Cosplay - Kosupure or Meido is more than French Maid dress up!

by Barbie Kiss

www.mylunakiss.com

Cosplay - Harajuku

I am fascinated by the way other cultures consider what is appealing and sexy - specifically their lingerie style. I guess I am the curious lingerie traveler. 

In French Maid Affair, I shared the history and style of French Maid outfits and in the article I mentioned Cosplay (Kosupure) which is Japanese costume play in which
participants wear costumes and/or accessories to portray a specific character according to multiple sources like Wikipedia. Young women usually dress up in this French frocks and walk down the streets of Harajuku, Tokyo.

It seems meidos (maid in English) is used for more than dress up and parading new frilly dresses in public, it is also worn to attract the opposite sex and used as uniforms for dozens of meido cafe's or theme restaurants that started in Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan over 10 years ago. 

The theme is service with more than a smile it is also role play. The staff dress as elegant maids and the service is reminiscent of Edwardian or Victorian times or better yet the days of the Geisha because the staff treat the customers as masters and mistresses as if their serving them at home. It is not unusual for the meido or maido to kneel on the ground to mix sugar or milk in teas or other drinks. The purpose of the maid cafés and their service is to make customers feel relaxed and pampered.

http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/tokyo/maid_cafe.htm)

The popularity of the Cosplay restaurants or meido cafes spread to other regions of Japan and beyond such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Mexico, and The Philippines (Manila).

It is stated that role-playing and dressing up are popular in Japan because it is a form of escapism from the rigid rules of career and social life in Japan.

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