Amber Love
A Wapsi Girl has the right to reinvent herself as she sees fit. All of us go through stages of development whether it’s physical, emotional, spiritual or otherwise. Every day we have experiences that have lead us to where we are. I’ve had plenty of unpleasant experiences and phases of my life but all of them have contributed to building the person that I am which I find is generally a good thing. I have just about every kind of job you can imagine yet I consider myself to have few talents. I spent a few years in retail a comic shop working part time while mainly spending my days as a “domestic goddess” keeping house; I loved it and I’m not ashamed of it. A lot of the women in that area of NJ did the same thing so it wasn’t that unusual but when I would talk to other people in different parts of the country they would be quite condescending. Now that I’m living in Pittsburgh, I’m in blue collar town where I’m a fish out of water.
I wish I could enlighten the Wapsi readers to reveal that I’m some sort of fascinating character but the truth is, I’m just an average woman. I’m in my late 30s; I live with my cat; I read comic books; I write reviews and conduct interviews for several websites; I’m vegetarian; and I make costumes mostly for myself to wear to comic conventions or shop appearances. For the past three years, I’ve had the pleasure of being New Jersey’s Wonder Woman for the annual Wonder Woman Day fundraiser benefiting SAFE in Hunterdon, a local organization which provides a rescue shelter for victims of domestic violence among other important services. Each year this event has been my pride and joy. I also host my own vlog cast on YouTube where I usually review comics, show highlights of conventions and interviews with interesting people in the entertainment industry.
Throughout my life, I’ve had my own weight and health issues and I’ve come to talk openly about them. I’ve met many women and a few men with eating disorders. I find there’s no easy solution to any of these conditions and it’s more common than most people think. People are surprised when I defend the generally accepted “perfect” images which appear in comics or even Barbie. I shouldn’t be sorry that Barbie was one of my favorite toys. I revered her and took excellent care of all my dolls. I recently appeared on Comic Geek Speak’s spinoff, World of Toys to talk about Barbie’s 50th birthday and what she meant to me. I didn’t get any kind of complex just because of a doll. We are bombarded with images constantly telling us to be thinner, stronger, paler, or whatever from the media — much more than in our toys.
I’m also happy to defend comics when there are artists who take risks showing women in various sizes and types like Georges Jeanty (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and my friend Chad Cicconi (Mercury and the Murd); they’re men who aren’t afraid to draw women with hips and boobs in lovely curves that are real proportions! I’ve known women whose real measurements are like Barbie and comic characters yet nazi-feminists will try to argue with me that it’s impossible anatomy. I was a massage therapist. I’ve seen a lot of naked bodies and I can tell you, yes, there are natural women with curves. A Wapsi Girl believes this and doesn’t back down.
I love what I’m doing as journalist and blogger for the comic book industry (I only wish it was enough to pay the bills). My dream is to make my role bigger with a larger audience. My YouTube subscriber rate is growing and with more exposure on other podcasts like CGS, the N3rdcast, Hour42 and the upcoming PKD Black Box, I’m getting closer to my goal. (G4TV, are you reading this?) Meanwhile, I’ll continue doing what I’m doing and hoping every day that I make people happy with my coverage of the industry.
My main blog which has all my other links is herofashions.blogspot.com. From there you can find my Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc. You can read my reviews the Girls’ Entertainment Network online and Dynamic Forces.
Oh, I almost forgot but I’m sure your readers are wondering… my favorite traditional comics are Tiny Titans, the Blackest Night event at DC, The Lone Ranger, and Zorro.
Amber Love
Website: http://herofashions.blogspot.com
Amber,
Too true about being a fish out of water. Sometimes the fish need to just keep on trying. Keep up making your own custumes. They appear very tasteful, for a comic book heroine.
Sincerely
Robert
Most. Adorable. Wonder Woman. EVER. It’s kind of weird to look at you now and hear (read?) you talk about weight issues – where did that self-control come from? Keep doing your reviews, they’re superb – love your videos!