Otakus and Geeks is pleased to present to you our new popular feature, Cosplayer Spotlight. It is dedicated to showcase talented individuals from the cosplay community. Catch some new talent or get a look at some well-established members from the world of cosplay.

My name is RxBarbie and I am from New York. I'm a Pokemon Master by daylight and can be found fighting evil by moonlight. And every so often, my bad girl side morphs into my alter ego Harley Quinn. One third of the Cosplay Group Bitches of Cosplay.

How did you get into cosplaying and how long you been doing it?
I can't pinpoint exactly when but Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. I got more into it in my 3rd year of college.

What is cosplay to you?
Cosplay to me is being able to transform into your favorite character and allow yourself to take on an alter ego. I love going to conventions and seeing all the other costumes. I remember seeing an interview where they asked all the cosplayers their real life professions and it was really cool to see that nerds come in all shapes, sizes, professions, colors, etc. They're not just the geeks in coke bottled glasses and suspenders, lol.

Do you have someone who inspires you to cosplay? If so who?
Oh man, the beautiful Jessica Nigri. In college, I wanted to be Pikachu because I wanted a more original costume that not a lot of people have done before and was more representative of the things I like, not the regular "sexy firefighter" and "sexy police officer" cause none of those costumes interested me for Halloween. Back then, there weren't a lot of those types of costumes to go on and it was all DIY since these costumes weren't popular. It was hard trying to put together Pikachu and she actually had the first Pikachu costume that inspired me to make my own costumes with my own cute and girly twist.

Do your family and friends know you cosplay?
Yes, my siblings are all nerds too so they go to cons too and sometimes dress up as well. My mom helps me with my costumes when she can. And two of my best friends cosplay with me. My dad probably thinks I'm a weirdo though.

Are you doing cosplay as a hobby or professionally?
Just a hobby right now. It's what I do to keep my sanity from my work life.

Do you only do local or other conventions, as well?
Just local for right now since I only recently started getting into this.

How many conventions do you go in a year?
Just NYCC in the past two years but starting to get into more now.

If you can, cosplay anywhere is the world? Where would it be?
Not really sure. I'm not an expert on the cosplay scene so I don't know what the best cons are just yet. I just happened to live close enough to go to NYCC. For now, I guess I would have to say SDCC.

When cosplaying what do you feel is most important? (e.g. detail , character portrayal, etc.)
The most important thing to me is to have fun with it and be happy with your costume on your own terms. Don't worry about if it will please the crowd. Make sure you yourself are 100% in love with it and the rest will follow. I don't go for accuracy in my cosplays, I make it more catered to my personality and make sure that although I am cosplaying a character, it has a part of me in it as well.

What is your pet peeve when it comes to cosplay?
Cosplay nazis. I hate when people try to tell other people how to cosplay. There are no rules to this.

Do you prefer to buy or make your cosplays/props?
I prefer to buy because I'll be honest, I have no talent or time when it comes to crafting. And that's probably something the cosplay nazis will shame me for and cast me down as a fake cosplayer, lol. I would make them if I had more time and if I had any talent. But I have neither, lol.

When deciding on how you want your cosplay to look, what goes through your mind? (e.g. does the fabric/material have to look like the picture)
I want it to have my personality in it. I want it to look like something I would wear myself if I were that character or if that character were me, lol. I'm more for comfort than accuracy so I tend to choose fabrics that are easy to wear and comfortable. I look for the best of both worlds. Comfortable but cutesy and sexy.

What type of characters do you enjoy cosplaying?
I prefer cute but sexy characters. I like characters that appeal to a wider audience so it's easier for people to recognize and enjoy. My favorite so far is probably my most recent Harley Quinn.

What is your favorite part of putting on your cosplay?
Seeing the entire finished product put together. The makeup, the accessories, the props and everything. It's exciting to see all your work put together.

How do you choose the characters you cosplay as?
I choose characters that I like and am a big fan of, that either fit my personality and that I relate to, or it may be an alter ego character for me. The alter ego is my favorite.

Are there any cosplays that you wish you could pull off?
I wish I could pull off Jessica Rabbit. Her body is unreal but it's so beautiful and statuesque.

Do you have any cosplays that you will never do and why?
I simply will never do a character that I am not passionate about. I prefer to do characters that I'm familiar with and like, not characters that people suggest to me and that's the first time I'm hearing of them.

Do you believe that a person has to have certain qualities to pull off a cosplay? (e.g. facial structure, etc.)
All that is required is confidence, passion and commitment to the character. And money. That always helps.

What are some of your dream cosplays?
Jessica Rabbit, Queen Neo Serenity, original Harley Quinn catsuit if my body could ever pull off these perfect body shapes, lol.

Outside of cosplaying, what else do you do?
Food. Shopping. Sleep. Flowers. Netflix. Shoes. The End.

How do you fund your cosplay?
My day job. Drug dealing. Well, legal drug dealing. I'm a pharmacist.

Where do you go most often for photoshoots? Do you do photoshoots?
Either Long Island or NYC. And yes, I modeled before I started cosplaying so that helps.

Do you prefer your images photoshopped or unshopped?
I like them photoshopped usually.

You can follow and view more of her work here
Bitches of Cosplay Fan Page
CosBae's x Bitches of Cosplay Fan Page
Instagram
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