This book is as every bit as depressing as the cover image.
So photographer Elena Dorfman, as you may already know, took a series of photos of "cosplayers"--her words, not mine, as you'll see later--which has been released in the book Fandomania. The blurb goes like so:
"The theater of cosplay has no boundaries, is unpredictable, open-ended. It includes both the fantastic and the mundane, the sexually aberrant and innocent, female characters who become samurai warriors and brainy scientists, and male characters who magically change their sex." Explorations of identity through portraiture are at the forefront of Dorfman's work, with the blurred lines between fantasy and reality a continuing theme.
Not to hate, but after flipping through the book it becomes clear that Dorfman's bold statement is undermined by the fact that half the people in the book look like they were picked up at the cosplay equivalent of the Bowery Mission. Whatever Dorfman's intent, these dispiriting photos convey only the message that the theater of cosplay is one of cruelty, filled with sad, sad, predominately white people living a broken-down lie. I mean, who the fuck is this supposed to be? I feel like I should at least recognize this as a character but all I feel is a pervading sense of sadness and pity. You can do it! Defeat the emo that rages inside and reclaim your flip-flops! Go, girl, go!
What's this? Oh, it's just a trap. This isn't even cosplay either, it's just how people dressed at my high school. And that sloppy hanging thread just bugs.
There are costumes in the book that are much better, but for photos featuring some of the the saddest-looking cosplayers and so-called "cosplayers" around, Fandomania is a safe bet. Then again, you can find these exact same people loitering in front of the elevators at your local convention, shrill-voiced with "GLOMP ME!" signs and boxes of Pocky. It's like Hot Cosplay Mess...
...with a foam cover. There's no reason why it should be foam, nor does its foamy quality add anything whatsoever to the finished work except for a vague sensation of squishiness, but that's how awesome and well-thought-out this project is.
