How’s everyone doing? I had the pleasure of interviewing another phenomenal cosplayer that goes by the name of @stardust_megu. She is no stranger to the interview/podcast lifestyle and has done previous interviews on the Loveyourbod podcast. In this episode, we discuss her backstory along with some body positivity and the promotion of inclusion of all types of body shapes and colors. Like many interested in anime in the early 2000s, she was ridiculed and bullied for her passions and interest. We discuss this in depth throughout the episode so tune in for some great messages on body promotion.
Regrettably, all of the negative comments affected her self-esteem and she had to overcome these obstacles as her cosplay grew. Also during that time, there were not as many cosplayers so she could not confide in her peers. Her first cosplay was Haruhi Suzumiya from the series Melancholy. This series helped make the Hare Hare Yukai dance popular. She actually performed this dance at her first convention which received a lot of positive feedback and cheers. This is a great example of following your passion no matter what people say or think.
She has been interested in anime since 2005/2006 and has been in love with it ever since. This was in the early days of anime where we would watch anime in sections as opposed to the continuous streaming service offered nowadays. For much of the younger crowd, anime was not always so convenient and watching episodes of anything current was a real struggle.
She is based out of NYC and hits cons such as NYC Comicon, anime NYC, and wintercon. Most of her cons are in NYC with anime NYC being her favorite. This is because she feels the moderators really care about the attendees and listen to the complaints of visitors. People cosplaying as Nazis or black face were banned from the convention and this is largely due to the complaints. Some of her most popular cosplays include Yoko Littnerfrom Gurren Lagann, Tharja from Fire Emblem and Junko Enoshimafrom Dengen Ropa .
Most of her cosplays are no longer bought but are completely home made. This shows the progression from beginner to novice and advanced cosplaying. Her favorite material is spandex and she feels it is easier to sew than other cosplays. We also touched a bit on the POC community and discussed the pros and cons of it. For example, @stardust_megu says we are extremely encouraging of one another.
Unfortunately, cosplayers that are darker skinned and plus size do not get as much attention and she feels we should be sharing the underdogs cosplays along with the popular cosplayers. Outside of the POC area, she hopes to increase her crafting abilities along with her cosplay skills. She would also like to make plus size cosplayers and black guests more common and popular at cons.
We discussed several other avenues of the cosplay world and it’s definitely worth a listen. Anyone that’s looking for a pick me up and body positivity should definitely listen to this podcast. I would like to thank @stardust_megu for taking the time to speak with us. She discussed some great issues with regards to cosplay equality. If you liked this PODCAST feel free to leave a comment below. I look forward to hearing from you. Well, that’s it for this episode, until next time, stay BOUNDLESS!!!
