Crossplay (cosplay)

Crossplay (the term is a portmanteau of crossdressing and cosplay) is a type of cosplay in which the person dresses up as a character of a different gender. Crossplay's origins lie in the anime convention circuit, though, like cosplay, it has not remained exclusive to the genre. While it is similar to Rule 63 (gender-bending) cosplay, it can be differentiated by the performer becoming completely immersed in the codes of another gender, rather than picking and choosing what behavior enhances the performance.^[1]

In most countries that play host to hobbyists who would call themselves cosplayers, female-to-male crossplayers (females costumed as male characters, sometimes abbreviated "FtM") are far more common, due to a variety of social and cultural factors.^[2]

Many (or even most) females will crossplay for the same reasons that they would cosplay – because they like the character and/or the costume, and wish to represent that. In Japan, female costumers tend to dominate (in numbers) the field of cosplay in general, often portraying a huge assortment of colorful characters regardless of gender.

As bishōnen are portrayed in manga and anime as liminal beings, it is considered "easier" for a female to cross-play as a bishōnen than it would be for her to crossplay as a male character from a Western series.^[3]

Male-to-female crossplayers (males costumed as female characters, sometimes abbreviated "MtF") are somewhat more common outside Japan. Originally, in America, a popular anime series for MtF crossplayers was Sailor Moon, creating "humorous effect and social levity".^[4]

• Mana – figurehead of Japan's Gothic Lolita fashion movement
• Cross-dressing
• Gender bender

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Crossplay.

• An article about Crossplay on TokyoPop's website
• "Sailor Bubba" recognized by a popular amateur convention journalist (August 26, 2001)
• BBC story on cosplay and conventions (RealVideo)