There's no shortage of female cosplayers on the internet, but plus-size WOC cosplayers making their own costumes? That's an entirely different ballgame.
Cintia Castro, better known as Cin' Von Quinzel, isn't *just* an awesome cosplayer.
She's a self-made costume designer whose mission is to represent women of color and plus-size women.
In a world where cosplay options are so readily available for straight-sized women, Quinzel creates costumes that she never saw when she first became interested in cosplay.
In a recent video feature with Racked, the designer explained she started cosplaying about six years ago after attending Comic-Con.
When she couldn't find costumes in her size, she simply took matters into her own hands and started making them herself.
Quinzel focuses not just on plus-size women, but also on WOC — because she knows that comic book characters are usually white.
The Hispanic cosplayer dresses up as characters that are usually portrayed as white or Asian, and hopes other WOC feel inspired to do the same.
Luckily, the comic book world is changing because of people like Quinzel.
"I feel like they've listened," the designer explained. "And now they're coming out with characters in comics and anime and video games that look different. You have more women seeing these characters and going, 'Oh, well, she looks like me. I can cosplay her now."
Of course, getting an audience to understand her message is sometimes a struggle.
"It is a battle, and one that sometimes you feel like you'll never win," she explained.
If comic nerds need some convincing that she's just as badass as any other cosplayer, consider the fact that she's making her costumes all by hand, sometimes with just household items!
Quinzel creates her own original designs, but jokes that she's the "cheapest cosplayer" ever. For one of her favorite outfits, she used vacuum tubes to construct the skirt of the costume. Innovative or what?
Check out more from Cin' Von Quinzel below:
