VODKA O’CLOCK 1606
AMANDA JADE ON GEEK GIRL EMPOWERMENT AND COSPLAY
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Joining the show this week is AMANDA JADE, a die hard fan of DC comics and cartoons like Young Justice. She also loves Pokémon and Jem and the Holograms.
COSPLAY & CONS:
Geek cosplayer AMANDA JADE shared the inside scoop on her Katsucon experience. If you haven’t seen the posts, there was a lot of damage done to the hotel, allegedly by con-goers; however there are mixed stories. Plus there was a kitchen fire which caused an evacuation. Hear Amanda’s perspective.
She’s an experienced panelist and costume contest judge which she does in collaboration with a group of fans from different genres/medium.
Dress codes at cons vary greatly. We discussed how characters like Black Canary and Wonder Woman have essentially the same outfit, but Canary is more sexualized because of the fishnets and dark color. Amanda has a more than ample bust size so it’s hard not to have cleavage look mature-rated when doing general public appearances. We have opinions about some of the “sexy†variety costumes that are out there for characters where it’s questionable representation.
She finds ways to work creativity into her life every day including doing crafts with kids and writing. She’s working on her first comic book.
“Knowing when to step aside and do something that’s for other people, like a charity event, that stuff is all really humbling so I kind of recommend all cosplayers do one charity event in one of your costumes if you can.†~Amanda Jade
GETTING THROUGH BAD DAYS:
Amanda often speaks about cosplay harassment and comic book “cred checks†which she’s personally faced. She’s become one of the go-to cosplayers to field questions about plus size cosplay and tips on handling negative public reactions.
Whether it’s burn out or having a rough time in your life, you need to care for yourself. When your hobbies stop being fun, it’s time to step back and examine why.
GEEK GIRL EMPOWERMENT:
We discussed the first times we tried shopping in comic book shops and the terrible customer service many of them have. She found a home at Earth World Comics in Albany, NY where they have Fangirls’ Night Out, open to all people who identify as female/NB.
Gendering toys was also something Amanda brought up in our conversation along with the missing female characters from merchandise.
Loving your body and embracing/risking doing things like sexy photoshoots are ways that work for the two of us, but aren’t for everyone. Even if you’re not comfortable being nude, getting dressed up and feeling special or pretty or simply different than you were an hour prior, are things that could help someone come out of their self esteem spiral.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/undiezofwondy/
Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AmberUnmasked.com and Vodka O'Clock Podcast. Author of The Farrah Wethers Mysteries, comic book short stories, prose, and non-fiction. Cosplayer and figure model.