Cosplayer Interview

Cosplayer of the Week: Borah Brewington

Leo Nocedo : How did you discover cosplaying?
Borah Brewington :  I’ve been dressing up as different characters for Halloween ever since I was a kid. My favorite character when I was little was Bela Lugosi’s version of Count Dracula. My mom’s favorite character that I dressed as was Emmett Kelly the clown. He wasn’t my favorite because he was too cute. I did it mainly to make my mom happy. 2 was your first cosplay? Super man! I had Fruit of the Loom Superman underoos. I would wear a red bath towel around my neck as a cape. I pinned it together in the front with a safety pin. I would pretend like I was flying by jumping off my parent’s tall dresser onto their bed. One time when I landed on my belly, the safety pin came loose and stuck me in the face. At that point, I decided I’d make a better Lois Lane.
Leo Nocedo : What are your next 3 cosplay plans?
Borah Brewington :  1) Officiating a wedding 2) Officiating another wedding and 3) Yes, officiating another wedding. I am the goto witch in Salem for fun, witchie, Halloween weddings. I perform many ceremonies including wedding vow renewals and baby gender reveals throughout the whole year in Salem and I travel around the US as well.
Leo Nocedo : Have you ever been in a cosplay contest?
Borah Brewington :  I’ve been in Halloween costume contests, does that count?
Leo Nocedo : Do you prefer sewing, armor making, or wig working?
Borah Brewington :  I prefer eating kids after I boil them up in my cauldron, truth be known but if I have to stick to the rules here, I actually prefer making my costumes. A little hot glue, spit and duct tape goes a long way.
Leo Nocedo : Do you prefer to do photoshoots at cons or at specific locations?
Borah Brewington :  PHOTOS.. anywhere anytime! Photobombing is wicked fun too.
Leo Nocedo : Is there a type of character you cosplay frequently?
Borah Brewington :  Yes, the only one that I do now is a green faced witch named BORAH!.
Leo Nocedo : Do you have any favorite cosplayers?
Borah Brewington :  There is not any one particular that I favor over another. Everyone works so hard at what they do… They’re all my favorite, I could just eat them all up.
Leo Nocedo : What’s the most detailed cosplay you’ve ever done?
Borah Brewington :  BORAH! Brewington Snaggletooth XIII, the green witch that I only do nowadays.
Leo Nocedo : What are your top 3 craftsmanship tips?
Borah Brewington :  – Make sure it’s dead before you sew it onto your costume, they get pissed off when you stick them with a needle and they freakn’ bite hard! – Never use a hot glue gun in the dark. – Don’t eat cheetos when building your costume.
Leo Nocedo : What is your favorite cosplay you’ve done?
Borah Brewington :  HELLooooo, BORAH! Ocf course.
Leo Nocedo : What is your worst cosplay “horror” story?
Borah Brewington :  When we were young, my brother, his friends and I would always decorate our front yard for Halloween. We would scare the trick-or-treaters after they got their candy. One year I was Count Dracula and my brother was a werewolf. A girl and her friend were leaving our yard. My brother had a crush on one of the girls. He thought it would be cute if we chased her out of the yard. We did… down the street, down another street, around the corner and all the way to her house. We then turned and ran home. When we left, she had an asthmatic attack. Her dad called our dad and told him what happened. We both got our butts beaten.
Leo Nocedo : What’s your funniest cosplay story?
Borah Brewington :   There have been so many. One that sticks out is when Elvira came to Salem for photos and autographs with fans. I was dressed as BORAH! and had a pic with her. Her workers at the time, were standing infront of us and they were all gay guys. She and I were sitting on her couch and She was wearing her dress with the long slit in it of course as she always does. I told her “Let’s hold up one of our legs high and show off our shoes to the camera.” She was a good sport, we did and she was almost exposed and she said “Oh my, they are going to see my cooch.” I told her as BORAH! would, “GURL, those boys don’t care about looking at your damn cooter, hold that leg up high”, and she did. We took two pics, one with our legs up and one with our legs down. The pic with our legs down ended up on her FB page! 🙂
Leo Nocedo : What’s the best in-character interaction you’ve ever had?
Borah Brewington :  I was street performing in Salem and there was a crowd around me. A 3 year old girl with down syndrome and her mom came up to me. The little girl was fascinated by BORAH! she hugged me and I let her hold my wand. She waved it around and then she handed it back to me. She then started to speak to me in sign language. Her mother said that she was trying to teach me sign language. I asked her mom what she was signing and mom said, “Witch, I love you.” It was one of the best, most beautiful moments I’ve experienced.
Leo Nocedo : Have you ever cosplayed with a family member?
Borah Brewington :  My brother .
Leo Nocedo : What is your favorite cosplay photo of yourself?
Borah Brewington :  I would have to say the ones with Elvira.
Leo Nocedo : What are your go-to stores for cosplay materials/full cosplays?
Borah Brewington :  Savers near Salem, you can find interesting items to work with. It’s an inexpensive 2nd hand store.
Leo Nocedo : Do you prefer to buy pre-styled wigs or style your own?
Borah Brewington :  A wig in a bag. I tease the hell out of it.
Leo Nocedo : Have you ever had someone mistake you for a different character?
Borah Brewington :  YES! All the time, Witchiepoo from HR Puff N Stuff. I mean, she is my 13th cousin however.
Leo Nocedo : List all the cosplays you’ve done.
Borah Brewington :  – Emmett Kelly – Count Dracula – Superman – The Bride of Frankenstien – Captain Hook – Charlie Brown when he wore the sheet with all the holes in it, (the easiest makeup job ever.) – Elf on the Shelf – Santa Claus – Sweeny Todd – BORAH! (green witch)
Leo Nocedo : What’s the biggest con you’ve cosplayed at?
Borah Brewington :  I have only been to one con and that is SPOOKY EMPIRE! I LOVE Spooky and EVERYONE that goes there and works there, it is home.
Leo Nocedo : Do you prefer cosplaying characters with props, or characters that you don’t need to carry a prop around all day?
Borah Brewington :  Props PERIOD! Having no props is like having Halloween without pumpkins.
Leo Nocedo : Have you ever lost a cosplay piece at a con?
Borah Brewington :  No but my day will come.
Leo Nocedo : Have you ever bought a cosplay piece at a con?
Borah Brewington :  No but I’ve bought a bunch of other AWESOME stuff from SPOOKY EMPIRE!
Leo Nocedo : Do you prefer to cosplay solo or in a group?
Borah Brewington :  Both, solo is fun and walking around with a group of other players is a lot of fun too, its hard to choose which.
Leo Nocedo : If you had a chance to meet your all-time favorite cosplayer, what would you say to them?
Borah Brewington :  I would actually ask what is his, her or their most memorable and remarkable moment.
Leo Nocedo : Have you ever done a cosplay panel?
Borah Brewington :  No but I would love to!
Leo Nocedo : Do you prefer to buy or make cosplays?
Borah Brewington :  Both and I like to use road kill as well.
Leo Nocedo : If you could tell your past self anything about cosplay, what would you say?
Borah Brewington :  Thank God I am not a woman (no offence ladies) but it takes a lot to be a female, all that makeup, pantyhose, shaving- I would be the hairiest woman ever, I hate shaving. Not to mention the damn high heels. I have already had surgery on my left foot and I have right knee problems from wearing high heels. Hell, maybe I don’t know how to walk in them?
Leo Nocedo : What is your ultimate dream cosplay?
Borah Brewington :  I’ve found it, BORAH! I really love this character.
Leo Nocedo : What’s the most difficult cosplay you’ve ever done? (Craftsmanship, wearing of, ect)
Borah Brewington :  BORAH! Playing this character is physically challenging. As I mentioned, I have had foot surgery, I have right knee problems and it makes my regular voice scratchy sounding at times. It is also very hot under the layers of material and fur.
Leo Nocedo : What’s the most difficult character makeup you’ve done?
Borah Brewington :   BORAH! It takes 1.5 hours to get into makeup and costume.
Leo Nocedo : What, in your opinion, makes a cosplayer a “pro” cosplayer?
Borah Brewington :  Let’s all just dress up, have fun and support one another, everyone is a “pro” in their own way.
Leo Nocedo : What is your favorite part of cosplaying?
Borah Brewington :  Making people happy, seeing them smile… SCARING THEM… having the differently abled open up, have fun and embrace the character. Making people feel accepted for who they are.
Leo Nocedo : Make up your own question!
Borah Brewington :  My question is for you, Leo, What do you love about the cosplay world and what type of cosplay character(s) are you drawn to and why?
Leo Nocedo : I love all cosplay and the creative people who are involved in it and all the fun we have when we are together.                        Thank you so much for the opportunity to answer your questions and allowing me to be part of this week’s Florida Geek Scene. Stay spooky! -Salem’s Black Hat Society can be found on FB, Insta, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube -Salemsblackhatsociety.org -BORAHporium.etsy.com
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