Editor-DN
Shanghai, China:
During his final years of high school, Chinese teenager Xu Yunting found an unusual way to earn some pocket money — transforming himself into male video game characters and taking his female devotees on dates.
A trend called “cos commissioning” has recently gained popularity in China, with social media posts garnering millions of views as a growing number of young women use their purchasing power to meet the man of their dreams in real life. uses
Early one morning in Shanghai last month, Su carefully inserted contacts to magnify her tresses and adjust a tangerine wig that “looked like” a character in the romantic quest mobile game “Light and Night.” Change into
A tall and sensitive musician, he is one of five characters who woo players throughout the game — and an ideal partner for client Feng Zhenyu, a dynamic 19-year-old.
“I don’t have a boyfriend because I’m not interested in 3D men,” Feng told AFP, using a term for real-life men as opposed to men on the page or screen.
“I like anime characters a bit more, they’re more appealing to me.”
“Light and Night”, created by tech giant Tencent and aimed at young women, promises “a brand new interactive experience of highly immersive love”.
Players like Fang, who develop strong emotional connections with the characters in such games, are known as “dream girls” — and cos takes commissioning their 2D beau off the screen and into the real world to the next level. Takes on.
Feng has commissioned Xu twice before, for a fee of about $70.
Last month, she spent $2,800 on a multi-day trip to another province with a similar cosplayer.
But he decided he preferred Sue’s portrayal and hired her for a third date.
“We really click,” Feng said.
“He’s just like the character in the game, it feels like we were meant to be together.”
‘Reshaping the Sex Laws’
Feng was waiting for Su at a metro station, and spontaneously smiled happily when she saw him.
The two appeared relaxed, holding hands and chatting happily as they headed into their first activity.
Their date — all planned and paid for entirely by Fang — lasted all day, starting with tea and ending with eating hotpot and a romantic stroll.
Both the doll painting workshop and the cake decorating class they attended, they were one of many co-commissioned couples.
Staff at the latter business told AFP they had seen more and more couples come in over the past year – sometimes dozens on busy days.
Experts who study the trend say part of the appeal is that it gives young women a way to perform an ideal heterosexual relationship.
Conservative social attitudes toward women are widespread in China, often reinforced by state media and popular culture.
In addition to addressing safety concerns, hiring a female cosplayer ensures a level of equality and understanding not necessarily guaranteed in a real-life relationship.
“I don’t think it matters what gender the person being commissioned is,” Tian Qian of Fudan University told AFP.
“The important thing is that (the cosplayer) is a vessel, because the client needs a vehicle for their emotions.”
Another academic, Zhou Zixing, wrote that couss commissioning allowed women to “gain a voice that is fully respected for the opposite sex… to respond to, break, and break real-world gender norms.” Reconstructing”.
‘low quality people’
In the cake decorating class, Feng hunched over the table, eagerly watching Su Pipe pour a large amount of icing onto the sponge cake.
Afterwards, Xu gently helped Feng remove her apron, modeling Jesse’s gentle behavior.
“All the guys in the games are quality,” Xu said.
“I think (clients) will be able to refine their needs in real life in terms of what they want in a man, so they don’t settle for lower quality guys.”
Her mother, Feng Xiuqing, admitted her initial reaction when she found out what Su was doing: “How could this happen to my daughter?”
But she has since come around to the idea.
“I don’t think it’s a profession, it’s a hobby,” Feng said.
“She enjoys it, and she brings joy to others.”
Cos commissions can act as “emotional sustenance,” said Fudan University’s Tian.
“Even though it’s a paid interaction, it still gives a sense of being seen, which has a certain healing effect on him.”
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
