By Sophia Whittemore
AsAmNews Staff Writer
Cosplayer Mogchelle managed to snag a few moments from the hectic whirlwind of Wizard World Comic Con Chicago 2017 to sit down with me and discuss diversity in cosplaying. Based in Indianapolis, but hailing from Guam, Mogchelle made yet another home in the cosplaying Comic Con community. Supported by fellow cosplayers Lisa and Brit, Mogchelle discusses her entry into the competitive world of cosplay.
“Childhood. Around 1999, I was in my early twenties and at a comic shop at Animerica, an Anime Central Con. And there was cosplay. The beadwork, the metalworking, and the expert costume design. It was love at first sight.”
And cosplaying is truly an art. The amount of crafting for each cosplay costume is stunning. There’s wick styling, intricate beadwork, makeup design, mold making. There are the casual injuries of hot glue gun burns, getting sewing needles pushed through nails, and handling flamethrowers to weld certain metal pieces onto costumes.
Mogchelle lives more than just one life too. While she cosplays, she also has a job as a computer programmer and a family to take care of. But with a dedicated cosplaying fanbase consisting of thousands of followers, Mogchelle also acts as a guest judge for international cosplay competitions. Her costume design and mold work is so intricate that she has her work displayed in The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis and Eiteljorg Museum.
Mogchelle also produces panels focusing on Diversity in Cosplay with fellow cosplayer whose stage name is “Papa Bear Cosplay”.
Here Mogchelle emphasizes, “don’t let color or gender get in the way of cosplay. I once knew a little girl in Guam who was crying because she thought she had to bleach her skin to dress up as Raven. Raven is a fictional character. You don’t have to bleach your skin to dress up as her.”
And Mogchelle truly advocates that cosplay can turn you into anyone. Her next project will be, possibly, a three-person cosplaying team of a Pokémon Evie team, specifically she’ll be going for Flareon, a fire hound type hybrid.
Age, color, and gender doesn’t matter when it comes to cosplay. “I’ve seen eight-year-old girls who compete in international competitions and can perform metalwork like they’re professional crafters. Sure, you’ve got your internet trolls who hate on you for being a different gender or color, but don’t let trolls stop you from what you love.”
CHECK OUT MORE OF MOGCHELLE HERE:
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/mogchellecosplay/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/mogchelle
****
AsAmNews has Asian America in its heart. We’re an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. You can show your support by liking our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/asamnews, following us on Twitter, sharing our stories, interning or joining our staff.
