Through participant observation and interviews with cosplayers in the midwestern United States, we analyze the boundaries between frontstage and backstage and between self and persona (character) in cosplay spaces, where fans dress up as fictional characters. We find that back and front regions bleed into each other without causing the conflict or tension that dramaturgical theorists would predict, and that cosplayers engage in varying degrees of theatrical performance when in costume. This blurring of boundaries between front/back and self/character is part of what makes cosplay pleasurable. We argue that the body—not just as a “personal front,” but as cosplayers experience it—is important for understanding what cosplayers mean when they talk about “becoming someone else.”

中文翻译：

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全世界都是骗局：前台、后台和角色扮演的模糊边界

通过对美国中西部角色扮演者的参与观察和采访，我们分析了角色扮演空间中的前台和后台之间以及自我和角色（角色）之间的界限，其中粉丝装扮成虚构人物。我们发现前后区域相互渗透，而不会引起戏剧理论家所预测的冲突或紧张，并且角色扮演者在穿着服装时会参与不同程度的戏剧表演。这种前/后和自我/角色之间界限的模糊是使角色扮演愉快的部分原因。我们认为身体——不仅仅是作为“个人前线”，而是作为角色扮演者的体验——对于理解角色扮演者谈论“成为别人”时的意思很重要。