Cosplayer Fined Thousands Of Dollars For Exposing Herself In Public

Last year, during the Fancy Frontier manga and anime expo in Taipei, a cosplayer was wearing no underwear when she posed for photographers at the event, and has been prosecuted for violating Taiwan's Act on Offenses Against Sexual Morality.

After a different cosplayer removed her skirt at a different event eight years ago in order to attract attention to her comics, the Fancy Frontier organisers have put in place regulations to avoid this for their attendees. Cosplayers must not wear outfits that expose the nipples, genitals, hips, bra or underpants, or expose more than one-third of the breasts.

Swimsuits are permitted, but the organisers do get the last word on what is and is not appropriate, and these regulations only apply to those inside the rented expo venue. The incident last summer happened outside the hall, when this woman lifted up her skirt to reveal that she wasn't wearing underwear, and then sat to pose for photographers, exposing herself in a public space.

The police were alerted, owing to the communications between the Fancy Frontier regulators and the venue's management, and she was arrested for her actions. Taipei Times, in their report of the event published last year, mentioned that the cosplayer had gotten in trouble previously for "tainting" the image of the wider cosplay community with provocative poses.

In September, the cosplayer was summoned to appear in court by the Beijing Municipal Inspection Bureau, according to AppleDaily. She apparently asserted that she did not purposefully expose herself at the event, and that she was sorting out her outfit when it happened. She continued to claim that she was secretly photographed by strangers who uploaded those photos to the internet. But, witness statements and photographs taken at the scene contradicted this story, and she was charged with indecent exposure.

The cosplayer added that she often does not wear underwear, and that it isn't a crime to not wear underwear, pleading not guilty to the judge. They agreed, but found that she still acted to consciously expose herself in a public place, which is an infringement of the Act on Offenses Against Sexual Morality. As a result, the woman must serve three months in prison and has been fined 90,000 yuan, which equates to several thousand dollars.

Featured Image Credit: 東森新聞 CH51

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