I want everyone to get a chance to be a princess/superhero or whatever.
Today, we Spotlight Double A Cosplay known to many simply as Amanda Allen. She is a long-time cosplayer from the Chicago area. She is a part of several local charity cosplay groups and has formed her own unique cosplay group called Everyone’s a Princess, Inc. This is a slightly different ‘princess cosplay group’ with a fantastic idea;
I started the concept (hopeful business) under the pretense that not all princesses/superheroes come in just 1 look or size. Being tatted and plus size, I get a lot of discrimination when dressing up as a princess. I created this organization to try and break the “Disney Standard”. I want everyone to get a chance to be a princess/superhero or whatever. Just because we may look different; ie: tattoos, piercings, heavy set, different race, etc this does not alter our love of these characters nor the persona we take in while in costume.
They are a family-friendly philanthropist organization advocating for community fulfillment and enjoyment of meeting a real-life princess. They are costumers from all walks of life who want to help out the community by attending non-profit community events, parades, comic cons, birthdays, children’s events and fundraisers. To show that Everybody Can Be a Princess (or Prince).
We had Amanda choose a few questions and here are her responses;
PopCultHQ – How long have you been cosplaying?
Amanda – Officially, 9 years. My first “cosplay” was way back at Chicago Comic con (yes, before it became Wizard World) in 2009. I was making (well, buying and piecing together- I did that a lot back then) Queen of Hearts. I found most of the pieces I needed at Hot Topic and/or Spencers. (this was also before I knew about amazon, etc, etc) To be honest, I look back at that “cosplay” and shudder. It’s horrible. I quote “cosplay” because I don’t really consider it a cosplay, it was more of a, “hey I’m also going to wear this for Halloween, might as well wear it to this convention.”
Funny/gross story about this convention btw!! I was on crutches at the time (I’m a big klutz and had severely sprained my ankle) and I was walking down an aisle towards Rod Blagojevich. I couldn’t get to my camera fast enough to document the moment, but what happened next will forever give me nightmares. Without my consent, he reached out and rubbed my shoulder and said, “HI” very seductively. I immediately pull away and hobble off as fast as I can shuddering in disgust.
Anywho- back on track…I’ve always loved Halloween and dressing up, so that sparked my interest in creating new character costumes that I love.
PopCultHQ – What is your favorite TV show?
Amanada – I got real big into the Superhero TV spin offs and was actually watching a few until they became “unwatchable.” (The Walking Dead, The Flash, Once Upon A Time, Inhumans….) Currently, I am watching Stranger Things, and Blindspot. Shows that I definitely will be watching once they come back: Agents of SHIELD, iZombie and Game of Thrones.
PopCultHQ – What is your favorite material to work with?
Amanda – I haven’t really worked with a lot of material, (just started legit sewing last year) but I can say which one I HATE the most!!! FUR! OMG, it’s like glitter and gets EVERYWHERE!!
PopCultHQ – Any recommendations for first time cosplayers?
Amanda – DO YOU! If you have a character that you love, DO IT! It doesn’t matter what your skill set is, what color your skin is, or if you’re skinny or plus size…DO IT!
PopCultHQ – What is the most important piece of costuming advice you can give?
Amanda – TAKE YOUR TIME and don’t sew when you’re tired. When I’m tired, I always catch myself seam ripping and re-sewing things. If you make the same mistake 3 times, put it down, take a nap/go to bed and try again.
PopCultHQ – Who do you aspire to be?
Amanda – There are so many amazing cosplayers out in the world! If I really had to sit here and choose…it would be Ivy Doomkitty, Leeann Vamp, the entire Castle Corsetry crew (they’re amazing), Valerie Kessler, Claire Rogoski, Ken Seli, HAVE to mention the Hale sisters! There are too many of you and I love all of you! You guys are so creative!
PopCultHQ – How did you chose your cosplay name/ The name you chose to cosplay under
Amanda – Double A Cosplay. It rhymes, it easy to remember and my name is AA. Amanda Allen.
PopCultHQ – If you could be any animal what would it be?
Amanda -Dolphin hands down. They have a great life! Doing tricks for food? I’m sold. Plus, I really love the water. Fun fact, I want to become a dolphin trainer and actually took a class in college to learn what it was all about.
PopCultHQ – Is there anything else you would like to say or highlight?
Amanda – I’d like to highlight my new photography page: Sea Me Photography www.facebook.com/seamephotography1
I’ve always thought I had a good eye, so I wanted to see if I could take some amazing pictures of my friends.
If you would like to know more about Amanda, you can catch her on Facebook as;
Amanda Allen or Double A Cosplay
Catch her company at Everyone’s a Princess
or on her photography page at Sea Me Photography
