” Many of the initial responses to her first foray into cosplay were largely negative. Others appreciated the attempt and encouraged Nigri to try again (Nigri). Nigri’s choice to pick up and try again shows great strength of will, which shines through in her cosplay. It’s that same strength that makes her portrayal of Deathwing even more convincing.
Rahman argues that the idea of self-transformation through a consistently changing repertoire of cosplay costumes and personas. These personas can sometimes be gender-bent but not always allowing for the fluidity of roles shaped through experience, interests, and passions (Rahman 320). Nigri’s passion for creating cosplay comes from a love of videogames and anime from her childhood combined with the joy she experiences creating new costumes. Nigri’s drive for cosplay comes from acquiring new skills, friends, and fans who help in her process of creating each new cosplay costume (Nigri).
Passion, creativity, and community are the pillars of the cosplay world. There are varied layers to which cosplayers aspire within the community. Some enjoy simply dressing up, while others take pride in crafting their costumes with accuracy. Though for Jessica Nigri, the pinnacle of cosplay as art comes in the melding of the two. A devotion to not simply adopting a particular character’s look but finding the creative fusion between herself and the character she wishes to portray.
Work Cited
Barbara Brownie, and Danny M Graydon. The Superhero Costume : Identity and Disguise in Fact and Fiction. Bloomsbury Academic, 2016. EBSCOhost, search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.tru
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Rahman, Osmud, et al. “‘Cosplay’: Imaginative Self and Performing Identity.” Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body & Culture, vol. 16, no. 3, Sept. 2012, pp. 317–341. EBSCOhost, doi:10.2752/175174112X13340749707204.
Wikipedia. “Jessica Nigri.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Aug. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Nigri.
Cosplay In America. “Cosplay in America Interview: Jessica Nigri – YouTube.” YouTube, 18 Feb. 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJvQolAD-cQ.
Expo, Armageddon. “Under the Mask with Jessica Nigri.” YouTube, 20 June 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEuH_ptY4eA.
Tulett, Ash. “Jessica Nigri Talks Sweaty Cosplay, Being a Sex Symbol and Getting NAKED.” YouTube, 16 July 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXCtA_8TR5k.
Nigri, Jessica. “Deathwing Costume Creation!” YouTube, 11 Nov. 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_wTqxHTXIE.