“Kitty Kat Ru” – Photography by Yuska Lutfi Tuanakotta

I feel like so many points in my life converged to make this shoot a reality.

When I was in primary school, I always looked forward to two really camp TV shows when I got home: Wonder Woman and Batman. Back then, I wasn’t yet a hardcore supporter of DC Comics, but I already knew camp aesthetics was for me. That and cats. I’m a crazy cat person and I wish to one day have my own cat sanctuary.

To be fair, my trifecta of hero/antihero combo are Wonder Woman, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman. I’ve written extensively about Wonder Woman and she even has her own day of the week in my 2020 Pride & Joy Project. I love Poison Ivy because in my heart of hearts, given the opportunity, I’d probably be an eco-terrorist since humans are terrible. Catwoman represents that grey area. True, she’s largely portrayed as a villain in the older series, but she’s also the Robin Hood of Gotham. She cares about Gotham City’s East Side and fights for those who face injustice. There’s a story in a vintage Batman comic book where she releases the cats who are about to be experimented on for a make-up company.

When Eartha Kitt’s Catwoman came to the scene, I had been so accustomed to Julie Newmar’s more subtle performance. But Kitt grew on me. She grew on me a lot. Her purrs are perfect and she did what I thought was impossible: elevate the campiness of the 60s Batman TV series.

But Kitt was special. Like the fictional Catwoman, she grew up poor. When she found her voice, she used it to fight for justice and equality and suffered for it.

I would like to immortalize Eartha Kitt through this series and hopefully, I was able to do her justice.

Date: February 19, 2015
Set design, rug, and pillows by Yuska Lutfi Tuanakotta
Catwoman costume from Barbie Pink Label Catwoman
Various cats from Barbie collection