The Cosplay of Nations 2018: Miss Japan Makes Title More Literal
December 12, 2018 4:27 PM   Subscribe

Arriving earlier than expected this year, it's the Miss Universe national costume pageant, better known as The Cosplay of Nations - a title that was more literal than usual, thanks to Miss Japan. Female empowerment seemed to be an unofficial theme this year, with costumes paying tribute to a Kenyan village that empowers and shelters women and to the suffergette movement being of note, as well as a number of outfits that bring to mind angry deities or superheroes and supervillains.

Another unofficial theme was flowers, with several nations (including the US) dressing as their national flower.
posted by NoxAeternum (54 comments total) 18 users marked this as a favorite
 
Skipping through the long video at random, I'm 100% in favor of Miss Vietnam and her giant banh mi skirt.
posted by Strange Interlude at 4:36 PM on December 12, 2018 [5 favorites]


So many of these outfits could appear in Warhammer 40K army books.
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:40 PM on December 12, 2018 [6 favorites]


Or in the next season of She-Ra.
posted by NoxAeternum at 4:42 PM on December 12, 2018 [5 favorites]


oh no where are the individual photos. please. i can't watch a video. my brain is very small and i am tired.
posted by poffin boffin at 4:49 PM on December 12, 2018 [41 favorites]


So many of these outfits could appear in Warhammer 40K army books.

COSTUMES FOR THE COSTUME GOD
posted by GuyZero at 5:11 PM on December 12, 2018 [3 favorites]


ONTD has photos.

India is my favorite because she has a THRONE and a SWORD.
posted by yasaman at 5:13 PM on December 12, 2018 [13 favorites]


Bahamas: I'M A PINEAPPLE
Armenia: I'M YOUR GRANDMA'S NICE TABLECLOTH
Barbados: HELP I GOT LOST ON MY WAY TO THE DISNEY FINDING NEMO PARADE
posted by emjaybee at 5:16 PM on December 12, 2018 [3 favorites]


i lov pinapel
posted by poffin boffin at 5:18 PM on December 12, 2018 [4 favorites]


HA HA belize's ceremonial mace is bigger than parliament's.

lotta big insects this year, not sure if want.
posted by poffin boffin at 5:20 PM on December 12, 2018 [1 favorite]


Miss United Kingdom wore the suffragette colours!
posted by Flitcraft at 5:42 PM on December 12, 2018 [5 favorites]


Singapore WHY

also agreed, India's is badass, though I do also admire Laos's puppetry
posted by divabat at 5:53 PM on December 12, 2018 [2 favorites]


I can't believe I watched the whole thing! It was a great relief from our current parliamentary shitstorm.

More masks this year, and fewer capes, as well as a lot of plant life and butterflies. I like the way the contestants' expressions ranged from extreme embarrassment to outright hilarity (Miss Vietnam pretending to eat part of her outfit). I especially liked the pineapple, the Indian throne and the lady from Laos (I think) who came on as three people, oh, and Sailor Moon. Ireland, as usual, had something horrible, this time an illuminated pub sign.
posted by Fuchsoid at 6:02 PM on December 12, 2018 [2 favorites]


Honestly, the video was worth watching for the chance to see these outfits on motion.

Also Brazil was clearly super excited about her outfit, and rightly so. The wings!
posted by nonasuch at 6:09 PM on December 12, 2018


Dear Canada:
Is your contestant representing a particularly colorful fungus?
posted by twoplussix at 6:28 PM on December 12, 2018 [6 favorites]


as usual i never paid attention, but yeah, SINGAPORE WHY, there's so much to you than just being the Trump-Kim backdrop.

(lol Miss Malaysia is literally one of the famous bridges in the administrative capital hahaha)
posted by cendawanita at 6:34 PM on December 12, 2018


I was impressed with Ecuador's commitment to the giant bird's head and Thailand's poise with the elephant canopy until I saw Laos and her two whole extra puppet ladies!
posted by The Underpants Monster at 6:37 PM on December 12, 2018 [3 favorites]


Don't we usually get that team that lampoons them? Youtube videos, WTF?
posted by Meatbomb at 6:40 PM on December 12, 2018 [2 favorites]


You could fit the popolaton of Curaçao under Curaçao's skirt.
posted by PinkMoose at 6:42 PM on December 12, 2018


Bahamas: I'M A PINEAPPLE

Puerto Rico: OUR THOUSANDS OF DEAD WILL CLIMB FROM THE GRAVE AND HAVE THEIR VENGEANCE
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 6:44 PM on December 12, 2018 [16 favorites]


The best ever was when Canada showed up in a "Sexy Mountie" costume from Crappy Tire.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 6:44 PM on December 12, 2018 [3 favorites]


Puerto Rico brought a tear to my eye. It was beautiful.

Ireland though, really? It legitimately looked like something somebody would have worn to go clubbing in the 90s. I could get really mean, but let's just say that it was definitely the worst.
posted by TooFewShoes at 6:56 PM on December 12, 2018 [1 favorite]


i like the lady with the bread
posted by poffin boffin at 7:05 PM on December 12, 2018 [6 favorites]


FUCK i mean I LOAF THE LADY WITH THE BREAD fuck im a failure
posted by poffin boffin at 7:06 PM on December 12, 2018 [30 favorites]


Most likely to be a JRPG protagonist: Norway
Most likely to be a JRPG party member: Mauritius
Most likely to be a JRPG final boss: Puerto Rico
posted by Merus at 7:13 PM on December 12, 2018 [4 favorites]


Having to wear a winter coat already leaves me feeling like I’m carrying the world on my shoulders, but these women walk with such cumbersome appendages that weigh god knows how much with such grace. IN HEELS.
For that reason alone, I am cheering for all of them.

Also, now that they’ve started this, my secret wish is to have Miss Japan 2019 be sushi. Or Hello Kitty.
posted by theappleonatree at 7:38 PM on December 12, 2018 [3 favorites]


Meatbomb - the Tom and Lorenzo posts are apparently in progress, per their twitter feed.
posted by cobaltnine at 7:43 PM on December 12, 2018


Sorry Miss Bahamas, but Manila Luzon did it better.
posted by elsietheeel at 8:02 PM on December 12, 2018 [2 favorites]


Other thoughts:

Why does Miss Chile have a tack hammer on her head?

Is Miss Curaçao rehearsing for her wedding?

I think Miss El Salvador might have the largest costume in the history of this contest.

*bows down to Miss Ghana*

What the actual heck Miss Japan?

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK MISS NORWAY?

I don't know what Miss Puerto Rico is doing but I'm kind of here for it.

And I'm done, because I can't stop myself from going back to Miss Norway and weeping.
posted by elsietheeel at 8:11 PM on December 12, 2018 [2 favorites]


On man, I want Eric of Eric Reads the News to give me his take on this, for it would be magnificent. Some of these were just astonishing. But some, there is much to snark upon, by those who are masters of the art.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 8:15 PM on December 12, 2018


I always feel sorry for the ones who misunderstood and wore an actual traditional national costume and not pure zaniness.
posted by ckape at 8:15 PM on December 12, 2018 [7 favorites]


I don't know what Miss Puerto Rico is doing but I'm kind of here for it.

Unsurprisingly, her costume was meant as a memorial to the tragedy of Hurricane Maria:
It symbolizes Puerto Rico rising up out of the ocean after the hurricane Maria disaster that crippled the island, and props to Kiara who was seen screwing this monstrous piece together backstage. The enormous helping hands symbolize those who helped Puerto Rico in their time of need.
posted by NoxAeternum at 8:21 PM on December 12, 2018 [3 favorites]


Poor miss Saint Lucia I want to send her a divacup
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 8:27 PM on December 12, 2018 [3 favorites]


Brazil's transformer hummingbird was excellent! Way better than Ecuador's with its poor bent beak.

I liked Curacao breaking her chains.

Croatia was an actual stripper?!

The video gives a totally different take on several of these. Back with more shortly!
posted by irisclara at 8:38 PM on December 12, 2018 [2 favorites]


elsietheeel, I believe Manila Luzon was paying homage to Ms Philippines Universe 2003 and Ms Philippines International 2005. Yes, so strongly do Filipinos feel about pineapples, two pageant competitors wore the same costume.
posted by theappleonatree at 8:41 PM on December 12, 2018 [1 favorite]


Yeah, Ireland is definitely Burning Man in 1998, thinking that Crystal Method is the ne plus ultra of music.

I like Croatia and Bulgaria. Sometimes less is more. But it may be that I'm missing the point of this pageant, which is really more "I'M A BIRD!" "I'M A BASKET OF BREAD!".

Miss El Salvador looks the most like a jrpg boss to me. You have to defeat all of the masks in her ensemble before you can attack her main body, which is not easy when she's attacking with her sword.
posted by LeRoienJaune at 9:04 PM on December 12, 2018


hi i'm here to apologize for my country's awful dress and would like to note that most people here think it is horrendous as well
posted by destrius at 9:19 PM on December 12, 2018 [1 favorite]


India had to carry that throne herself! That's nuts!

Indonesia had a whole flock of flapping birds like Tippi Hedren and they barely showed it!

Laos, with her 2 decoys, is certainly worth seeing in action.

Peru has the ultimate in transformer costumes! I love her face when her trees pop up!

Puerto Rico went down! Poor dear needed a hand up. Good thing someone came to help her. Unlike n real life.
posted by irisclara at 9:27 PM on December 12, 2018 [2 favorites]


Thailand manages her elephant very well.

Vietnam looks super happy to have all that bread.

Good show ladies! Thanks for the hour's amusement.
posted by irisclara at 9:50 PM on December 12, 2018 [2 favorites]


I love all the more-is-more costumes! Now I'm disappointed my wedding dress didn't have a whole flock of flapping birds at the back.

I also really love India's outfit though. I think it's the trousers. I would totally wear that (you know, minus the throne).

Cayman Islands seems to have turned up in a prom dress though.
posted by stillnocturnal at 2:59 AM on December 13, 2018


Miss Spain (Ángela Ponce) is the first trans woman to feature in the contest and I understand that they wouldn't want to put her in a too flamboyant dress, but she got one off the rack from the Feria de Abril and it's a bit disappointing.
posted by sukeban at 3:01 AM on December 13, 2018 [3 favorites]


Guatemala: We got a fan twice the size of a woman!
El Salvador: We got a fan twice the size of a woman, and the fan has fans the size of a woman! And there's a sword!
posted by ardgedee at 4:19 AM on December 13, 2018 [7 favorites]


SELECT YOUR FIGHTER
posted by Faint of Butt at 4:28 AM on December 13, 2018 [9 favorites]


ndia had to carry that throne herself! That's nuts!

Yeah, I'm really unclear how that represents "empowerment of women" (as the announcer states) when she's carrying a 100 pound throne on her back like a slave.
posted by dnash at 5:48 AM on December 13, 2018 [1 favorite]


Cambodia seemed really anxious make sure it qualified for the "national costume" part. She's got the shape of the country on her head, printed with the flag, with the country's most famous landmark slapped over the top of it.
posted by Proofs and Refutations at 6:02 AM on December 13, 2018


I was looking at the Puerto Rican costume and I wonder if the red hands at the bottom are supposed to be stained with the blood of all the unnecessary dead. That'd be Trump's hands showing up twice on these costumes (Singapore being the other), magnified many times from their original size.
posted by Hactar at 6:34 AM on December 13, 2018 [1 favorite]


Wait, Bolivia is ... a salt flat?
posted by ChuraChura at 7:37 AM on December 13, 2018


So many of these outfits could appear in Warhammer 40K army books.

now that they’ve started this, my secret wish is to have Miss Japan 2019 be sushi. Or Hello Kitty.

In the grim future of Hello Kitty, THERE IS ONLY WAR.
posted by Zed at 9:23 AM on December 13, 2018 [1 favorite]


I wondered what the idea was behind Miss Great Britain's costume with a ballot box and "Let's Finish What They Started" sign. My first thought was that it was a weird Brexit reference but apparently it refers to the centenary of women winning the right to vote there, which is so much better. It's two years until the centenary of the 19th Amendment here, with some states having women's suffrage earlier.
posted by exogenous at 1:14 PM on December 13, 2018 [1 favorite]


The best ever was when Canada showed up in a "Sexy Mountie" costume from Crappy Tire.

After seeing Canada's costume from 2015, I can't tell whether you're joking.
posted by exogenous at 1:25 PM on December 13, 2018 [2 favorites]


I am not joking! On google, it was 2013, and it really did seem just a hair fancier than something bought with Canadian Tire money. Honest to God, something about it just tickles me.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 1:34 PM on December 13, 2018


Wow, you weren't kidding! From the same year, Miss USA as a ... transformer?
posted by exogenous at 1:51 PM on December 13, 2018 [5 favorites]


America's two great gifts to the world: Jazz. and Transformers.
posted by GuyZero at 2:22 PM on December 13, 2018


America's other gift to the world, racism: Miss USA apologizes after comments spark criticism of being racist and xenophobic.
posted by peeedro at 6:28 AM on December 14, 2018 [1 favorite]


Miss Spain (Ángela Ponce) is the first trans woman to feature in the contest

Some more on her in a recent Washington Post article (soft paywall warning) which links to her Instagram.
posted by exogenous at 11:22 AM on December 18, 2018


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