#FEATURE | The Masks We Choose To Wear
By Danielle Malantic
With Halloween fast approaching, there comes the droves of people in costume, dressing up in all manners of outfit so that they can feel the eerie spirit of the occasion. From a simple sheet with holes cut out for a classic ghost to intricate and laborious outfits designed to dazzle and awe, anyone can make a costume to dress and impress. Whether to go trick-or-treating, or perhaps attend a costume party, you can’t help but feel the impulse to join in the fun, to wear a mask yourself and participate in the macabre affair.
Of course, dressing up in costume isn’t limited to Halloween. Cosplayers the world over design costumes of their favorite characters and dress up to the approval of millions of people online. Cosplay conventions have become a popular affair to attend — not only for the sake of cosplay, but also to interact with people who share your interests and for them to buy fan-made trinkets based on their particular fandoms.
But why do people like wearing costumes — to wear masks that hide their outer selves away?
Cosplay surprisingly originates not from Japan, but from America. Originally known as ‘costuming’, it first began in the 1930s when Forrest J. Ackerman dressed up in costume for a science fiction convention he was attending. This then inspired others to dress up as well, with awards being given out to those wearing the best costume.
Cosplay became popular in Japan in the late 1970s with the release of Urusei Yatsura and Mobile Suit Gundam, invigorating fans to dress up and act out scenes from the series. The terminology ‘cosplay’ was coined by Nobuyuki Takahashi, a Japanese reporter, after a visit to the 1984 Worldcon Convention in Los Angeles. Seeing a translation of ‘masquerade’ to be too dated, he instead dubbed it ‘cosplay’, as a portmanteau of ‘costume’ and ‘play’.
Today, the art of wearing costumes, whether for Halloween or for cosplay, is a popular practice, with conventions regularly seeing people dressing up for the occasion. Cosplayers find popularity online for the characters they masquerade as, receiving praise and support from the fandoms they participate in. Several local cosplayers in the Philippines, such as Myke dela Paz and Alodia Gosiengfiao, also serve as examples of the practice. Even students and teachers in Pisay find joy in dressing up whether it be as a hobby or just for Halloween.
The Craft of Cosplaying
One of them is Luis Patrick Dupalco, a Grade 12 student who is the head of the Cosplay Cafe this coming fair. A cosplay aficionado who makes his own costumes, he typically dresses up for Halloween wearing costumes from video games such as Delta Rune and Bendy and the Ink Machine, though he’s also cosplayed as his own original character.
“I usually cosplay around Halloween time, because it’s socially acceptable [at] that time. And not only have I tried to make new costumes to wear for every year, but sometimes if I’m feeling particularly extra productive, I sometimes make two or three costumes.”
Getting into costume, he doesn’t feel as if he’s become the character, treating it as what it is: wearing a costume.
“When I cosplay, I don’t usually try to get into character. I don’t try to be who I am supposed to be cosplaying as. […] If people talk about or recognize my cosplay, sometimes I would say a little thing or do something short that is in some way related to the character, but never have I actually tried to roleplay as that character while in costume.”
Yet in making the costumes, he feels a sense of pride and passion for the practice.
“When I try to make costumes and then cosplay it, I feel very proud of myself because I put the time and effort to put together this costume so that I could wear it. It’s cool. I found it to become a passion for me.”
There is definitely worth in going above and beyond when making the costumes, especially during the Cosplay Cafe last year.
“It was definitely worth it, especially for the Cosplay Cafe given that we were doing it for three days. So it was pretty good I had three costumes so that I could wear one costume each day so that it doesn’t get monotonous for whoever’s visiting to see the same guy wearing the same costume.”
At the core of it, even though it’s just a costume, you’re always inserting your own style into it.
“Not only are you trying to emulate the character that you’re trying to dress up as, but you also try to put your own spin on it. And not only on the design, but the way you act on the character.”
Becoming Another Person
Another cosplaying student is Grade 12 student Sofia Maningas, a fellow collaborator for the Cosplay Cafe. Her hobby began in Grade 7 as part of her growing interest in anime.
“Back in Grade 7, I started to develop much more interest in anime as compared to when I was in grade school. And I thought ‘Hey, maybe I can dress up as my favorite anime character this Halloween.’ That’s when it all started, and every year I try to dress up and I go to conventions sometimes, and I try my best to dress up whenever I do.”
For Sofia, difficulties in cosplaying come from budget issues and having to make the whole costume herself. Still, she tries her best in making her costume with what she has on hand.
“Honestly, I don’t have much of a budget since I’m still a student and my parents aren’t really [fully] supportive of my hobby yet; they think [cosplaying] is not very important plus maraming money involved in the investment. So, I try to make a costume myself, [..] I do try my best to improvise with I have at home […] Yung closet cosplay, I think that’s what they call it, I do something like that.”
Her proudest achievement in cosplaying is doing her own makeup for a cosplay of the character Yoshiko Tsushima from Love Live.
“I did the makeup myself, so it kind of felt like an achievement because for the past few years my mom has been doing my makeup, and I don’t really like how she does my makeup. So, I got to try it myself this time, and it looked pretty good.”
In her view, cosplaying is an art, a combination of the feeling you get wearing the clothes and the way you wear them on yourself.
“I think it’s an art, kasi it’s not just about wearing clothes. It’s also about how you wear the clothes, and how you feel in the clothes. And I think that in itself is already a form of art.”
But it’s more than just that for her. Through cosplaying, she becomes a new person, giving her confidence in herself.
“Whenever I get in costume I just feel, ‘Hey, I’m this new person.’ I could be this person, and nothing else can really stop me from acting like that character. I just feel like the energy becomes a part of me. It’s not just clothes for me, it’s also a brand new personality that I wear.
During the times that I was not very confident in myself, it made me feel like I had more confidence, that I was more self-assured, even though that costume I was wearing was not me. It made me feel so much better.”
Against the Status Quo
Of course, a good amount of teachers also happen to dress up in costume for the occasion of Halloween. One such teacher is Computer Science teacher Sir Edge Angeles, who has dressed up as Marvel’s Nick Fury, Genie from Aladdin , and Tenzin from Avatar, and even as real-life personalities such as Senator Bato Dela Rosa. He even dons face paint and appropriate clothing when attending sporting events. Many also comment on him dressing up for occasions such as the flag ceremony, though he rebukes that.
“People say that somehow they see me wearing an Amish costume during flag ceremony, that’s just coincidence. I just dress up normally as I think would be normal, but I also break from conformity. […] I tend to break from the traditional mold of what is acceptable, while keeping it still acceptable. I try to break rules without outright breaking rules.”
He cites his inspiration for getting into costume as being influenced by a particular Economics teacher.
“The first year I was in Pisay, I learned that they did [a Halloween party] every year. And incidentally, I was inspired by one of the teachers that regularly does this. His name is Vladimir Lopez; I was inspired by stories of other teachers telling “Oh si Vlad, taong-taon yan nagbibihis.”
To Sir Edge, it’s all about displaying the confidence that his characters that he dresses up as, though he doesn’t let his costumes get into the way of his routine.
“I try to project the confidence of the characters that I dress as. But I don’t do full on [roleplaying] around campus; holding a gun for Nick Fury or Bato dela Rosa. I just go about my normal ways. I still have class while wearing the [Tenzin] costume. I attended a bids and awards committee meeting bidding wearing the costume.”
As for why Sir Edge enjoys wearing costumes, he considers it as bucking the trend, rebelling against conformity.
“It’s a break from monotony. Ang sabi ko nga kasi, the gospel of this school is conformity. I teach data structures and algorithms, but in data structures and algorithms, I make it a point to show them that there’s a way to follow rules, and bending it such that we can take advantage of these rules to express creativity.”
The Bonds We Build
Another such teacher who dresses up for Halloween is Ma’am Edlen Sanchez of the Computer Science unit. Since college, she’s been going to conventions in cosplay, ranging from fandoms such as Star Wars and Harry Potter, though her habit of wearing Halloween costumes started long before that.
“I would say every Halloween of course, and then when I go to conventions. I think the Halloween part started when I was a kid, ’cause every year, my family really likes Halloween. So ever since when we were children, my parents would dress us up in really nice costumes. And I think it just grew from there, ’cause I have a lot of fandoms also. So, since I have a lot of fandoms with a lot of fun costumes, I try to dress up when I can.”
According to Ma’am Edlen, she believes that compared to the past, cosplaying has become more accepted in society overall.
“Yes, I think [cosplaying has become accepted], especially in the communities that actually do it, kasi the fandom communities are very accepting of each other since they’re all nerds together. I mean, we’re in a school of nerds, so I guess it’s also acceptable, and I grew up with nerd friends. And then to add to that, I have a lot of normal, regular clothes that are kind of costumey, but aren’t. So for example, I have a Princess Leia dress, a Han Solo dress, but they can pass off as regular, everyday clothes. So I think those are acceptable also, and then a lot of people notice it, and then it makes connections.”
To Ma’am Edlen, she finds elation in how cosplaying as her favorite characters brings her and other people some semblance of happiness.
“I’m a really huge nerd, so I just like being able to dress up as my favorite characters. I really really enjoy it, and I think other people also enjoy it, ’cause when you see something that you’re a fan of, matutuwa ka.”
Lastly, there’s Sir Bino Santos of the Technology unit. An avid toy collector and friend of Myke dela Paz, he doesn’t cosplay when attending conventions, as he’s busy showing off his toy collection. At parties and since entering Pisay in 2017, however, he takes to dressing up as his favorite X-Men character, Cyclops.
Despite not being a serious cosplayer, Sir Bino expresses admiration for cosplayers and the effort they put into their costumes, relating it to his hobby of toy collecting. He also reflects on the eventual acceptance of cosplay.
“I admire cosplayers because I appreciate the art, and I know the effort that goes into it. […] Because I make toys, I customize toys, alam kong gaanong kahirap gumawa ng costume on a small toy, so I could imagine paano gumawa ng costume na pwedeng isuot na comfortable and all, so I recognize the effort. Masasabi ko na ‘di biro ang ginagawa nila.
I believe [that cosplaying is accepted] so much more than it was before. Kasi before, I remember I was in the toy community early on. Medyo nakakatuwa nung una, yung mga cosplayers kasi I know may stereotyping ‘Oh cosplayers are weird people, mga otaku, mga weirdo, mga geek.’ Ngayon kasi, parang being a geek or being a nerd is cool. So I think because of their presence, yung taon-taonang presence nila diyan sa community, they got their respect and more recognized.”
Whether in the spirit of tradition or as a form of expression, a mark of rebellion, the art of cosplaying, wearing costumes, has become a worldwide phenomenon. It helps people to connect to others, to share in their passion for dressing up, crafting amazing costumes to enrapture others and show their skill, acting out fantasies of fiction brought to life. In these costumes, these masks we wear to take on another identity, we don’t hide away from the world, but come alive to tackle the dull blandness of it. And through this, we find the color of childhood, a semblance of what we wish we could be, injected into our lives.
