Kiss a Frog Cosplay: An Enchanting and Inspiring Cosplayer

I have a soft spot for beautiful humans in princess cosplays. (Who doesn’t?) I knew the moment I saw Kiss A Frog’s cosplay on her Facebook, I absolutely had to interview her. Her gorgeous Princess Tiana cosplay from the Disney animated film, The Princess and the Frog, absolutely struck me. I love that she takes representation so seriously, because it is a concept that I wish the media was able to grasp. She is warm and absolutely gorgeous, so please check out what she has to share! Age: 24 Favorite Book(s): I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Lolita, The Color Purple, Me Talk Pretty One Day, What I Thought I Knew. Favorite Song Lyric: “I’m an Orange Moon, I’m brighter than before, Brighter than ever before…”- Erykah Badu   Black Nerd Problems: Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Kiss A Frog Cosplay: My name is Alicia Renae, and I am a full time student studying Culinary Arts and Education. I work full time as a Cake Artist at a local Bakery, I’m a ranked TitanFall Player, A CausePlayer and I am a Twitch Broadcaster. In my free time, I enjoy baking, video gaming, wearing Lolita Fashion (my nickname is Lolita-Senpai), spending time with friends, and traveling. BNP: If you could have two characters from any anime meet, who would they be and what would you have them do? KAFC: Okay, hands down, Anemone from Eureka Seven and Asuka from Evangelion. I’d love to see them suit up and duke it out. My money is on Anemone. BNP: What random acts of kindness and beauty have you seen or done in the cosplay community? KAFC: At Lexington Comic and Toy Convention, I was with a friend of mine at our Princess Tiana photoshoot, and we came across a little bi-racial girl, she looked to be about 4 or 5  years old, and she was with her fathers. She ran up to me and gave me a huge hug and began to get so excited that she was meeting Princess Tiana. She looked at me, and then she looked back at her Dads and said “Daddy! Look! A Princess that looks like me!” I smiled at her said “Yes I do! We’re both brown and beautiful!” I almost teared up after she left, she really melted my heart, and I’m so glad that I could cosplay a Princess who means so much to little African-American girls all over the world. It really drove the message that Representation Matters home to me because little brown girls like me need to see a Princess or a fantasy figure that looks like them. BNP: What are some negative interactions you have personally had in the cosplay/convention community and how did you overcome them? KAFC: I honestly haven’t had any negative experiences while in cosplay, but I have run into some really snobby lolitas while in my own lolita, and I try to ignore the ruffled riff-raff, as I like to call them. BNP: What are some of your favorite cosplays? KAFC: My all time favorite cosplay is my Princess Tiana. I put a lot of work into her, and I feel so beautiful when I wear it. The Princess and The Frog is my favorite movie,and I related SO MUCH to Tiana. She’s plucky, outgoing, driven, and goal-oriented. She is actually me in a nutshell. Do you create your own? I have some help from more experienced cosplayers and some of my friends. I am a novice seamstress, so I’ve learned a lot from watching other people, YouTube, and friends. BNP: What is it like to make them? KAFC: It’s incredible stressful to create your own cosplays when you are a beginner seamstress, so I take my time, and learn as much as a can as I go along. BNP:  Gotcha. Lastly, what are your goals for the future? KAFC:  I want to be inspirational and successful. I’d love to have my own bakery one day, be a lawyer on the Planned Parenthood Legal team, or a culinary instructor. I’m honestly not sure what I want to do when I grow up, but whatever I do, I want to be damn good at it.

Photo Credit: Madster Cosplay and Photography Tiffany D. Bailey Photography Be sure to check out her Facebook Page! Are you following Black Nerd Problems on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr or Google+?