Behind the costumes, cosplayers in Singapore are experiencing a extra complicated actuality
As soon as recognized as fringe and odd, anime and comedian e-book fanatics are discovering their area in Singapore.
In 2019, a complete of 19 Anime, Comedian, and Sport (ACG) conventions had been held within the nation, and that quantity has solely continued to develop. Based on a grasp listing compiled by a neighborhood fanatic, over 300 such occasions of various sizes and scale have taken place to this point this yr, with 34 of them conventions.
With an occasion going down nearly as soon as every week, these gatherings will not be simply enticing to geeks and otakus; they’ve additionally caught the curiosity of the mainstream public. Anime Pageant Asia, one of many marquee ACG occasions, greater than quadrupled its attendance—spiking from 29,000 at its first Singapore version in 2008, to 130,000 in 2023.
Though particular numbers are scarce, the burgeoning neighborhood has additionally seen an inflow of cosplayers, who usually dazzle the cameras and audiences with their elaborate costumes, wigs, and make-up. Nonetheless, some cosplayers have come ahead to share their unglamorous, even traumatic encounters, and monetisation avenues stay restricted.
Vulcan Put up spoke to 3 cosplayers in Singapore to discover how the rising traction of conventions has attracted the improper sort of consideration, and what drives them to pursue this area of interest passion regardless of its challenges.
With extra hype comes extra individuals who spoil the enjoyable
Shaun Tan (@shaunthebatybro), 28, first obtained into cosplay on the younger age of 15 in 2013. He recalled that though there have been fewer conventions again then, the build-up pleasure was higher, as every occasion provided the uncommon likelihood to fulfill and join with like-minded individuals.
“Now, each single weekend of each month, there’s an occasion, and typically there can be a number of occasions over the weekend. That info alone is sufficient to exhaust me.”
With conventions gaining traction and extra cosplayers debuting into the scene, it has sadly attracted extra ill-meaning people who interact in misbehaviour and harassment.
One instance is WholeWheatPete, an American cosplayer who turned infamous for bodily chasing random women in costume at conventions and even damaging public property within the course of. He has been allegedly banned from attending sure conventions, although he has been noticed at different occasions by different con goers on-line.
Nearer to dwelling, a married man was reported to have molested a feminine cosplayer at a Hoyoverse conference at Suntec Metropolis in 2024. The cosplayer’s pal, who occurred to witness the incident, reported it to the authorities, and the perpetrator was given 5 weeks of jail.
With the variety of harassment instances rising at an alarming charge, many cosplayers in Singapore have spoken up concerning the want for higher safety. This advocacy gained momentum from the “Cosplay will not be consent” motion, focused at con goers who interact in compelled bodily contact, or rogue photographers who take photographs from compromising angles or with out the cosplayer’s consent.
Sera Woo, a 29-year-old cosplayer, recounted an occasion the place safety guards at Marina Bay Sands took photographs of her in cosplay with out her consent, and highlighted that the shortage of boundaries is a matter that has lengthy been ignored and worsened, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s very unhappy to say that plenty of occasions, individuals assume that cosplay is consent simply since you gown up as one thing unusual or out of the norm, that they’re entitled to take your photograph,” she stated.
“I’ve additionally heard of nightmare tales the place the cosplayer is the one within the compromised place, the place they’ve been, sadly, coerced into issues that they don’t wish to do by the photographer.”
Sera defined that earlier than the pandemic, newcomers to cosplay had been usually proven the ropes on conference etiquette by senior cosplayers. With the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting conventions and in-person meet-ups, many gaps in data have surfaced, corresponding to common conference etiquette to attitudes revolving friendship and levelling up in cosplay.
Whereas a brand new period of cosplayers emerged from the COVID-19 lockdown armed with on-line info, it not often prepares them for offline interactions that may end up in interpersonal conflicts, particularly the hazards they don’t count on to expertise at in-person conventions. On the flip facet, points that had been already current locally earlier than the pandemic solely proved to have gotten worse afterwards.
Consent and limits aren’t ideas restricted to the cosplay neighborhood—in actual fact, they’re all the time a sizzling subject of dialogue amongst the mainstream public. Nonetheless, these traumatic encounters spotlighted the shortage of humanisation of cosplayers, and the shortage of assist and steerage usually leaves victims and newcomers within the lurch.
These very points have led Sera and Shaun to group up with different cosplayers to kind Cosplay Labs, a collective that goals to equip newcomers with the fundamental expertise to navigate the scene. “We’re nonetheless making an attempt to develop the instruments in addition to the language to make a safer area for everybody to simply benefit from the passion in addition to get pleasure from conference areas,” said Shaun.
Not only a enjoyable and carefree passion
Past these challenges, cosplayers additionally face the rising strain to keep up a public picture and meet viewers expectations.
When Shaun went to his first conference in 2013, he created his costume out of no matter he had in his wardrobe and slapped a bunch of make-up on his face. The 28-year-old shared that previously, individuals had been much more easygoing and easily simply used these occasions to play gown up with their pals.
“There wasn’t actually a lot to it as a result of, you realize, I assumed it was simply gown up,” he added. “It wasn’t one thing that too many individuals took too severely.”
In the present day, the cosplay scene has shifted considerably, notably after COVID-19, which introduced bodily occasions to a halt and pushed many cosplayers to show to social media to construct their platforms and followings. Aly Erichan, who obtained into the passion in 2018, skilled the affect of this modification firsthand.
“After I first entered, cosplay felt way more targeted on private enjoyment,” she defined. “In the present day, the cosplay scene leans closely in the direction of on-line visibility. It’s frequent to see cosplayers always posting on Instagram, filming TikToks, or turning each occasion right into a content material alternative.”
As soon as seen as a enjoyable and carefree passion, it has change into a branding alternative, rising the expectations on cosplayers like Aly to supply extra polished cosplays and content material.
Sera additionally highlighted that social media has more and more commodified cosplayers, which adjustments their general intention from enjoyment to wanting validation. For instance, one would possibly select to cosplay widespread or extra aesthetically pleasing characters, even when they aren’t their favorite.
“Some individuals simply cosplay the identical character like nearly each con, and so they nonetheless discover enjoyment out of it, and one way or the other they discover methods to improve that costume.”
It’s potential to monetise cosplays, however cash isn’t straightforward
Except for utilizing social media to create content material and construct a web-based following, some cosplayers provide wig-styling commissions for others, which regularly takes time and ability. Aly is among the many cosplayers who provide this service, and although she declined to share any figures, she stated it permits her to earn a bit again whereas doing one thing she enjoys.
“I additionally promote my outdated cosplays if I don’t plan to reuse the outfit, which helps cowl the price of future initiatives,” she added. “It makes extra sense to put money into an outfit I can use for a number of characters in the identical sequence as an alternative of spending rather a lot on a really particular, one-time look. Contemplating issues like supplies, wigs, equipment, and what number of occasions I’ll realistically use the outfit helps me handle the prices higher.”
One other service that Aly provides is CosDates, the place she clothes up as a personality chosen by the consumer and goes on a “date” with them in full cosplay, both exploring enjoyable locations in Singapore or doing actions that match the character’s persona. This observe was first widespread in China, and has but to realize the identical recognition in Singapore.
Aly shared that she determined to supply this rent-a-date-like service after being invited as a visitor cosplayer at fan-hosted cafes and working her personal cosplay cubicles at occasions, the place she sells her personal merchandise and performs fan providers, together with hand-holding and kabedons.
“I realised how a lot I get pleasure from having one-on-one interactions with my followers. Seeing my shoppers genuinely glad throughout these periods brings me plenty of pleasure too, so providing CosDates felt like a pure and significant extension of what I already love doing.”
Although she didn’t reveal any figures for her earnings, her Instagram spotlight for her CosDate providers said that there’s a S$50 reserving price and a S$30 hourly charge, which is diminished to S$25 for dates of three hours or extra.
Some cosplayers are additionally employed as mascots for occasions corresponding to restaurant pop-up collaborations and film premieres. For Shaun, his first gig was in 2018, when he was employed to cosplay as The Joker for a automobile present that includes a Joker-themed automobile.
“They had been good sufficient to provide me with the costume in addition to pay me an excellent hourly charge.”
Their ardour continues regardless of discouraging incidents
As an alternative of letting the dangerous apples wreck the enjoyable, these cosplayers nonetheless proceed to search out enjoyment within the passion and stay decided to make use of their platforms for optimistic affect.
Having had alternatives to work together with different cosplayers domestically and globally, Shaun believes that enhancements and alternatives created by established creators within the West will trickle all the way down to the Singapore scene, benefiting newer cosplayers.
“I’m all the time going to like this passion. I’m all the time going to like the those that I met in it,” Shaun emphasised. “The individuals which were with me all through this complete journey are all the time going to stick with me regardless of the place I’m or who I’m.”
Whereas the cosplay scene appears far faraway from society on account of its area of interest, Sera is a agency believer that the best way the cosplay neighborhood treats each other—and the best way the general public treats cosplayers—is a direct reflection of the societal requirements and tradition we comply with right now. “Cosplay is definitely a gateway and a mirrored image of how our society is correct now, and I’ll die on that hill.”
The 29-year-old, who had just lately attained her grasp’s in Utilized Linguistics, expressed her willpower and fervour for the passion regardless of the mentally draining obstacles she confronted.
Cosplayers are additionally change brokers with the social energy to spark a series response that helps the neighborhood evolve. She plans to assist new cosplayers by creating Cosplay Labs with Shaun and her group, the place they purpose to advocate for a safer setting the place each new and seasoned cosplayers can freely discover their love for his or her favorite characters.
The factor is: it takes a village for it to occur.
“Cosplay is artwork, and anybody could be a cosplayer,” Sera defined. Each one that steps right into a conference brings one thing to the combo. Whether or not they’re in full costume, casually cosplaying, or just attending as a fan, they carry their beliefs and identities into each interplay throughout the neighborhood.
How individuals deal with each other in these areas shapes the neighborhood—and that village displays the attitudes in society we’re constructing past the conference halls.
- Learn extra articles we’ve written on Singaporean companies right here.
Featured Picture Credit score: @aizen.photograph by way of Instagram/ Shaun Tan/ Aly Erichan
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