For some, dressing up in costume provides an opportunity to be someone they are not. But for many, the costume allows the person to dress in a way that shows who they really are. In this presentation, Endres shares a preview of his forthcoming book My Costume, Myself: Celebrating Stories of Cosplay and Beyond (Kirk House Press). Beginning with a brief history of costuming and cosplay, and examining the impact of costume messages on self-identification and portrayal, the address focuses primarily on photos and interviews conducted by Endres over a year-long period in venues ranging from New York City to Los Angeles, California. The scenes range from Comic Cons and Festivals to Old West historical reenactments in the streets of Deadwood, South Dakota, United States, and the costumes run the gamut from superheroes to anime/manga to Medieval to drag. Both the resilience of subjects, and the ways in which they choose to represent themselves, is found in stories related to grief, health, ability/disability, gender identification, and family relationships. Of particular interest are questions related to depictions of race and culture, and the continuum between “appropriate” and “appropriation.” With the goal of celebration, these stories serve to legitimise and validate this increasingly popular cultural phenomenon.
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