We were lucky to catch up with Jessie recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Jessie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
Charity character performance and cosplay is, by far, one of the most meaningful creative endeavors I have ever had the pleasure of taking part in. You have the unique opportunity to connect with people on a level that, otherwise, wouldn’t occur in day to day life.
The most meaningful work I do as a character volunteer is the work I do with the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Intermountain Area in Salt Lake City, Utah. I partner with them several times a month to do story time visits, in which I visit the kids and their families in costume, interact in character, take pictures, read stories, and plan simple activities. This organization is so precious to me, and the affection I hold in my heart for RMHC is difficult to put into words.
The work I do with RMHC is incredibly meaningful to me, but one story really shines in my memory.
I met an 8 year old girl (let’s call her Addison) and her mom. They were residents of the Ronald McDonald House for several months, as Addison was undergoing cancer treatment at Primary Children’s Medical Center. During our visits, Addison was a sweet, sassy, and loving goofball. Addison’s a sharp cookie. The first week I met her, I was Rapunzel. I came back two weeks later as Belle, and she recognized me! She said, “hey- I met you last week!” After that, she never addressed it again.
I visited her Cinderella, Anna, Elsa, Princess Fiona, Rey… and each visit, she suspended her disbelief and engaged with her favorite characters. I got to know her, watch her grow, and be with her on the good and bad treatment days. I even got to know her mom! She and her mom reminded me very much of me and my mom; best friends sticking together through tough circumstances. Addison’s story had a happy ending, and she eventually got to go home with her mom after months in the Ronald McDonald House.
I hope and pray that I was able to provide some fun, respite, and magic to their long days. I hope Addison knows that she is loved and cared for. Addison’s resilience and willingness to believe in magic in the face of hard circumstances inspire me everyday. I hope to be like her when I grow up!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’m Jessie, aka Glorious Purpose Characters & Cosplay! I am a not-profit character performer located in Northern Utah.
Glorious Purpose began its journey in 2014, when I was a bright-eyed college student who refused to grow up. From day one, my mission was to use my love of characters and costuming to spread love and hope to the young and young at heart. My family believed in this dream, and bought me my first costumes. In the years that followed, I was given the opportunity to perform as my favorite characters, tell stories, and connect with people in a genuine, yet magical, way. It also gave me the opportunity to perform alongside my sister and best friends, something I absolutely treasured. By the grace of God, our family project became a fixture in my community along the Wasatch Front by creating caring and authentic connections with families and local organizations.
I took a hiatus from character performance while I navigated my early 20’s. I moved to Orlando and worked in theme parks, both in operations and behind the scenes as a designer. I was brought back to Utah during the pandemic. My heart deeply missed performing, but it wasn’t the right time to return just yet. My costume collection was gathering dust, awaiting the day when the magic would return.
The name “Glorious Purpose Characters & Cosplay” is a reference to Marvel Studios’ Loki TV show. That show debuted at a time in my life where, much like Loki, my path took a completely unexpected turn. I related to his desire to discover his new place in the world, and his journey of self-love and acceptance. I was captivated by the show, and began making a Sylvie cosplay as a way of processing my own story. Ultimately, Loki found his new “glorious purpose” in his relationships and mission, something I knew I wanted to center as I began this new chapter in my cosplay life.
I launched Glorious Purpose Characters & Cosplay in September of 2022, and it became the creative home for my acting, makeup, wig design, and costume work. More importantly, it is a not-for-profit character performance brand that enables me to give back to my community by utilizing my costume collection, my talents, and my love for children. I may not be that bright-eyed college girl anymore, but my mission remains: to use my love of acting and costuming to encourage the young and the young at heart.
These days, you can find me volunteering on the weekends with local charities and community organizations. I am so thankful to do what I do, and for the opportunity to use my passions and gifts to pour into others.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
In everything I do, I strive to instill hope in others. As funny as it sounds, character performance is a wonderful way to do this. People can really open up to characters in ways that they struggle to open up to people. As a character, I’ve had interactions with folks in all walks of life, and I’ve been blessed to hear their stories.
Character performance is ultimately about loving and serving your community. There is saying in our community that goes, “when you’re hugging a child, always be the last to let go. You never know how long they need it.” For many children, especially the hospitalized groups that I work with, the characters in their favorite stories become their friends. They feel like they know them! For me, I want people that meet me in character to feel like they are catching up with an old friend. I want them to walk away feeling hopeful, loved, and cared for. After all, if Princess Anna believes in you, I hope you can believe in you, too!
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Trigger warning: body image
One thing that doesn’t get spoken about nearly enough in character performance and cosplay spaces is how hard it can be on your body image and self-esteem.
When I was in college, I worked in theme park entertainment in Orlando, and witnessed first hand the strict beauty and body standards that character performers are held to. These appearance guidelines come from a place of preserving something called “character integrity,” the idea that the characters you meet in theme parks are the REAL characters, and as such, they look and act just like their movie counterparts. Theme parks have a business to run and brand to protect, and from a business perspective, it makes total sense. Of course, they would want to protect and preserve their assets!
That said, the young people auditioning for these roles are often not thinking about that. They walk into auditions hoping to have their dreams come true, only to ultimately have it boil down to their looks. If they don’t have “the look”, it can destroy their body image and self-esteem. If they do have “the look”, it can alienate them from their peers and cause feelings of imposter syndrome. For those who do have “the look,” they can perform as their character until the fateful day when casting decides that they no longer look the part, due to age or other factors. Getting “disapproved” from a character can be devastating, and perpetuates a negative stigma around aging and bodily changes within the character performance space.
Unfortunately, this harmful messaging has broken beyond the berm of theme parks and has trickled down into local character companies, social media feeds, and even fan events and conventions. What started as a business practice used by entertainment conglomerates to preserve assets has been twisted into harmful rhetoric used to criticize and body shame. All this, in the name of “character integrity” and “preserving the magic for the kids.”
On a practical level, one lesson I’ve had to unlearn is that “character integrity” is not about your body, or even the quality of your costumes; it is about your commitment to the craft of acting, and your willingness to embrace your passions. More than that, it is about your heart. I have NEVER had a kid question if I’m “the real” Ariel because of my height or my face shape. I HAVE had them question if I was the real Ariel because I couldn’t remember the names of her sisters (for the record, Aquatta, Andrina, Arista, Attina, Adella, and Alona. You BET I have those memorized now).
On a broader level, I’ve learned to embrace my body for what it is, regardless of how I measure up to the standards of others. For me, I’ve never met the theme park definition of a “princess” look. Even when I was a young princess performer, I’ve always been tall, and had a unique face shape. As I’ve gotten older, my body has changed shape. As a 28 year old woman, costumes don’t fit how they did when I was nineteen… and that is GOOD and that is HEALTHY. I will never look like a cartoon character, because I’m NOT a cartoon character! I’m a flawed, beautiful, imperfect, goofy, human mess that is trying to use her costume collection to make kiddos feel seen and loved. If you take away one thing, I hope it is this- you are INFINITELY more complex, beautiful, and interesting than whatever standards you feel may be holding you back. You are a real person with a real, beautiful heart. You have a story worth telling!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://gloriouspurposeutah.wixsite.com/charactersandcosplay
- Instagram: @gloriouspurposeutah
- Facebook: @gloriouspurposeutah
- Other: @gloriouspurposeutah on TikTok
Image Credits
Queen Anna: Jen Fox Rey: Jessica Ash Sylvie: Tia Taylor Princess Anna: Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Intermountain Area, Night to Shine