Dear Catwoman,
Dear Catwoman,
What is it like to be in
that suit and out at night? Is it fun?
Nemma
Dear Nemma,
You used the magic word: Fun.
One thing about my suit that is great fun is the ability to do something real cats do all the time. If you have a cat, you probably know the trick. They’re nowhere around, and suddenly without making a sound, they’re right in front of you demanding attention. You can’t miss them. One moment silent and invisible, and the next: CAT! They can be gone again in a second if they wish, too.
One way my costume lets me pull off this trick is simply being purple. Unless you actually live in a city like Gotham, you probably don’t realize how bright the sky really is. Light from cars and street lights, from advertisements and in people’s homes. If I wore black like you see burglars do in cartoons and movies, I would stick out like a sore thumb. You would see a Catwoman-shaped silhouette moving clearly along the skyline. By using a color like purple that mixes red and blue, and breaking it up with the black of my gloves and boots, I find I am very well camouflaged. But then, if I spot someone I want to make an impression on—someone like, say, Batman—all I have to do is get close enough so I stand out from the background, and I make a very dramatic impression. Meow!
As for going out at night, Gotham is one of those places that becomes alive with possibilities when the sun goes down. Imagine a room with a big two-way mirror making up an entire wall from floor to ceiling. When the room is brightly lit, all you see is mirror: your own reflection and the reflection of what’s around you. Nice but no surprises, right? But if you dim the lights in the room, the darker it gets, the more you’ll see of the space beyond. Is it another room? Are there people there? Doors to more rooms beyond?
In Gotham, the familiar and predictable give way to the excitement of limitless possibilities after dark. It can be dangerous and frightening at times, like any good story has its dark and scary parts. It’s no place for kittens, and it’s no place to go without my claws and the other protection my suit provides.
Thanks for reading
and Meow!
Your friend,
Catwoman