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Course:CSIS200/2025/Gender-bent Cosplay and Cross Dressing As a Vessel to Express Oneself

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Terminology

Cosplay A form of art and performance where one dresses up as a fiction character.
Cross dressing The act of wearing clothes that are traditionally associated with a gender that one does not identify with.
Gender fluid A term for people who do not identify as one fixed gender. Their gender can change over time.
Two-spirit A term for people who have both masculine and feminine spirits.

Introduction

In this modern era that promotes normal sexuality, which is attraction to a person of the opposite gender, the queer community is forced to express themselves in creative ways that challenge the norm. Gender-bent cosplays and cross dressing are examples of that. Besides being forms of art, they also function as safe spaces for people to express their identities through costumes, embodiment of characters, and culture. Gender-bent cosplays and cross dressing are actively pushing back the belief that gender and sexuality are fixed and determined by biology.

Queerness in Nature

Queerness has always been present in nature no matter animals or plants. Including same sex insemination, sexual activity, gender fluidity, and

A photo of two female Laysan Albatross courting [1]

more[2]. An example being laysan albatross, which is a type of seabird. It is normal for females to form long term bonds which also include mating, mutual grooming, and egg incubation. This is due to a shortage of males in fresh colonies, resulting in adventurous females adapting and partnering with another female to raise offsprings[2]. These pairs are likely to stay life-long partners as sex same couples. It is impossible for humans to know what animals desire, but behaviours of animals have been documented to show that queerness is not rare in nature. Heteronormativity post Colonialism

Queer people have been around before Colonialism in most cultures, especially indigenous cultures. Although there were existing social norms, there is no fine line separating being a woman or a man that is strictly based on biology. In fact, same-sex relationships and two-spiritedness are celebrated and treated as the norm before colonialism and the rise of religion[3]. People are free to have partners of any gender and have multiple partners at once. During the 1500s where North America was colonized, the colonizers forcefully took away land from First Nations and also deemed gender expressions or sexuality besides cisgender and heterosexuality as abnormal and against the law[4]. People who were queer were being discriminated and punished for their identities.

The Rise of Gender-bend Cosplay and Cross dressing

Lady Loki [5]

Cosplay is an art that involves artists dressing up and sometimes adopting the personality of a fictional character. They can be characters from books, TV shows, anime, movies, and more. Cosplay was made popular by Japanese pop culture fans, with a lot of fans cosplaying as anime characters nowadays. In recent years, fans have made conventions with the most famous ones being The World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya, Japan, Anime Expo in Los Angeles, USA. In Vancouver, a few popular yearly conventions include AniRevo and Fan Expo.

Gender bend cosplay is when artists cosplay as a character of a different gender than what the artist identifies with. Some popular gender bend cosplay include Loki, who is a shape-shifting trickster God in the Marvel Universe. Although Loki is presented as a male, he is canonically gender fluid. Cosplayers are able to use the fluidity of Loki’s character to explore gender identities and discover a potential new side of themselves. 

Korean male cross dresser [6]

Cross dressing emerged in the 19th century, with women cross dressing being only acceptable by the public. Men were seen as superior and more logical compared to women[7], so it was acceptable for women to cross dress as it made them look like they desired to be "more like men'. On the other hand, men were frowned upon if they wanted to cross dress as women, as people believed there was no way a man would want to be like women, in other words, be less superior[7].

In recent years, male cross dressers have become more visible in the media, due to the acceptance of the queer community and the evolution of fashion creating a variety of aesthetics and styles. In the 1970-1990s, drag culture was introduced, slowly but positively affecting how audience viewed cross dressing due to the involvement of it in their lives. Cross dressing became a symbol for people to celebrate their freedom and expression[8].

Toxic Masculinity

Despite gender bend cosplays and cross dressing being more popular in recent times, there is still a lot of backlash regarding these topics. Men are more likely to be judged for not acting like a man. They find it necessary to conceal their identities from those around them.


This cross dresser Amy shared how he had to hide the clothes from his wife for 8 years of their relationship[9], scared that it will affect how she sees him. Men from a young age are taught to conceal their femininity from society because it paints them as weak. When they discover their true desire, they try to brush it off and to think that it is a phase in order to conform to what society wants them to be, failing to understand that it is part of their identity.

Toxic masculinity, coined by Shepherd Bliss, refer to men who are obsessed with constantly pursuing traditional images of masculinity that are unrealistic and toxic[10]. These men feel like there is a constant need to prove how capable, strong, and violent they are, and finding the need to dominate others in their everyday lives[10]. This is why men who are more feminine get backlash and belittled. Insecure men with toxic masculinity find it fulfilling to target feminine men as a way to assert dominance, when secure men do not find the need to belittle others to feel masculine. This leads to people like Amy feeling the need to hide themselves from the public to avoid being ridiculed.

Empowerment

Cross dressing is empowering to those who want to break traditional values and social norms. Traditional gender norms include women being a home maker without a career, depending on men for finances and spending their day only taking care of their children and husbands. Women being in this position are highly dependent on their husbands as they have very little to no income, leaving them with not a lot of options if the relationship turns sour since these women depend on their husbands for survival. Men are traditionally expected to be masculine and the more controlling party in a relationship. Often being the bread winner of the family that is also a protector[11]. Men are often told not to show emotions because showing emotions mean being weak. Besides, men are expected to dress in masculine clothing only, anything else are seen as feminine and weak. Moreover, traditional values only celebrate cisgender and heterosexuality, with people either classified as a male or a female at birth using biology[12], and conforming to liking the opposite gender and finding a romantic partner of the opposite gender.

Drag queens [13]

Cross dressing for example drag challenges stereotypes because it demonstrates that there is no fine line between male and female. There is always in between and is a spectrum rather than something that is absolute. Through drag, people are able to experiment with their gender identities and develop new perspectives of who they are and where they belong. Drag queens are no longer a performance only done by cisgender men[14]. Study shows that Polish drag queens are not all cisgender, including non-binary, transgender, bisexual, pansexual, and more[15]. Drag queen events act as a safe space for those who are uncertain about where they fit in, giving them validation in their identity and empowering their journey on self discovery. An aspect of drag is that drag queens are embracing their authentic personalities rather than acting like someone else[14]. It is usually an exaggeration of themselves instead of their personality being fake, which allows them to express themselves in an artistic way

Gender bend sailor moon [16]

While gender bend cosplay only takes up a small percentage in the cosplaying community, it is a vessel to influence others in the cosplay community as setting an example makes people question and expand the options they have. Gender bend cosplays encourage people to explore their gender identity, at the same time, push back stereotypes and misunderstanding they hold towards the queer community. In a world that queer people as seen as abnormal and entirely different from cisgender heterosexual people, it is helpful to have representation in people's daily lives as a way to demonstrate how the queer community is not that different from everyone else. Gender bend cosplays empowers creators to explore themselves in a more accepting and supportive environment, making it easier to connect with others while experimenting with their identities.

References

  1. ↑ Aves, Enrique Aguirre (February 8 2020). https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/hawaiis-lesbian-albatrosses
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bailey, Nathan (June 2009). "Same-sex sexual behavior and evolution" (PDF). Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 24: 440–441 – via National Library of Medicine. line feed character in |title= at position 29 (help)
  3. ↑ Groot, Scott (March 26, 2014). "What Is Two‐Spirit? Part One: Origins Recognizing Indigenous gender and sexual diversity, resisting colonial norms". Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  4. ↑ Wick, Kate (Spring 2022). "Gender Through Time and Culture". Western Washington University. Retrieved December 5 2025. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  5. ↑ Skidmore, Gage (May 23 2013). File:Lady Loki cosplayer 2013 Phoenix Comicon.jpg
  6. ↑ Venusgirl, (June 4 2016). File:Crossdresser-YeoJain-16152.jpg
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Bullough, Vern (1996). Cross dressing, sex, and gender. New York: Routledge. pp. 225–227. ISBN 978-0815336624.
  8. ↑ Frazer, Annabelle (Aprill 22, 2022). "The Empowering History of Cross-Dressing". thewave. Retrieved December 4, 2025. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ↑ Soft White Underbelly (August 7 2024). Cross Dresser interview-Amy, Youtube, [1]
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Harrington, Carol (July 17, 2020). "What is "Toxic Masculinity" and Why Does it Matter?". Men and Masculinities. 24: 345–352 – via SageJournals.
  11. ↑ Fetterolf, Janell C (August 9, 2014). "Gender Inequality in the Home: The Role of Relative Income, Support for Traditional Gender Roles, and Perceived Entitlement" (PDF). Springer. Retrieved December 3, 2025. line feed character in |title= at position 52 (help)
  12. ↑ Véronique, Mottier (2008). Sexuality: a very short introduction. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 1. ISBN 9780191538247.
  13. ↑ AgnosticPreachersKid, (May 23 2008). File:Drag Queens at High Heel Drag Race.jpg
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Taylor, Verta (2004). "Journal of Homosexuality" (PDF). Chicks with Dicks, Men in Dresses. 46: 114–115 – via Taylor & Francis.
  15. ↑ Maresch, Agnieszka (2025). ""The Purest Form of Me": Identity, Performance, andthe Struggle Against Heteronormativity Among PolishDrag Queens". Journal of Bisexuality: 3–12 – via Taylor & Francis.
  16. ↑ istolethetv (August 22, 2016). File:Hey sailor (28520345594).jpg
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