In a chat with Playboy Club creator Jasmine Teaa, we talk about how she fell in love with cosplay, what costume she dreams of doing next, and why her Chun-Li cosplay is so amazing.
Playboy: How did you get into cosplay?
Jasmine: Well, I have been super into anime for as long as I can remember. I would always like look at these anime characters as my role models, because I just love the designs, and their personalities are super cool. And I thought, hmm, I would like to be that one day. And then I grow up, and then I find out about cosplay. And I was like, wow, I can basically, like, look like them. So then I went on to Amazon, looking up cosplays, and then I put on my first cosplay. Wow. It was crazy, because I actually felt like a different person. I felt like I was like the character, even though, in reality, it was just a costume.
Playboy: What was the first cosplay you ever did?
Jasmine: It was Sailor Moon. Yeah, a classic. And then I had a bunch of my friends, we dressed up as Sailor Moon together for Halloween one day. And it was really cute, because we would just like do the poses together in the photos. And it was so fun.
Jasmine as Starfire from Teen Titans. EXT Photography
Playboy: What was your experience as the character like?
Jasmine: Oh my gosh. Well, when I first put on the Sailor Moon cosplay, I felt so cute. I was like, Oh my gosh. I felt like I just walked out of an anime episode. And it was so fun. I was taking photos of myself. And then, I was with my friends too. So it was super awesome that my first experience was with my really close friends, and then as I got into more cosplays. It really depends on the character.
Like, one of my most popular cosplays is Chun Li, yeah, she is also an icon. And whenever I put on her cosplay, I just feel so strong. It feels like I could crush anyone’s head with my thighs. And it really varies on the character, and whose costume I put on. But I just feel empowered when I put on these cosplays.
Jasmine as Nico Robin from One Piece. DapperGeekPics.
Playboy: Where did you wear it and what kind of responses did you get?
Jasmine: I remember, the first time I cosplayed as Chun Li, I got a lot of people wanting to take a photo with me. They’re saying, oh my gosh, Chun Li has been my video game crush since forever, and I can’t believe you’re wearing her, and she just became my iconic look. So when I started going out to more anime conventions in my Chun Li cosplay people would notice me, and they’re like, “Oh, hey, you are the Chun Li cosplayer!” I know there’s so many of them, but it’s cool to be known as one of the Chun Li cosplayers.
Playboy: What are your dream cosplays?
Jasmine: There’s this one anime that’s like called Delicious in Dungeon on Netflix. It’s really cute and funny. There’s this one dwarf guy character who gets all the fan service scenes, like the panty flashes. I really want to cosplay him.
Jasmine as Chun-Li from Street Fighter. EXT Photography.
Playboy: What cosplayers do you admire?
Jasmine: Oh, man, I gotta go with the OG girl. Yaya Han has these amazing cosplays. And she makes it all herself. I actually met her at Anime Expo one year and I was just talking to her really briefly, and she said she just decided to randomly make her cosplays one day. And I thought, wow, that is so cool that this sprung from a hobby, and now she does it full time.
Jasmine is on The Playboy Club. Talk to her now.
