Kate currently lives in NJ. She has been cosplaying for a little over 5 years. Her cosplays include: From DC: Batgirl, three different Oracles (Adam Hughes, Battle outfit from Hunt for Oracle, and Steampunk), Black Alice, Poison Ivy. From Marvel: Scarlet Witch, Pin-Up Mary Jane, First Appearance Mary Jane, Black Widow, and from other sources Adora from Masters of the Universe, Donna Noble from Doctor Who, Rarity from MLP:FIM, Galadriel from LOTR, and Amazonia from Love and Capes.

Her cosplay page is The Geeky Redhead on Facebook

Follow her on twitter.

1. What’s the best part of cosplay for you?

Oh wow that is a huge question in just a few words! It is so hard for me to narrow this down to a cohesive answer. I certainly can’t speak for anyone else but cosplay has made me push myself to try new things, which as given me self-confidence and increased my creativity. I also love the traveling – I am a wanderer at heart so it is just thrilling for me to arrive in a new city and I have a lot of fun traveling through new towns along the way.
If I had to pick just one thing, it has to be the people I get to meet. I adore new people and kids in particular. There is something just amazingly wonderful about knowing a little girl thinks Batgirl is looking out for her because she saw me at a few local events. I have had children ask for my autograph, babies grab the ears on my Batcowl and hide under my cape. Once, when I was Poison Ivy at Baltimore Comic Con, a little girl walked up to me, latched onto my leg, looked up at me, smiled… and walked away. The adult with her explained that Ivy is her favorite. At the same event, another little girl drew me a picture of Poison Ivy and made sure to find me again before the end of the day. I still have that drawing – it’s actually hanging right now to my computer as I type this up! There is just so much pure joy in something as simple as playing chase and hearing a child laugh that I don’t think I could trade that for the world.
And then there are the fellow cosplayers, the vendors and everyone else who I just wouldn’t have met if I didn’t happen to be a geek in a cape. I have been incredibly moved by women who approached me and thanked me for cosplaying a particular character because they are able to relate to them and shared a piece of their story with me. I have so many wonderful friends that I just wouldn’t have met except that we realized we have a similar interest because one of us was wearing a particular costume.

2. Best costume that you pulled off that you thought you could not. What were some of the reactions that you got on it?

That is another hard one – there is usually a point during every costume where I go “What the hell am I thinking!”. I am going to go with my Rarity costume, which just debuted at Heroes Con this year. My sewing has grown a lot in the past year but I am still an amateur. The idea of making a ball gown, and working with boning for the first time, was positively terrifying for me! I was pretty convinced that I was going to end up wasting a lot of material and having to throw it out. I was, in fact, so prepared for failure that I didn’t bother to order my wig, ears and horn until the dress was clearly coming together.

It was definitely a learning process but it was fantastically empowering to realize, as I was going along, that yes I can add pockets here and yes I do know how to separate this dress into a skirt and bodice. I cut and painted (with my roommate’s help) over 40 diamonds to make the border of the skirt and nearly sobbed when I realized my cat had messed up the paint on a bunch!

When I showed up at the con – and I am just being honest here – I expected to be the worst pony cosplayer there. That I was swarmed by other pony cosplayers and kids almost as soon as I stepped inside completely made my day! I was just thrilled and spent the rest of the day walking on the air. Kids seemed to love it and I received quite a few flattering remarks from adults, including that I was the first ball gown Rarity they had seen. While I probably not the first cosplayer to do a ballgown Rarity, I couldn’t help but grin! I am going to be bringing it to Dragon*Con with a few more improvements like a better Fire Ruby necklace and really can’t wait!

3. What has been one of the most difficult costumes to assemble and why?

Right now I am working on a Wrath of Khan rule 63 cosplay. This has gotten me into sculpting as I try to create the necklace he wore and the details on his glove. There is definitely a learning curve involved and I am running into a lot of issues with the manufacture of it. I have made at least three of the belt buckles, with the first either being completely the wrong size despite staring at photos or breaking.

Even though this is probably my most challenging costume to date and I am not sure when it will be finished, I think this one of the great things about cosplay. It is mentally stimulating to learn new skill sets and I have always been the sort of person who savors learning for the love of learning. Even if I end up going “this is too much for me, I need to work with someone else to get this made”, I learned something from the experience and I can come back it later once I have learned more or puzzled out another solution!

credit Jason S Colflesh Photography

4. What are your thoughts on sexual harassment and cosplay and what can men and women do better to quell some of the issues surrounding it?

Stop slut shaming for one.

I see that everyday, just logging onto facebook. The sort of entitlement that leads a person to touch another person without consent doesn’t just pop up out of a vacuum. ‘Reporters’ who ask cosplayers about their panties (with no prior warning) do it because they know they can get away with it, because they know there are a lot of people who will think it’s cute or funny. People get the idea that can do X to a person because they see their friends and loved ones speaking negatively of certain types of people. That I shouldn’t be upset if someone tries to take a photo of my bottom, without my consent, or because someone grabbed my breasts, because I wore something tight.

The worst part of it is seeing people posting memes that imply that women would stop getting negative male attention if they would just cover up more. Yet I am sexually harassed the most in my Batgirl and by a huge margin. Men see me, in gloves, cape, boots, and cowl and feel like they can come up and make comments about my completely covered breasts. I am actually less likely – in my experience and your mileage may vary – to be harassed in a tube top and a loincloth.

We need to get rid of these antiquated myths that exposed skin invites and justifies disrespectful attention, that these unwanted advances are flattering and women should be grateful and that only men harass women. I know male cosplayers, and female cosplayers cross-dressing with extreme success, who have also been touched and groped by women. Our culture believes that men are too strong and powerful to be hurt by women and that harms both genders.

Just respect everyone. Ask before touching. Don’t get rude if they say no. As Wil Wheaton says “Don’t be a dick”.

credit Keep It Koala Photography

credit Patrick Sun