It's A Joy To Bring You Jeanne Killjoy

It's A Joy To Bring You Jeanne Killjoy

by Cary

I’ve been modeling and performing since I was 3. I did a lot of child modeling in NYC until I was about 12 which is when I had a really bad accident. I was hit in the head with a baseball bat and had to stop modeling. When I was 16 I decided that I wanted to get back into modeling, but on my own terms, and by the time I was 17 I had fully jumped back into it headfirst.

How did you get interested in cosplay?

I think I started cosplaying around the age of 12 or so. I had a group of friends that liked anime and we often would write fanfics and do RP (role play) on AIM. I loved dressing up in costumes as a kid, so I started dressing up and making costumes of some of my favorite characters. I think the first costume I ever made by hand was Tira from Soul Calibur. I didn’t even know it was called cosplay at the time.

Who is your favorite character to dress as?

I’ve done a good number of characters, but I think by far Yuki from Vampire Knight was my favorite. I love doing couple/group cosplays because it gets more recognition and its easier to channel that character when you have the other characters to work around. I had the opportunity to cosplay Vampire Knight with my boyfriend as Zero. I think us getting into character so much was by far what made the cosplay one of my favorites. My other favorite was Mizore from Rosario+Vampire. I just loved getting into her character; also the transformation from brown hair/brown eyes/tan skin to purple hair/blue eyes/pale skin was a challenge I took on head strong and I felt I portrayed her well.

You also do some pin up modeling, how do the two genres compare?

To me, I think they’re similar because I get to take on a different persona. When I shoot cosplay modeling I try to take on that character and get that specific mentality, and when I think pin up, I think of classic 40’s and 50’s women. When I take on that mentality I feel more empowered and I feel like I can be confident in myself.

Do you find that these types of modeling cross over with the Fetish/BDSM scene?

Of course. Most people associate the fetish scene and fashion with alt modeling. I consider cosplay and pinup alt modeling too even though they have their own categories and not every cosplay or pinup model does fetish modeling too. So in short, I do think they can cross over, but it’s definitely not a requirement for being an alt model.

Do you think pinup and fetish are becoming part of the mainstream culture?

I do to an extent. I think the fashion is becoming part of the mainstream, but I really don’t think everyone look into the origins. There’s nothing wrong with just liking pinup and fetish for the fashion because quite frankly the fashion is amazing, but when they start doing it because celebrities do it, that’s when I get frustrated with society. For example, Rihanna and Christina Aguilera’s videos might be showing the public a side of the fetish culture, but I highly doubt people will start walking around with ball gags in their mouth as a daily accessory

Are there any other creative mediums you work in?

I love performing. Although I haven’t performed in years I used to dance. I’ve learned a variety of dance styles from hip-hop, jazz, tap, and more recently I took up Capoeira and pole dancing. Those two styles were by far the most strenuous on my body and gave me one hell of a workout. But I have technically worked in this area since I’ve done some go-go dancing for events and burlesque shows.

What kind of music do you like?

I’ll admit I can listen to just about any genre, but I will always be a punk at heart. Punk is by far my favorite genre, but I also like j-rock, industrial, rockabilly, pop, alt, classical. Basically anything that isn’t country or screamo.

What do you like to do for fun?

I love videogames. I can play videogames pretty much all day. It kills boredom, it takes my mind off things, it’s a huge interest of mine. I love dancing, I play guitar and piano, I’m pretty active and play tennis and basketball. I’m really into doing movie marathons with friends. I’m a nerd, and I read for fun. I write a bit here and there as well. I actually really like ghost hunting for fun, filming it, and making videos out of my adventures.

See more of Jeanne Killjoy:

http://www.facebook.com/jeannekilljoy

Photos by:

Hatter, Mike Napalm, The BigTog (cosplay Rosario+Vampire), -S+S, Studio 308