Fashion as Protest: Costumes, Cosplay, and Breaking Taboos in Myanmar’s 2021 Pro-Democracy Demonstrations

On February 1, 2021, Myanmar’s military staged a coup against the country’s civilian leadership after losing to the National League for Democracy in a landslide in the country’s most recent elections. Public outcry was swift and robust, with many thousands of protestors staging marches, demonstrations, and public disobedience around the country. The citizens of Myanmar have a long history of protesting against military rule, but one way that these most recent protests differ from previous demonstrations is in the fashion worn by the current protestors. Far from the images of staid monks marching solemnly during the 2007 Saffron Revolution, the 2021 protestors (many of whom are Generation Z) have opted to wear expressive fashion, cosplay of characters from popular culture, or to buck traditional norms entirely by openly expressing their sexuality and/or gender identities. This paper explores the tactics of these most recent protests in comparison with previous demonstrations and seeks to explain whether these more colorful expressions of self will have long-lasting impacts on Myanmar’s culture and politics.