Interview with a Cosplayer: Taking up Cosplay as a Hobby

Costume play or Cosplay as a hobby is a great way for comic nerds and movie enthusiasts to breathe life into the characters they have read or seen on screen. I managed to find a person passionate about cosplay who goes by the tag NightPurr, on Instagram and Reddit. Here are a few questions she answered about her hobby:

NightPurr in her element as Catwoman

1. What made you consider cosplay as a hobby?

I’ve always admired people who do cosplay and was intimidated because it seemed like something out of reach for me, both because of my schedule and because of my body composition.

I’m 6’0” tall with an athletic build so finding normal clothes to fit properly is always a challenge, so thinking about costumes and cosplays didn’t strike me as a possibility.

Sadie Adler Cosplay

2. How many of the costumes have you tried?

I’ve always been obsessed with Catwoman and Batman. My husband and I have an entire bookshelf of comics, figurines, glassware, etc of Catwoman and Batman stuff. I’ve pieced together my own Catwoman costume for Halloween for several years (it was never perfect but each year it got better) until I realized, “Hey, I can actually make my own Catwoman cosplay by finding pieces here and there and altering things that don’t fit properly.”

So that’s where my Catwoman started. Wonder Woman and Zatanna were other interests of mine, followed by other DC characters, German folklore like Krampus, and so on.

Wonder Woman Cosplay

3. What does your 9-5 job look like?

I am a salaried fitness manager, so I manage personal trainers and part of a corporate gym. Before this COVID pandemic, I was working 40-60 hour work weeks and trying to balance taking care of my German Shepherd, cat, maintaining the house, friends, and parents so any hobbies of mine took a backseat.

Right now, my job is much different due to COVID and I have much more free time to explore what I want to do.

Night Purr as Wonder Woman!

Join us on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/themoviejunkiedotcom/

4. Are you a Comic-con regular?

I’ve just begun cosplaying maybe 2 months ago via online means, but have attended Portland comic cons. We were planning on going to the San Diego coming on this year... but you know...

If you want to get into cosplay, check out some cosplay makeup that would help you decide. You might walk away with something more awesome than what you planned!

5. Have you formed new friendships based on cosplay?

I haven’t met any new friends yet with cosplaying since it started during this pandemic, even though I’ve been to the Portland comic cons before this happened, but I’d say my friendships with certain people have grown stronger because of it.

6. You said your job is different, can I know how your job has changed and how you manage fitness with clients virtually?

Well, before I was managing 25 trainers and I had 2 assistants and I was strictly just a manager who hired and staffed and developed my assistants to become fitness managers.

There was a lot of coaching and development involved so I wasn’t training anymore. Currently, I am training full-time now and the company got rid of the assistant role so I have no assistants.

Virtually, there is more planning, programming, and connecting going on. Since I’m not there physically to engage with the client, see their form, motivate, and direct, it’s all done via Zoom.

I have to plan each workout way ahead of time structured around what equipment they have available, be creative if they don’t have any equipment, and also work around temperature changes and scheduling changes.

If it’s too hot to work out in their home gym in their garage, we have to use light weights and bands inside, or if they have no weight equipment I have to be creative and use everyday items like towels, etc. Virtual sessions also come with WiFi connectivity and screen challenges.

They have to be able to see my whole body and I have to be able to see there’s. If they move out of frame, I’ll have to pause the workout and have them readjust so I can have a full view of their movement and make sure they’re in proper form.

7. May I know your educational background?

I have a bachelors in science- exercise and sports science from Oregon State University

8. Which state and city are you based out of in the US? And what is the fitness scene post-COVID? And how it was before COVID.

Portland Oregon. We are capped at 100 people per hour which is around 25% capacity. Before I had 25 trainers and 2 assistants, right now I have three trainers working and 11 on LOA.

All our members have to make reservations before they can come and work out. If they schedule personal training sessions that count as their reservation masks are featured in our facility even during exercise.

All machines are spread at a minimum of 6 ft apart or marked out. We have group classes that are capped at 28 people and they are spread 8 ft apart. There is also a locked room for private personal training sessions for clients who don’t feel comfortable training around other people. We close our facility down every 90 minutes for 30 minutes to feel clean everything.

9. What advice would you give to people looking to hit gyms during the time of COVID?

There haven’t been any COVID-related incidents within gyms (yet) because it’s well ventilated, and cleaned and people wear their masks (in our location). Getting your workout in is important whether it’s in a gym, in your home, or outside.

Getting it in is more important than where it’s at. But if it’s in a gym, sanitize your workout space BEFORE and AFTER you use it to stay safe.

In case you want to exchange notes with NightPurr on cosplay, you can reach her on her alter ego Selena Kyle, or Reddit through her username NightPurr