Today we’d like to introduce you to AMHCosplays
Hi AMHCosplays, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started cosplaying in high school with a homemade Star Trek uniform. Although cosplaying ground to a halt after graduate school — job, marriage, kids — I started up again in 2002. Twenty-plus years later, I’m more involved than ever. I am regularly invited to anime and comic cons as a cosplay guest, panelist, contest judge, and emcee. I’ve been featured on pop-culture sites in North America and Europe and have been featured in and on the cover of numerous industry magazines. I appear at community functions and charity events. I am also a founding member of the League of Superheroines, an international cosplay group as well as the founder of Cosplay Over 40, a global online community that encourages, supports, and showcases the older cosplayer.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A key struggle, one felt by the majority of cosplayers, is finances. Cosplaying is not a bargain pastime. Costs for a typical cosplay build include wig, contact lenses, cosmetics, footwear, shapewear, jewelry, props, special effects like prosthetics or ears or horns, and then there’s the cosplay itself. Fortunately, we can reuse key elements like shapewear, wigs, lenses, and cosmetics, but it’s still an expensive hobby.
Another struggle I’ve encountered is ageism. This is encountered most commonly in person at conventions and group photo shoots but, since the pandemic, it’s become increasingly common online. For reasons I’ve yet to comprehend, younger cosplayers seem to adhere to the notion that cosplay is only for teenagers and 20-somethings and some will bluntly comment negatively on older cosplayers’ social-media posts or, worse, tell them in person that they’re “too old” to cosplay. Additionally, there are photographers attending conventions who will take photos only of young girls in minimal costumes, completely ignoring talented older cosplayers. It was because of this shunning of older cosplayers that my husband Jae and I started Cosplay Over 40 in 2019. Not one week goes by that I don’t receive a message or an email from an older cosplayer, thanking us for creating a safe community that welcomes and embraces our demographic. Often I hear about people being insulted because of their age, of photographers lowering their cameras and walking away, of contests limiting participants to a certain age. It’s absurd. We don’t stop liking our favorite shows, movies, books, or games because we turn 40. If anything, we’ve reached a point in our lives where we know exactly what our hobbies of choice are, we dedicate our time to them, and most of us now have the discretionary income to fund our favorite pastime.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As a cosplayer, I create or thrift costumes based on my favorite characters and fandoms. I work mostly with fabric and pleather but I also dabble in thermoplastics, foam, jewelry, and resin. I style wigs to go along with my chosen characters and create their make-up looks from cosmetics and body paint. I’ve been called a prolific creator: I currently have more than 250 cosplays, with 60 or so in different stages of development. When I am in cosplay, I don’t just wear a costume. I become the character, down to behavior, mannerisms, and speech patterns. Part of cosplay is bringing joy to people who see their favorite character come to life. The smiles on their faces is truly heartwarming, especially so when I do charity events such as the Autism Hero Walk at the Detroit Zoo. I am also a competitive cosplayer. I try my best to compete at least twice a year in either craftsmanship — the creation of cosplays — or performance — presenting a skit or song as the character. I’ve been fortunate enough to have won awards in both divisions, and I am constantly working to improve.
I suppose on an international scale, I am best known for my She-Hulk cosplays. I have 15 version of her, most predating the TV show. I’ve been listed as one of the 10 top She-Hulk cosplayers by Comic Book Resources and one of the top 5 She-Hulks by La Casa de El, a pop-culture site in Spain. My Spiderwoman was featured by ScreenRant, while my Wonder Woman was featured by DC Comics News. Since most of my community appearances are as Wonder Woman — I currently have 16 versions of her — I suppose I’m known for her as well. I go by Ann Arbor Wonder Woman, and I have a separate social-media presence as such (@a2miwonderwoman). Comic Book Resources also gave high praise to my Hermione Granger (I have three versions of her). Amongst my fellow cosplayers, however, I’m best known for my portrayal of Bulma Briefs from the Dragon Ball Universe. I’m currently building my 39th version of her.
How do you define success?
Did I do my best to accurately portray a character? If so, I succeeded. Was I able to make an event attendee smile and become excited upon seeing my cosplay? That is also a success. Did I positively contribute to an event as a guest, judge, panelist, emcee, or organizer so that the event director was happy to have invited me? That’s a huge success.
But many successes are smaller. Did I manage to walk off stage without tripping and falling flat in my face? Woohoo… success! Did I manage to sew a cosplay without having to use my seam ripper? That’s an enormous success. Did I score a bunch of patterns at a sale at JoAnn’s? Success!
For me, if I manage to reassure a cosplayer who is considering quitting because of ageism, if I manage to inspire someone to take that crucial first step into the world of cosplay, those are the biggest successes of all.
Pricing:
- Sticker sets: 3 stickers/$5 including first-class shipping
- 8×10 prints: $20 each including Priority shipping
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/amhcosplays
- Instagram: @amhcosplays @a2miwonderwoman @cosplayover40
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amhcosplays/
- Twitter: https://x.com/amhcosplays
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@amhcosplays
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/a2miwonderwoman
