Hijabi Hooligan Cosplay On Cosplaying Cap
Many of us growing up have looked up to the Marvel Comics’ character Captain America as a hero we all wanted to be, and that applies especially to me. To that end, meet Dania, whose actions would make Steve Rogers proud. Dania goes by Hijabi Hooligan Cosplay and right now she is using the fame she required from her cosplay interpretation of Captain America to raise money for refugees in Syria.
Originally from Iraq but raised in England, she is currently a university student, working on attaining a Masters degree in Pharmacy. She has many hobbies besides cosplaying, including karate, basketball and badminton. Dania was kind enough to give me a few moments to talk to her about her sudden internet fame for her cosplay and her charity.
Nerd Caliber: How do you feel about the positive reception you received for your Captain America cosplay?
Hijabi Hooligan Cosplay: The positive reception I’ve received has been absolute overwhelming. The amount of comments/messages that have reduced me to tears (of joy!) is incredible. People have been very kind and I appreciate each and every one of them!
NC: Why did you choose Captain America as your cosplay?
HHC: I honestly did not have any specific political statement in mind when I chose to cosplay Cap. Yes, I was vaguely aware of the message my cosplay would send to the world, but I wasn’t preparing for the exposure I received so I didn’t really think about it. I just wanted to cosplay a character that I loved, and I happened to find a design on Tumblr by a lady called Nour Saleh who had taken the Avengers characters and “hijabified” them. I fell in love with her designs and asked to cosplay one, and luckily she was on board! I’ve since adapted the cosplay to my own style.
NC: Was the costume challenging to make? What would you say was the hardest part about making the cosplay?
HHC: I’d say Cap was at intermediate difficulty. There were elements that took time and effort to make, but there were parts that were simple enough (for me, at least!). The most challenging parts were the shield and the chest star, as they both required me to think outside the box to adapt what limited materials I had on hand to create them.
NC: How did you first become exposed to cosplay?
HHC: I’d always loved the idea of cosplay and had followed many international cosplayers since a young age. I had no idea cosplay happened in the UK! During college, I met two friends who introduced me to cosplay and took me to my first convention, and I’ve continued with it since.
NC: Tell us about your GoFundMe project? Where did the idea for this come from?
HHC: I set up a GoFundMe campaign a few days ago to help raise money for families (and children in particular) living in Syria. Most of us are well aware of the atrocities being committed there, and I felt compelled to use my new-found exposure to try and raise money for them if possible. I had many people offering to send me money to buy myself a better shield for my Cap cosplay, so I figured “why not put the money to better use?” and started up the campaign.
NC: What is the next cosplay you are working on?
HHC: I’m currently working on two new projects: female Gambit (X-Men) and Wonder Woman! I hope to finish both of these within the next few months, though they might take longer as they require me to make armour pieces which is new territory for me!
NC: What do you think Captain America would say about the world we live in today?
HHC: I think he would react much the same way he did in the films. I think he’d be surprised, excited and most of all proud that the world has come so far since the war, however, I think he’d also be upset and maybe even ashamed that discrimination still exists, and that it is still prevalent in today’s society. I think he’d continue to fight this and to fight for everyone’s freedom of expression and for everyone’s rights.
