The PoP! Fangirl of the Month – February 2012
The PoP! Stars scour all of teh internetz in search of the most Fabulous Females of Fandom. Please keep it in your pants.
This month’s blonde British Bombshell is a star of the convention scene and adult film. With a penchant for classic Krofft and sexy costumes, we present to the one and only Ms Tanya Tate.
Name: Tanya Tate
Online Handle: Tanya Tate
Birthday: 03/31/79
Location: Los Angeles
Favorite Movies: Mary Poppins, Harry Potter series, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Jungle Book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Favorite TV Shows: Game of Thrones, Little Britain, Incredible Hulk
Favorite Music: I love to work out to dance music and “Scouse House”, I like pop artists Take That, Kylie Minogue, and classic rock like Queen, Fleetwood Mac, The Police.
Favorite Comics: Mostly, I’m a DC girl. But I do like other books like Chew.
Favorite Video Games: Angry Birds, Pac-Man, Donkey Kong
Favorite Books: Martina Cole books, James Patterson books. I’m reading the A Song of Ice and Fire Series from George R. R. Martin
Turn-Ons: Having my feet played with.
Turn-Offs: Bad Hygiene, ignorance, rude people
PoP!: What is it about you that makes you a Fangirl?
Tanya: I am a fan girl because, the things I like, I love with a passion. I like Superheroes, Disney, Hammer Horror, Krofft, things like that. Among what I collect are the Pop Vinyl figures from Funko, the Mego style Retro Action figures, Disney blu-rays.
PoP!: What was it that initially turned you down the path of geekness?
Tanya: I don’t if there was a point where I turned, as much as I was reawakened to it. I exposed geeky things when I was very little, to cool movies like Superman II and television shows like The Incredible Hulk and Dr. Who. So I have always been very aware of geeky things, but wasn’t really considering them geeky. They were just things I liked. When I moved to America, Los Angeles, I started to get back into it because there were so many more opportunities to do so.
PoP!: I’m a sucker for a good convention story. You’ve got a somewhat unique situation in as much as you attend comic conventions as a fan (in awesome costumes, no less) and adult entertainment conventions as a professional. If anyone has a weird con story, it has to be you. What’s the most oddball thing you’ve seen or heard at a convention over the years?
Tanya: LOL. The most oddball thing? At an adult convention I had a guy offer to massage my feet. After standing around signing all day in heels…I let him. So I carried on signing autographs while this fellow gave me a foot massage. I really love having my feet played with so to me it was more relaxing, to onlookers it probably looked more oddball. You know I have not seen very much oddball activities, but then maybe I’m jaded.
PoP!: Speaking of conventions, you’ve got some pretty fantastic costumes. Do you make them yourself? Which is your favorite?
Tanya: Funny you should bring this up because it was a major point of contention recently. I was in the running to win a “Cosplay babe of the Year” title on another site. The girl I was up against had some very vocal supporters. It became their point of argument that I was not a “true” cosplayer because I don’t make my costumes. It was mad. I mean, at the end of the day I was in a superhero costume, wasn’t I? It’s very odd to encounter cosplay snobbery and elitism. Didn’t know it existed, because up until that point everyone I had met was very cool to me.
So to answer the question, no. I do not make my own costumes. I can do simple alterations, but to make a full costume it would take me forever. Do I design some of them and have them made for me? Yes. Do I buy some of them? Yes. Does it matter? Well, I believe the term is “cosplayer” meaning “costume player” not “costume maker.”
PoP!: Superhero porn parodies are all the rage these days. You were in The Incredible Hulk XXX, but it was a civilian role, so to speak. Are you on the lookout for a costumed role? I mean, you not playing Emma Frost is like Patrick Stewart not playing Charles Xavier. Hell, you’ve even got your own costume!
Tanya: If an opportunity arises I’ll put myself forward for a project. I’m in a unique position in that, as an adult actress, I am self-represented. Usually when someone is casting a movie they will just go to an agency site and pick some talent. Because I’m not listed on any of those sites, it can be harder for me to be chosen. Regardless of my “geek cred.” While it may be a no-brainer to choose the woman who has been on a myriad of comic book/geek related websites to star as the character and build upon the established exposure, some people may not take any notice.
It’s good and bad. On one side I would love to play Emma Frost in a widely seen porn parody. That would have been awesome. But on the other hand, because I have not taken part in any of those movies, it has left the door wide open for me to do it exclusively for my own members website… which I now have. So the only place to see me do NSFW things in a superhero costume will be there, where I completely own the content.
PoP!: Switching gears a bit, you did some video reviews when DC’s New 52 launched. What do you think of the launch as a whole now that we’re a few months in? Do you have a favorite title from the relaunch?
Tanya: Catwoman has been a highlight. The art is stunning. It’s sexy, it’s fun and I look forward to it.
Overall, from the books I have read, I think the relaunch was a bit clunky as far as stories. Like Justice League and Batgirl, there were some elements I liked and there were some parts I didn’t. It was not a definitive win in that aspect. But it did get non-comic people talking about DC again. I just wish it felt more like a new beginning within the books. I started to read the first Green Lantern and had no idea what was going on. Clearly not a jumping on point.
PoP!: What is the most Fangirl-ish thing you’ve ever done?
Tanya: I think taking that first step by putting on an Emma Frost costume in public. You really have to be a fan girl to do that one… Maybe spending a few hundred dollars on a vintage Witchiepoo doll from the H.R. Pufnstuf movie.
PoP!: What has been your biggest geek-out moment?
Tanya: I have had a lot of cool moments for sure. Like meeting Sid and Marty Krofft, seeing Lynda Carter sing but I think that first time I stepped out in public as Emma Frost was my biggest geek out moment. When I realized I had the confidence to do it. It was tough at first.
PoP!: What do you think about the current Geek Girl Renaissance we find ourselves in?
Tanya: I’m totally clueless about there being a “Geek Girl Renaissance,” I just don’t notice those things. But I got into an argument with someone recently who was adamant that girls could not be “true geeks” because while guys have lived in geekdom their entire lives, it was a “trend” right now for girls to be geeks.
I don’t know if that’s true, I like what I like and have liked those things virtually my entire life. At the end of the day, if you like something, be it guy or girl, don’t let anyone stop you. But if you are doing it to be trendy, hardcore geeks will sniff you out right away because there is that stigma. People have tried to question my “geekness” before to their folly. I’m completely honest about my likes. If you ask me about Star Wars, Star Trek or the new Dr. Who, I have no idea what you are talking about. But if you ask me about She-Ra, Hulk, Green Lantern or Disney I can talk about those things.
PoP!: Do you have any weird or nerdy talents?
Tanya: I can knit. I use to knit Barbie doll clothes and sell them to the other kids at school. Maybe I’ll knit my next costume. LOL
PoP!: You’re trapped on a desert island. You can only rescue one comic, movie, book and album from the plane as it goes down. What do you reach for?
Tanya: Bloody hell. Album: Queen’s Greatest Hits. Movie: Mary Poppins. Comic: Watchmen Trade. Book: Silence of the Lambs
PoP!: Do you have any upcoming appearances you’d like to plug?
Tanya: I think I’ll be at Wondercon coming up. I’ve already started designing my San Diego Comic Con costume. It’s still a secret but it will be fun. The one thing I’ll say it’s a recognizable but obscure version of a popular DC character. Kind of like how I did Electrawoman last year. And I think I’ll finally do Ms. Marvel for SDCC as well.
Other than that, I have a lot of adult convention appearances but I don’t really like to promote them among the fangirl stuff. Don’t like to “cross the streams” so-to-Ghostbusters-speak. If one wants to know about those, they can follow me on Twitter, @TanyaTate
PoP!: Where can folks find you online?
Tanya: I’m all over the net. Mainly one can find me on twitter, of course. There is my Superhero/Cosplay blog, JustaLottaTanya.com, Youtube is Youtube.com/users/TanyaTateTube and for anything else, there is Google.
Thank again to Tanya for being so enthusiastic about this entire process. Like the art up there? Hang it on your wall! Get a 2012 Fangirl of the Month Calendar. If you or someone you know is interested in being a future Fangirl of the Month, drop us a line and we’ll make it happen.
Filed Under: Fangirl of the Month • Features
Yowzah!
I think this is the first fangirl that is close to my age. I think I have also fallen for her, which she should be ok with, I am at foot level now.
I have to say, working with Tanya was a blessing. She was fantastic and quick to respond when I had a question. More importantly, she loved the picture so much that she and I will continue our business relationship. Look for more art featuring Tanya down the road.