• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.63 no.5
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• pp.151-166
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• 2013

In order to create a national myth and be able to control international society, America with her short national history, used popular culture to accomplish these goals. The medium fit this purpose the best was the use of superhero characters based on comics. Born and developed from the 1930s through the 1960s, which could be seen as America's national crisis era, superhero characters were thorough advocates of American justice and was perfect for the role of spreading the legitimacy of American ideology. From the 1970s, superhero characters became part of movies and became even more influential through the Hollywood's massive film industry and the box office success. American ideology in superhero characters symbolically appeared in movie costumes. Starting with Superman and Batman, the very first and typical superhero characters' costumes work as metaphors for realization of American justice. After the 1980s, superheroes were newly developed through a genre called graphic novel and the most representative piece of this genre is Alan Moore's Watchmen. In the Watchmen, which was also turn into a movie in 2009, six changed superhero characters appear ranging from a non-human superhero, villain superhero, superhero with mental disorder and superhero with sexual impotency, the characters were never-seen-before superheroes with different aspects that connote introspection and philosophical ideology. The changed type of heroes and ideology became another form of heroes, and this brought changes to character costumes that were never considered before. The superhero costumes that used to symbolize America now express different types of superhero by borrowing exotic mythical elements, undressing, pastiche and daily life clothes. The superhero characters and their changes in costumes from Watchmen imply American popular culture's introspective tendency. Amongst these changes, we need to raise our critical vision towards popular culture.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.433-440
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• 2020

Afrofuturism was born under the combination of the elements of African culture, sci-fi novels, history, afrocentrism and Magic Realism. The aim of this study is to sort out the concepts and characteristics of Afrofuturism basing on the artistic elements appearing in Black Panther. The method is to investigate the academic papers, periodicals, singles and the Internet research related to African culture, Afrofuturism and American superheroes first. And then make the analyzation of the design of uniforms of the major characters in the movie as cases. The result is : First, the resistance of art for social minorities, second, the establishment of identity of black art through the reactionary effect of culture, and third, the artistic healing through SF fantasy.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.473-487
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to analyze the body type and fashion of posthuman in SF movies. The method of this study was to analyze documentaries, internet web site, fashion books and so forth. The results were as follows: The body types of posthuman were expressed as mutation type, prosthetic type, clone type by biological hybrid or renovation and digital type by computer simulation. The mutation type was expressed as reinforcement of masculinity or feminity and reinforcement of body functions. The fashion item was expressed as a black tailored suit, leather jacket, cat suit, whip, black sunglass, garter belt, high heel shoes, short pants, black one piece dress and functional body suit. The prosthetic type was expressed as reinforcement of body functions and reinforcement of masculinity or feminity. The fashion item was expressed as a military item, high-tech power suit and ergonomic armor suit. The clone type was expressed as the plural ego with reinforcement of body functions. The fashion item was expressed as a power shoulder jacket, fake fur coat, vinyl, black see-through look and functional suit. The digital type was expressed as reinforcement of masculinity or feminity and the plural ego with reinforcement of body functions. The fashion item was expressed as a data suit, leather jacket, black over coat, boots, black sun glass, ethnic items and military items. The meanings of posthuman fashion in SF movies were impurity of posthuman, display of superhuman's power by sexuality, metaphor of power and fantasy of superhero in opposition futuristic dystopia. As mentioned above, posthuman body type and fashion in SF movies become the conversational topic in the real world. The fact that we think about utopia and identity of posthuman in the future is of great significance.