Cosplayers dress up, have fun with others

METRO DETROIT — Cosplay is a chance for people to dress up as their favorite character as well as to meet countless friends along the way.

It is the art of dressing up in a costume of a character from a video game, comic book, anime and many other forms of media. Those who participate sometimes spend hours perfecting their costumes from the initial design stages to the finished product.

Iyla O’Connor, a cosplayer from Harrison Township, got involved in the hobby around 10 years ago. She said she’s always had a love for fashion and designing.

“I found that cosplay was a really good outlet because I’ve always been into costumes, especially like Disney characters,” O’Connor said. “So it really kind of helped me hone my skills and gave me opportunities to get out and meet new people as well.”

O’Connor’s first cosplay was the classic DC Comics antihero Harley Quinn. She cosplays with a group of friends, and they go to cosplay conventions such as Youmacon in downtown Detroit and the Michigan Renaissance Festival.

O’Connor volunteers for a nonprofit called Crowns Against Cancer and she also runs her own nonprofit, the Fairy Godsister Project. Crowns Against Cancer provides magical princess entertainment to pediatric patients, cancer patients and those with special needs.

“Both of those groups are a really good opportunity for me to get out in a princess costume,” O’Connor said.

She makes most of her own costumes and she loves the design aspect of cosplay.

“Being able to sit down and kind of design my own take on a character and then bring that to life is just so cool,” O’Connor said.

O’Connor said that it does take a lot of time and money but watching the process is fun. Her favorite garments to make are gowns.

“And to see that go from a piece of paper to a real-life 3D gown is just so cool,” O’Connor said.

Her favorite cosplay is her Anastasia gown. Anastasia is the title character from the 1997 film. The entire project took around six months to complete.

At conventions, congoers will sometimes stop cosplayers to take a picture of their cosplay and O’Connor said this is another of her favorite parts of the activity.

“I love being able to meet people,” O’Connor said. “And I love when people appreciate my work. It’s really cool to have that positive feedback.”

At conventions, the market area is usually split into two sides: the dealers hall and the artists alley. O’Connor said she loves to support artists and to interact with others.

Erin McBain is a cosplayer based out of St. Clair Shores. She said she went to her first convention with her comic book club in college.

“I saw everyone dressed up and I was like immediately, ‘Yes, I want to do that,’” McBain said.

She cosplays comic book characters, Disney princesses, characters from the CW show “Supernatural” and many others. She said the hardest part of the hobby is social media and the intensive work put into it.

“I think the biggest problem was probably sometimes getting comments and stuff but overall, the experience is pretty fun,” McBain said.

The work, McBain said, is really fulfilling.

McBain cosplays with friends, by herself and with her husband. Her favorite part of it is the attention she gets from the costumes.

“I know that sounds selfish, but people give you attention for how you look and the way that you made it and it’s very, you feel very accomplished,” McBain said. “And just having it (the costume) on in general by yourself or getting pictures done. It’s just a feeling of accomplishment that you made something from nothing.”

Through cosplay she’s met many different people from around the country. She’s met some of her friends at conventions and outside of conventions. She said she has a lot of fun at the meetups.

Her favorite characters to cosplay are Dean Winchester from “Supernatural” and Supergirl from the DC Universe. Cosplaying a man has a different skill set including makeup, poses and more.

“You’re not just dressing up like a character, you’re putting a character on and then trying to interact like that,” McBain said.

Both McBain and O’Connor said there is con etiquette people should follow when attending conventions. They both emphasized consent when interacting with a cosplayer.

“If a cosplayer is eating, do not disturb them,” McBain said. “And then always ask before you touch them, even if you ask for a picture.”

“It’s so important to make sure that the person you’re approaching is comfortable with the situation,” O’Connor said.

O’Connor added she’s had instances where congoers have run up to her and given her hugs. While she’s an extrovert and carries herself in a more comfortable way, O’Connor said that’s not the same for everyone.

They also both have seen a shift in cosplay and conventions since the COVID-19 pandemic. McBain has personally experienced a slowdown in cosplaying and conventions. She said the conventions can be a bit overwhelming now. She said “con crud” and germ spreading were concerns at the conventions.

“I feel like people are practicing better hygiene, I hope, at cons,” McBain said. “I see cosplayers with matching masks and stuff like that and I’d like to see more of that.”

McBain also said she sees that people have become more aware of their surroundings and the space they’re in.

“My friends and I definitely interact at cons differently,” McBain said. “We always make sure to wash our hands or have gloves on or stuff like that.”

O’Connor said before the pandemic, conventions were bigger, and they’ve slowly started to rebuild in the last few years.

“It’s nice to kind of see the rebuild and the growth again of these conventions, but I feel there are some that have taken a toll from the pandemic and I hope they can stay afloat and keep going,” O’Connor said.

McBain said first time cosplayers should put the work in and they’ll enjoy it.

“Your first costume is not going to be your best, but the more you put into it and the work you got into it the more you can feel accomplished about it,” McBain said.

It’s hard to find things in a reasonable price range for first timers, O’Connor said. She said building savings is really important.

“And nobody is going to pick on you if you don’t have as big of a budget as maybe some of the top cosplayers do,” O’Connor said. “I know for me, some of my first wigs came from Amazon for $10. They were nothing fancy.”

She also said people are going to be supportive and to not compare oneself to veteran cosplayers who have been crafting for a long time.

“As long as you’re out there and having fun, that’s what everybody loves to see,” O’Connor said.

O’Connor also said important things to bring to a convention include a bag with any needed medication, snacks, water, extra shoes and a small sewing kit for any repairs.