In 2018 Atlanta is playing host to some great sci-fi and comic book fan conventions such as MomoCon, Comic-Con and, of course, Dragon Con. One of the great sights to see are the people engaging in what is known as cosplay. Cosplay is short for costume play, where participants dress as their favorite character from pop culture. Some cosplayers spend hours of their time and big bucks to make the perfect costume to wow the crowd. In the early days of cosplay, most participants were White and what some would have called nerds in poorly made but sincere costumes. All that has changed as people of color have started to express their creativity and are slaying the cosplay game.
What is your name?
My name is Sherita but I go by Ree.
What city do you call home?
Atlanta, specifically Kennesaw.
When not in costume what do you do for a living?
Accounting
How would people describe you normally if not in costume?
At work: Detailed, intelligent, OCD and a tad bossy. Away from work: Funny, intelligent, and a tad bossy.
What has been the most memorable reaction you have received when you revealed an outfit?
Stan Lee made it to one of the smaller shoots at Dragon Con and saw me and said: “Wow, it’s Red She-Hulk!” That was really freaking cool for him to acknowledge me, so exciting!
What was your first cosplay?
Rogue from X-Men and Chun-Li from Street Fighter.
Do you feel that there has been somewhat of a racist backlash toward cosplayers of color, especially when we slay in the outfit? Why or why not?
I have heard of racist backlash from other cosplayers of color for sure! I’ve only had one incident and that was when I was wearing Rogue at Mega Con, a convention in Florida when some guy yelled at me “you know Rogue isn’t Black”! I said thank you for the heads up but my Caucasian friend who was walking with me at the time was more upset about it than I was. I know that there are some who have gotten worse than that and who knows, one of my cosplay pics might be on some site getting ripped to shreds. I can’t worry about that, though. Those types of people are hateful and angry for whatever reason and they just want to suck the fun out of this hobby. Racism exists everywhere. Why wouldn’t I expect there to be racists in cosplay? It’s how we handle it, that’s the most important.
If you could any three superpowers what would they be?
Time manipulation, regeneration and super strength.
Are you Marvel or DC fan? Why?
Both, although I think I tend to gravitate toward more DC characters as of late, as far as cosplaying. Catwoman [DC]) is one of my favorite costumes to wear and Red She-Hulk [Marvel] is second place. I think I’ve read more DC comics than Marvel. However, in the movie universe, Marvel is killing it!
What is the next big hero movie you’re looking forward to viewing?
I’m looking forward to being entertained by Deadpool 2!
What advice would you give first-time cosplayers?
There isn’t a right or wrong way to cosplay. If a character appeals to you, do it! Whether you create it yourself or you commission someone else to do it, it doesn’t matter. This isn’t a competition. Cosplay your way! And as I’ve always said, cosplay is a hobby and it’s meant to be fun. The only person you should be competing with is you.
What would you like to say in closing to our readers?
Thank you all for taking the time to read about lil ole me. Please feel free to connect with me on social media. I’d love to hear from you! Oh, and I do reply back.
How can people follow you on social media?
IG/Facebook/Twitter/Tumblr Super Fit With Ree Cosplay
