Image Attribution: “VISA 1500: Assignment 2 – Elana Sedor” by Elana Sedor is licensed under CC0. (See interactive map)
Elana Sedor
VISA 1500
Dr. Terryl Atkins
October 18, 2021
Assignment 2, Part A
I interviewed my friend Aleliia (or El for short), who cosplays Barbie movie characters for this assignment. This cosplay is Barbie Rapunzel. El took the photo at her house and edited the background afterwards. Her cosplay-makers made her dress, but she made the wig, accessories, and paintbrush.
The cosplay falls into the category of cartoons and animations. According to El, Barbie characters are prevalent and beloved by many cosplayers like her who grew up watching these movies. El says, “this cosplay, in particular, is a dream come true of my younger self, and it satisfies my nostalgic feeling. Cosplay is a way to express me and a way to spread positivity in this world.” She loves the message of Rapunzel in this movie, “love and imagination can change the world.” She believes “the world would not exist without love and nothing would be as we know it if there were no dreamers.” El also relates to Rapunzel because she is also very creative, enjoying painting and theatre.
In an article by Nicole Lamerichs, she describes that cosplay has four components: “a narrative, a set of clothing, a play or performance before spectators, and a subject or player.” (Lamerichs) Cosplay is a way for fans to express themselves and interpret certain characters in popular culture differently. Cosplay is more than putting on a costume. As El explains, “it is also becoming the character and acting like them. It is a way to become one with the character and bring them to life.” The cosplay community has exponentially increased over the past several years with the rise of video games, superhero movies, and fantasy characters. It is a community where people can cosplay anything and everything. From the most minor indie video game character to the face of a Hollywood blockbuster. No matter the race, gender identity, body type, age, or sexuality of a person. Cosplay is your interpretation.
This cosplay represents a lot of concepts we have discussed regarding gender. The character is a princess; more specifically, she is a familiar fairytale princess portrayed in the Barbie movies. Barbie has become a prominent, influential figure for many young girls since her debut in the 1950s and 1960s. Many young girls grow up reading fairytales about princesses being damsels in distress and having to be saved by a handsome prince with no personalities or minds of their own. However, during the 2000s, Barbie began to subvert those stereotypes by introducing these adaptations of classic stories. In Barbie Rapunzel, Rapunzel had interests, goals, and a personality. A prince did not rescue her, but rather, she used her mind and her friends to save herself.
Overall, one glance at a princess cosplay might make people question what is so empowering about it? But a deep dive into the specific princess helps people understand that the outfit does not represent the fragility of a person, especially a woman.
Works Cited
Lamerichs, Nicolle. “Stranger than Fiction: Fan Identity in Cosplay.” Transformative Works and Cultures, vol. 7, 2011, doi:10.3983/twc.2011.0246.
Pande, Divya. “Breaking the Stereotype: Celebration of the Girl Power in Barbie Movies.” Academia.edu, 2017, www.academia.edu/35510857/Breaking_the_stereotype_Celebration_of_the_Girl_powerin_Barbie_Movies.