- A group of men in Singapore love to dress as comic characters of the opposite sex, parading in push-up bras, platform heels, ball gowns and lots of duct tape
- Homophobic put-downs, nasty gossip and strained family ties are part and parcel of 'crossplay' in the Lion City. Yet the community continues to grow
A young man hunches over a basin in a public washroom in Singapore's Suntec City shopping complex and applies a fresh swipe of lipstick.
Date, not his real name, is dressed as a princess from Fate/Grand Order, a Japanese role-playing mobile game, for the GameStart Asia anime and gaming convention. He worries about staining his costume's silk train " and even more about whether his silicone breasts will look convincing in his tight bodice. Alongside him, men wearing multicoloured wigs prep and preen.
Date, 28, and his companions are crossplayers: anime fans who like to dress up as their favourite fictional characters of the opposite sex.
While in costume, Date will try not to speak, let alone smile. "I don't want people to see my crooked teeth," he says. "It will spoil their impression of my character."
Date works as a security guard at a condominium, where the monotony of his job is punctuated only by the beep of the intercom he uses to give visitors access. To fend off boredom, he researches ideas for new crossplay costumes he can wear when the next anime convention comes along.
Date says he only had a handful of like-minded friends and acquaintances when he began crossplaying in 2011, and has 50 or so today.
In China's cosplay, home-grown heroes thrive
Observers attribute the increasing interest in crossplay to social media. But while that has enabled them to share their craft, explore and experiment, the internet has not always been kind to them. Homophobic put-downs, nasty gossip and strained familial ties are all part and parcel of crossplay in Singapore. Yet the community continues to grow.
Creating an outfit is relatively simple. With dexterity and patience, they can be self-made. But e-commerce has made it a breeze and eliminated the awkwardness of asking for a metre of silk to craft a man-sized miniskirt, and some crossplayers spend a small fortune on make-up and clothing to transform themselves.
On the shopping website Taobao, there is a vast array of costumes and props for characters, ranging from dresses and faux weaponry to heels for men. A simple sailor's uniform costs about S$50 (US$35). Date's elaborate silk ball gown cost S$250, while those of fully armoured characters can run into the thousands. (Taobao is owned by Alibaba, also the owner of the South China Morning Post.)
Date is blase about the amount of time and money he has invested in his hobby, putting the estimate at between S$20,000 and S$30,000 over the past eight years.
Silicone breasts and a bra help to remedy the lack of cleavage. Again, Taobao is the usual port of call, though for the cash-strapped, a polite request to female friends or relatives is an option.
"I just asked my mother for a bra," says Lee Hong Zhu, a 30-year-old administrative assistant who has been crossplaying for six years. "She didn't ask what it was for. She just told me not to stuff it too much or it would look too fake."
Once the upper body is secured, the focus shifts further south. "People tend to get squeamish when I explain how we do it," says Date, talking about how he hides his genital bulge. "I'll put it simply: we just use duct tape, lots of duct tape."
Although they existed in Singapore before social media became popular, crossplayers note that their formerly cosy community is seeing more newcomers of late.
"There were crossplayers years ago too, but there was just no platform to share it," says psychologist Kham Chuan Lee, referring to Singaporean-Indian comedian and television host Kumar, and US drag queen and television celebrity Ru Paul.
I just asked my mother for a bra. She didn't ask what it was for. She just told me not to stuff it too much or it would look too fakeLee Hong Zhu, a 30-year-old administrative assistant who has been crossplaying for six years
"Kumar has been doing drag forever, but with the advent of the internet, where you can find things like Ru Paul's Drag Race, suddenly everyone knows about it."
Beyond providing crossplayers with a platform to show off their swimsuit shots and impressively drawn eyeliner, increased visibility on the internet has given newcomers "permission" to explore and experiment.
"You see men dressing up as a completely different persona and having fun," says Lee. "When someone curious about crossplay sees this online, they might feel more comfortable with trying it out for themselves."
The anonymity on social media allows crossplayers to express themselves without the fear of being judged, he adds.
Facebook is a safe space for these like-minded people to connect and bond, says Dr Kokil Jaidka, an assistant professor in the National University of Singapore's department of communications and new media.
"People are less inhibited when they can use a persona, compared to a platform where they have to identify themselves. On platforms like Facebook, people can talk about their emotions and disclose details about their lives behind the veil of anonymity, which they cannot do in real life," she says.
Lee Hong Zhu, better known as Zhu to his thousand or so Facebook followers, posts updates on his latest crossplay outfits and images from photo shoots.
Social media has not always been a safe space for crossplayers, however; they were often ridiculed on the now-defunct Japanese subculture forum SGCafe.
"As long as they saw anyone crossplaying, they would just flame them online," Date says. "It almost destroyed my reputation as a cosplayer. People would see my face online and just flame me, no matter what I was wearing. For some time, I was afraid to come out and cosplay as anything at all."
It was this online bullying that led to the creation of crossplayer group chats and private Facebook groups, where they could freely discuss new costume ideas, exchange make-up tips, and organise casual group outings where they could crossplay together.
"What crossplayers are trying to do is create their own identity, which revolves around these new norms they have established," says Jaidka. "They've created a safe, insider space where each of them understands one another " and they've done all of this through social media, which was impossible in the past."
The community also includes women who dress as male characters. Nyancho, for example, has a fondness for channelling strapping male anime and game protagonists. Her lack of facial hair is nothing an eyebrow pencil and some clever shading on her jaw can't fix. While she has had a fair share of curious glances in public, she says it's probably because she brandishes a spiked baton " made of foam.
"Occasional stares in public are expected, but that's a common reaction to cosplay in general," she says.
False assumptions about crossplayers' sexuality is a given. "The No 1 stereotype I get is that people assume I'm gay," says Date, who is ambivalent about labelling his sexuality. "But now, all the hate I get online goes in one ear and out the other. Why should I waste my time explaining to people online who don't understand?"
In his everyday life, Zhu shows up to his nine-to-five administrative assistant job in drab, collared shirts and trousers in inoffensive neutral shades, though he'd much rather be wearing a form-fitting bustier and a flouncy chiffon skirt that shows off his shapely legs.
"Now I even crossplay when I go out casually," he says. "It's the same as dressing up for an outing " just with something a bit different." Gawking from people in the streets is a small price to pay, he says. "I just want to look nice, and crossplay really gives me that feeling."
Psychologist Lee believes the reason for crossplayers' dedication to their pastime is that they get a sense of satisfaction and fame they can't achieve as their real selves.
"You see people putting on crappy costumes for Halloween " that's also for fun and for attention. But that's a lack of effort, and no one is going to give them a second look," he says. "But here, you have men spending thousands of dollars to look like a goddess. They're dressing up to feel what they might not necessarily experience in their everyday lives."
At the GameStart Asia convention, which took place last October, Date walks out of the male washroom, resplendent in a ball gown and perfectly coiffed blonde updo. People eyeball him, their gaze making the usual pit stops: size 39 feet crammed into platform heels, delicate cap sleeves stretched over his shoulders, and the layer of foundation that hides his real eyebrows.
Someone approaches and asks Date for a photo. He looks over, and cracks a toothy grin.
"I'm not bothered by haters any more. Now, my biggest worry is whether my costume will fit or not," he says. He places his gloved hand over his decolletage, and poses for the camera.
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