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Interview: Cosplay Drag Diva Oriana Perón




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Cardcaptor Takato



Joined: 27 Jan 2018
Posts: 4784
PostPosted: Fri Feb 08, 2019 6:08 pm Reply with quote
I love how Oriana is blending drag with anime cosplay to make anime conventions and fandom a safer and more inclusive environment for the LGBTQ+ community. Sailor Moon always seems to be a common gateway anime for so many LGBTQ+ fans, myself included, and I love Oriana's Eternal Sailor Moon cosplay.
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kzyzhshq



Joined: 09 Feb 2019
Posts: 2
PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 2:50 am Reply with quote
I wonder if i get insta-banned if i say that this is not my cup of tea.
I mean there are folks like Melonpan who are kinda funny when they do... that, so I dunno.

Does anybody else feel like their legs are being pulled here? Or feel like their tolerance is being tested by being presented with some kind of needlessly provocative, self-promoting deconstruction of aesthetics?

I'm sorry, I feel trolled right now. That guy isn't hurting anyone as far as i can tell, so I don't mind. But he's not helping either. Or even doing something meaningful, if I'm allowed to be honest.


{Edit} I edited some of the trollish parts of your post out. ~ Psycho 101
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SaiyamanMS



Joined: 05 Oct 2006
Posts: 302
PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 4:28 am Reply with quote
I’m kinda with kzyzhshq here. Like, I don’t get drag. I simply don’t. As a trans woman, I don’t see the appeal of the “performance” of a woman if you’re really a guy. Maybe it’s because of the struggle to be perceived as a “real” woman when certain people are obsessed with considering me a man. How does actual men pretending to be women help me as a member of the LGBT community?
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SakuraShimizu



Joined: 16 Oct 2017
Posts: 49
PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 5:23 am Reply with quote
I wish she would come to Anime Boston someday! That’s the con I go to most and I would love to meet her! I was born a woman (and I still biology am) but I’ve always loved drag and so desperataley wanted to be a part of its world. But being a woman, it seems so far out of reach for me. And I don’t want to be a “Drag King” either. I would love to tell her my feelings and maybe even talk about anime. I want her to inspire me! Very Happy
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CrowLia



Joined: 24 Feb 2012
Posts: 5500
Location: Mexico
PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 5:40 am Reply with quote
Quote:
As a trans woman, I don’t see the appeal of the “performance” of a woman if you’re really a guy. Maybe it’s because of the struggle to be perceived as a “real” woman when certain people are obsessed with considering me a man. How does actual men pretending to be women help me as a member of the LGBT community?


I personally love the art of drag, but I can understand why you feel troubled about it. I do think it's necessary to point out, not all drag performers are men dressed as women: there are drag kings and bio queens and a lot of transgender drag performers, many of whom used drag as an outlet to experience their gender before coming out. I am no expert by any means, but drag is a way to explore, question and satirize the limitations of gender and gender roles.
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Jeff Bauersfeld



Joined: 07 Dec 2015
Posts: 109
PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 9:05 am Reply with quote
kzyzhshq wrote:
...
yikes.

I wonder if i get insta-banned if i say that this is not my cup of tea.
I mean there are folks like Melonpan who are kinda funny when they do... that, so I dunno.

Does anybody else feel like their legs are being pulled here? Or feel like their tolerance is being tested by being presented with some kind of needlessly provocative, self-promoting deconstruction of aesthetics?

I'm sorry, I feel trolled right now. That guy isn't hurting anyone as far as i can tell, so I don't mind. But he's not helping either. Or even doing something meaningful, if I'm allowed to be honest.


Neither the interview, nor the posting of the interview, are about you, so I'm not sure why you would feel "like your leg is being pulled" or "trolled." Drag is a part of society, and this person happens to drag in cosplay, ergo is relevant to an anime news site. Also, none of us have any input in whether drag is meaningful; if drag is meaningful to Oriana, then it's meaningful. If it's meaningful to the people who enjoy the performance or whatever else, then drag is meaningful.

You can be honest all you want, but you can still be wrong and expose a spot of ignorance that can be corrected. None of us have to accept anything, but we don't get to act like other people's decisions have anything to do with us, even if it makes us feel icky or "trolled."
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Vanadise



Joined: 06 Apr 2015
Posts: 488
PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 9:49 am Reply with quote
SaiyamanMS wrote:
How does actual men pretending to be women help me as a member of the LGBT community?

The short answer is because it destigmatizes people who are physically male dressing in ways that are considered traditionally feminine, and that's good for everybody regardless of their gender.

Actually, while I've never been involved in the traditional drag scene, I've always been mystified why men cosplaying as female characters get this kind of reaction. This kind of reaction to women cosplaying as male characters is incredibly rare -- it's usually treated as perfectly normal, and frankly, there are parts of the anime community that fetishize it. On the other hand, it's very common for a man cosplaying as a female character to be treated to this kind of "Why would you do that?" reaction.

The answer is the same reason why you'd cosplay any character, of course; for me it's because I love the character and want to bring them to life, for others it's a test of their costuming and makeup skills, for some it's a way to explore their identity. Having a different gender from you is no more reason to not cosplay a character than because they have a different hair color.

kzyzhshq wrote:
I wonder if i get insta-banned if i say that this is not my cup of tea.

If that is your reaction, I would ask, why even post about it? There are plenty of articles every day on ANN that I have no interest in, so I just keep scrolling.

But it clearly provoked a reaction in you strong enough to warrant an interaction; why is that? Now is a good time to think about that and whether that reaction is actually warranted or not. If it's simply because you have an ingrained sense that men shouldn't do that, why is that? Is that worth holding on to?

kzyzhshq wrote:
Or even doing something meaningful, if I'm allowed to be honest.

Dude, you're on an anime news site. Almost nobody here is actually doing anything meaningful. This is all just pop entertainment, and most of it will be forgotten in a year.
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar


Joined: 14 Aug 2006
Posts: 16935
PostPosted: Sun Feb 10, 2019 1:14 am Reply with quote
kzyzhshq wrote:
But he's not helping either. Or even doing something meaningful


And neither is your pointless trolling. If you don't care about it then just skip to an article you do. Instead of posting trollish comments like yikes and how you feel trolled by an article. You aren't going to be insta-banned btw. Not yet. Keep up with the trollish comments though that violate the rules and you will.

SaiyamanMS wrote:
I’m kinda with kzyzhshq here. Like, I don’t get drag. I simply don’t. As a trans woman, I don’t see the appeal of the “performance” of a woman if you’re really a guy. Maybe it’s because of the struggle to be perceived as a “real” woman when certain people are obsessed with considering me a man. How does actual men pretending to be women help me as a member of the LGBT community?


I would think someone who is transgendered would be a tad more open and accepting of someone else in terms of alternative lifestyles/sexuality. If for no other reason then it's someone trying to be themselves and the "them" that makes them happy. You couldn't relate to that at all now could you?
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SaiyamanMS



Joined: 05 Oct 2006
Posts: 302
PostPosted: Sun Feb 10, 2019 2:29 am Reply with quote
Psycho 101 wrote:
I would think someone who is transgendered would be a tad more open and accepting of someone else in terms of alternative lifestyles/sexuality. If for no other reason then it's someone trying to be themselves and the "them" that makes them happy. You couldn't relate to that at all now could you?

They’re free to express themselves however they like, but I don’t see how they’re being a grand advocate of the LGBTQ community by dressing up for a performance.

Also, transgender is an adjective, not a verb. Being “transgendered” isn’t a thing and it’s honestly really offensive to use the word as a verb like that.
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RyumuruJireyes



Joined: 10 Feb 2019
Posts: 23
PostPosted: Sun Feb 10, 2019 12:21 pm Reply with quote
This person's Queen Beryl cosplay is pretty sweet! Very Happy
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SailorTralfamadore



Joined: 25 Feb 2014
Posts: 499
Location: Keep Austin Weeb
PostPosted: Mon Feb 11, 2019 12:24 am Reply with quote
I'd love to see her as Queen Beryl. She's like the kind of anime character who feels like she was created specifically so someone could make a drag routine around her.
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RyumuruJireyes



Joined: 10 Feb 2019
Posts: 23
PostPosted: Mon Feb 11, 2019 4:27 pm Reply with quote
SailorTralfamadore wrote:
I'd love to see her as Queen Beryl. She's like the kind of anime character who feels like she was created specifically so someone could make a drag routine around her.


Yea I think they do a fantastic job of bringing Beryl to life.
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SailorTralfamadore



Joined: 25 Feb 2014
Posts: 499
Location: Keep Austin Weeb
PostPosted: Mon Feb 11, 2019 5:03 pm Reply with quote
Btw for those confused in terms of pronouns, the standard with drag queens is to use "she/her" while the performer is in character/costume, while using whatever pronouns the person normally prefers (in this case, "he/him") when they're not. That's why the article goes back and forth between those.
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Jeff Bauersfeld



Joined: 07 Dec 2015
Posts: 109
PostPosted: Mon Feb 11, 2019 5:52 pm Reply with quote
SailorTralfamadore wrote:
Btw for those confused in terms of pronouns, the standard with drag queens is to use "she/her" while the performer is in character/costume, while using whatever pronouns the person normally prefers (in this case, "he/him") when they're not. That's why the article goes back and forth between those.


The clarification is appreciated!
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KarateCowboy



Joined: 12 Feb 2019
Posts: 35
PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2019 10:42 am Reply with quote
So, is the difference between what this fellow is doing and crossplay just the overall gaudiness of it?
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