Feature Friday: Powerhouse Cosplay
Today I’m featuring an awesome chica. I met her at my first SC Comicon, and she is local which means I see her at almost every con I go to. As one of the younger cosplayers that I have had the pleasure of meeting I can also say it’s been inspiring to see how much she has grown in the past two and a half years. Keep reading to learn more about Powerhouse Cosplay.
What is your cosplay name? Powerhouse Cosplay
How did you come about your cosplay name? It was actually a name for an OC superhero I had that fit really well with what I can do.
What is your real world name? Gabrielle Reenstra
What do you do when you aren’t cosplaying? I read and draw as well as work on school work. I don’t do much.
How old are you? 18
How long have you been cosplaying? Five years
What made you want to start cosplaying? I saw one of my favorite youtubers at the time doing it and it made me really excited, so I jumped into it.
You started cosplaying quite young. How has this impacted you as you grow up? It really helped with my confidence, and being social because I can be anyone I want to be and I’m good at what I do. Falling in love with cosplay is like falling in love with yourself again
What is your dream cosplay? Stephanie Brown Batgirl. She’s my favorite character, and I love her Batgirl suit, plus purple is my favorite color!
You are in college right now. How do you balance college-cosplay-personal life? I usually reward myself for doing my work by working on cosplay, and doing things that I love. My social life is kind of non-existant at the moment but when I do things it’s usually on the weekends when I have a lot more free time.
Do you have a new community of cosplay friends at college? Not yet, though I have met some people, the hope is that it will grow.
Tell us about your cosplay YouTube group that you are a part of. Unison Raid Cosplay is a Fairy Tail cosplay group that my friend Jen started. We currently do panels and videos as Fairy Tail characters, I’m their Mirajane Strauss, and are starting to integrate RWBY into those videos and such. We have a lot of fun and such a big group of friends makes it so the group is pretty well connected.
What are you studying? I’m undecided but hopefully will be going into a Drama major.
What is your favorite cosplay you have done so far? Why? Terra Markov fromm Teen Titans, because she’s one of my favorites, and I have so much fun playing as her and bouncing around at cons, plus she’s comfy!
What is your favorite convention? Why? Heroes Con. It was my first and even as it grew each year it still felt like home, and every year I make new friends and get to see old ones.
Who is your favorite cosplayer? Contagious Costuming. She’s taught me a lot of skills over the years that I’ve knownm her and i just love being around her so much that she’s my cosplay senpai.
What’s the hardest thing about cosplay for you? Making props. Anything with fabric I can make, but if you hand me some Worbla I’ve got no idea what I’m doing!
What is the best advice you have for other cosplayers? I know when you look at yourself in those pictures you see every flaw, and you don’t think you look accurate. I promise you do. The reason you hate those pictures is because instead of seeing the character you see yourself, but everyone else? They see that character, and they love it.
Anything else you want to add? Don’t be scared to be different, and don’t be scared to do a costume everyone else has done. You can make it your own, and who cares? You’re awesome.
I love watching Gabi grow, and can’t wait to see her next few costumes. Make sure to check out her social media links and the amazing photographers below. Leave a comment below with some love for Gabi. Don’t forget to subscribe via email or Bloglovin’ to never miss a post!
Powerhouse Cosplay’s Social Media:
Facebook: Powerhouse Cosplay
Instagram: @powerhousecosplay
Twitter: @nightshade4898