The world of cosplay has grown by leaps and bounds in popularity. Everywhere you go these days, you’ll see countless fans dressed up as their favorite characters; anything from a homemade Wolverine costume with cardboard claws to a thousand dollar Darth Vader suit.
One of the most impressive cosplayers that I have seen in quite some time is a young lady by the name of Jenn. I think it should be painfully obvious who she dresses up as, but just in case you missed your morning coffee or something, Jenn is a fantastic Lara Croft cosplayer.. One of the most convincing Lara Croft cosplayers I have ever seen, Jenn not only looks the part, but takes things one step further by holding photoshoots in some truly staggering locations.
In short; she looks like Lara Croft, dresses like Lara Croft, and finds herself in situations and locations like Lara Croft. Can we all just agree that she IS Lara Croft?
Gaming Examiner recently got a chance to sit down with the lovely Jenn to ask a few questions:
Gaming Examiner: Lara Croft has been a huge part of pop culture for quite some time now. What brought on your interest in the character; was it through playing the Tomb Raider games, or did you become interested in the character herself via other entertainment mediums?
Jenn Croft: I first introduced myself to Lara when I rented The Last Revelation for the PS1. I picked it because it had an Egyptian pyramid on the cover (and I love Egyptian history) as well as a strong female protagonist who reminded me a lot of Indiana Jones, the movies I absolutely loved watching as a kid. After playing the game, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t found it sooner. It sucked me in and before long I was playing its predecessors and eagerly awaiting the release of Chronicles.
GE: Why did you decide to start cosplaying as Lara? Was it just for fun, or did you intend to turn it into something bigger?
JC: Lara cosplay started out as a Halloween costume. When researching the costume online, I learned that not only did Eidos have official spokesmodels they dressed up as Lara, but there were also Lara “look-a-like” contests held online where girls would submit their most adventurous photos in Lara costume and compete sometimes for prizes, sometimes for cool certificates. After entering and winning my first contest, I was hooked on cosplay, and later on went to appear at various gaming/comic conventions dressed as the character.
GE: Many people feel the new look of Lara Croft is a step towards a more realistic heroine in video games. Do you feel that is the case, or do you think it’s just the same stereotype on the other side of the spectrum?
JC: The look of Lara Croft has always been ever changing and evolving. With new better technology comes a newer and different looking Lara. I have never been disappointed with the new looks but rather embraced them. I feel that the new look of Lara is the most realistic one yet and will pave the way for other videogame female models.
GE: Video game fans and critics can be some of the hardest to please, what are the most challenging parts when representing an iconic character such as Lara Croft?
JC: The most challenging part about representing Lara Croft is to convey the spirit of Lara in such a way that although Lara is a fictitious character, people could actually picture you in the tombs doing the raiding. Having a great costume is a huge part of it, something that looks screen accurate yet completely functional, as well as having the physical Croft physique (which to me is the hardest part of all). It is not about perfecting one aspect, be it the costume or the poses or even the accent, it’s about how the whole package comes together. A girl wearing Lara’s clothes appears to be just that: a girl wearing Lara’s clothes. But to the ones who succeed, she becomes Lara…(Cont. page 2)
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