Zentai Explained

A zentai suit is a skin-tight garment that covers the entire body.[1] The word is a portmanteau of zenshin taitsu (Japanese: 全身タイツ||full-body tights).[2] Zentai is most commonly made using nylon/spandex blends.[3]

Use

The costumes are seen at major sporting events in North America and the United Kingdom. They created internationally recognized personalities of The Green Men, two fans of the Vancouver Canucks NHL team.[4] Various professional street dance/hip hop dance groups use the outfits, such as The Body Poets in the United States[5] and Remix Monkeys in the United Kingdom.[6]

Full-body suits are used for video special effects: their unique colors enable the person wearing the chroma key suit to be digitally removed from a video image.[7] Other applications have included music videos (Black Eyed Peas' song "Boom Boom Pow", including the live performance at the Super Bowl), breast cancer awareness,[8] [9] fashion modeling on an episode of America's Next Top Model, social anxiety workshops, television (Charlie Kelly as Green Man),[10] a participant in public art project "One & Other",[11] and social experiments.[12] [13]

Legal limitations

Since zentai cover one's face, a fine of up to €150 may be imposed upon those who wear them publicly in France. Furthermore, some sports leagues, such as Major League Baseball, ban the use of the costume hoods.[14]

Brands

Companies have created brands of the suits including RootSuit or Superfan Suit in the United States, Bodysocks[15] or Second Skins by Smiffy's[16] and Morphsuits in the United Kingdom, and Jyhmiskin in Finland. Morphsuits has achieved relative commercial success internationally. Between January and late October 2010, the company shipped 10,000 to Canada alone.[17] The Morphsuits brand has actively tried to disassociate themselves from the existing zentai community.[18] Superfan Suits acknowledges in interviews that the outfits have existed previously.[19] The term "morphsuit" has become a generic term in the process; one New Zealand-based newspaper refers to competing brand Jaskins as "one of the main online morphsuit brands." Jaskins company founder Josh Gaskin says their origins are unclear, pegging the first usage with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

See also

Notable users of Zentai

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. News: Private worlds. Crawford. Ashley. 2 August 2008. The Australian. 16 January 2011.
  2. Web site: 全身タイツ definition. Weblio. 17 December 2012.
  3. Web site: Full-body suits give identity, freedom to Japan's 'zentai' festish fans. The Japan Times. 17 April 2014. 17 April 2014. 11 September 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160911062250/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/04/17/national/full-body-suits-give-identity-freedom-to-japans-zentai-festish-fans#.U0-aDl7060w. dead.
  4. Web site: Force & Sully. Jory, Derek. 11 January 2010. 25 May 2010. Vancouver Canucks and the National Hockey League.
  5. Kristen Perez, editor . 10 October 2010 . The Body Poets- Demo Reel 2010 . streaming video . 15 July 2011 . 2:15 .
  6. Web site: Remix Monkeys. Facebook. 15 July 2011. United Kingdom. 2011.
  7. News: Second skin, secret life. 15 July 2011. Taranaki Daily News. 21 September 2010. New Plymouth NZ.
  8. Web site: 1 in 8 Pink Ladies on WCNC . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/mdgxTtmpxsY . 2021-12-21 . live. YouTube . 25 July 2011.
  9. Web site: Pink Ladies Take to Charlotte Streets with Breast Cancer Detection Message . https://archive.today/20120919113446/http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/10/prweb2981254.htm . dead . 19 September 2012 . Prweb.com . 7 October 2009 . 25 July 2011.
  10. Web site: Green people . The Fun Revolution . 25 July 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120425084758/http://thefunrevolution.com/content/green-people-0 . 25 April 2012.
  11. News: Rawlinson. Kevin. The good, the bad and the naked of London's Plinth. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/the-good-the-bad-and-the-naked-of-londons-plinth-1802230.html . 7 May 2022 . subscription . live. 28 September 2011. The Independent. 14 October 2009. London UK. From the man in the skin-tight yellow Morph suit to the existential humanitarian who did absolutely nothing, 2,400 people have now climbed the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square to take part in Antony Gormley's artwork..
  12. Web site: Ani's Adventures . Aniadventure.livejournal.com . 2012-11-26 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120425083010/http://aniadventure.livejournal.com/ . 25 April 2012.
  13. Web site: NGM Blog Central - A Halloween Zebra Migrates to Washington, D.C. - National Geographic Magazine - NGM.com . Blogs.ngm.com . 2010-10-27 . 2012-11-26 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121225200326/http://blogs.ngm.com/blog_central/2010/10/halloween-is-the-time-when-humans-can-get-a-taste-of-what-it-is-like-to-roam-the-streets-as-an-animal-and-this-halloween-th.html . 25 December 2012.
  14. News: Rayner. Ben. Blue Jays see red over green men. 19 July 2011. The Toronto Star. 20 May 2011. Toronto ON.
  15. Web site: Misstear . Rachael . Teenager's colourful bodysock business booms just one year after he left school - Wales News - News . WalesOnline . 2012-04-20 . 2012-08-15.
  16. News: GB Olympic Rowing Team Get a Morale Boost from Smiffy's Fancy Dress Company Second Skin Union Jack Costumes. https://web.archive.org/web/20121018125441/http://www.prweb.com/releases/smiffys-costumes/gb-rowing-team-olympics/prweb9671652.htm. dead. 18 October 2012. 13 March 2013. PRWEB UK. 16 July 2012.
  17. News: Bascaramurty. Dakshana. Zentai suits – not just fetish wear any more. 23 April 2011. The Globe and Mail. 28 October 2010. 4 March 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110304183708/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/family-and-relationships/halloween/zentai-suits-not-just-fetish-wear-any-more/article1776757/. dead.
  18. News: D'Alfonso. Daniel. Flagging some patriotic fashion. 15 July 2011. Herald Sun. 23 January 2011. Melbourne City MC AU.
  19. News: Dluzen. Robin. SuperFanSuits.com: The Lucrative Business of Full Body Spandex. 7 July 2012. TINC Magazine. 25 July 2011. Chicago IL.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Zentai".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.