Long Islanders talked to SciFiSland.com about cosplay. From professional actresses to hobbyists, dressing up as your favorite character is a passion that transcends just putting on an outfit – it’s a way of life, one that comes with its own joys, pitfalls, obsessions, and sometimes, a dark side.
The first time Carrie Heffernan even heard of the term “cosplayer” was when she purchased Pixie Dust Entertainment, a company that provides character entertainment for occasions from birthdays to corporate events.
“I’m new to calling myself a cosplayer,” Heffernan said in an email interview with SciFiSland.com. “In fact, I would say the first time I even heard the term ‘cosplay’ was about five years ago when I first bought my business.”
Heffernan is also an actress, performing in shows since High School and for the past decade all over Long Island in children’s theater and main stage productions. Although she’s been dressing up as characters since she first took to the stage playing everything from pirates to princesses, like many, it all started when she was a kid on the biggest cosplay holiday of the year.
Carrie Heffernan as Elsa. Photo: Courtesy of Carrie Heffernan.
From Halloween to Heroes
“I always loved dressing up for Halloween,” Heffernan said.
While the feeling you get when you don a costume on Halloween as a kid is pretty much universal, the ones who wanted to take it to the next level tend to be the people who become cosplayers later in life.
It was that way for Chris Feehan. He’s a member of the 501st Legion Empire City Garrison and Rebel Legion, both huge Star War costuming organizations.
“Since a very young age, probably six or seven-years-old, I loved dressing up for Halloween,” said Feehan in an email Q&A. “As I got older I was never satisfied with the cheap store-bought costumes and always strived for more accurate ones.”
Chris feehan as The Hulk back in the day on Halloween. Photo: Courtesy of Chris Feehan.
At 52-years-old, Feehan is a Gen Xer who, like many (the writer of this article is also about the same age as Feehan), had to endure the plastic molded masks with flimsy rubber bands to hold them around your face. Often they would break. The plastic printed costume never gave the realism we wanted as kids but we took what we could get from the Genovese drug stores and K-Marts our parents bought them from. But when he was about ten-years-old, Feehan decided to do something about it. He made a more realistic Hulk costume. It’s like his own origin story.
“I completely painted my face and arms green and ripped up a shirt and a pair of jeans both stuffed with fake muscles to complete the look,” he said.
Later in his teens Feehan started going to conventions in New York City.
“I remember the first one I attended featured some Star Trek guests and the entire cast of the V miniseries,” he said. “I would frequently dress up in a Star Trek uniform, both the 60s and Next Generation versions and had a great time geeking out.”
Chris Feehan as Marty McFly with his Delorean. Photo: Courtesy of Chris Feehan.
Why We Play: Fun, Fandom, and Mental Health Benefits
According to various histories, the concept of cosplaying traces back to the 1930s in America at the dawn of classic Science Fiction. Although there were shows and contests over the decades, they were mostly referred to as masquerades until around the mid-Eighties.
“The Japanese term, Kosupure, anglicized as Cosplay, is a portmanteau of the English words costume play,” reads an entry in an online library article on the subject. “The creation of the term is often attributed to Nobuyuki Takahashi of Studio Hard, who may have coined the word after attending the 1984 World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) in Los Angeles, California.”
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Photo Alan Light, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons,
Even after it got an official name, cosplay took a while to get out of the intense sci-fi and anime culture into wider awareness. That happened around the early 2000s and with social media, some cosplayers have leveraged their hobby into semi-star status.
About 11 years ago, Lili Pope Cosplay began her journey at the 2013 New York Comic Con. Lili Pope – whose favorite characters are the female leads from Star Wars – has different motivations for cosplaying.
“First and foremost, because it’s fun,” she said in an email interview. “I love celebrating my favorite fandoms and characters and connecting with others in the community who share my same nerdy passions.”
In real life, Lili Pope is an attorney and she’s married (her husband often cosplays with her) and has a two-year-old son. She says that cosplay helps her de-stress and contributes to her mental health.
“It helps break up my grind between my crazy work life hustle and being a mom,” she said. “More recently, cosplay has been a big part of my postpartum/motherhood journey.”
Cosplaying is also empowering.
“It allowed me to be seen as more than a mom and to develop an outlet where I can individually and creatively express myself while working on confidence and overcoming body image issues and insecurities,” said Lili Pope, who often shares her mental health journey publicly on her Instagram page, hoping to inspire others.
Lili Pope Cosplay as Phoenix. Photo: Courtesy of Lili Pope Cosplay.
For the most part, cosplaying is considered a hobby (sometimes an expensive one but still a hobby). For Heffernan, her cosplay is intermingled with forming her business, providing a financial motivation for her. It’s something she says she wants to change.
“I’m trying to change this because I’m a creative person and I’m happier when I’m motivated by creativity rather than money,” she said. “It’s a tough balance.”
Feehan says that his motivation is to honor the fandom and the creators of his favorite IP but it’s also a way to reflect the awe of people seeing him in costume back onto himself; he feeds off of their joy.
“Out at a community or charity event you can see the wonder in the kids and adults eyes and live a bit vicariously through them,” he said.
Dayna Wiener, another Long Island-based cosplayer, started her journey around 2018. She said she was delighted and surprised by the number of people who are LGBTQ like herself in the cosplaying community, reaffirming her decision to dress up.
“I came out shortly before I started cosplaying and it was so incredible to go to cons and see so many LGBTQ individuals cosplaying with their romantic partners and cosplaying all sorts of characters,” she said in an email to SciFiSland.com. “It is so freeing to see people expressing themselves how they want in such an open and welcoming environment and it led me to do the same.”
Not only was there a community within a community for her, Wiener says finding her people also allowed her to branch out in the characters she really wants to play.
“I started cosplaying males recently and found myself gaining so much confidence,” she said. “There is so much love and support and diversity in the cosplay community and I feel so comfortable exploring my identity and self expression at cons and with my cosplay friends.”
Dayna Wiener as Robin. Photo: Courtesy of Dayna Wiener.
Cosplaying for a Cause
Feehan spent his career as a computer systems analyst for major corporations then shifted focus five years ago and now works as a development assistant at the Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau County (CPNassau). Through his work at the non-profit, he’s been able to combine his love of cosplay and charity work. This summer, CPNassau held its 3rd annual Sci-Fi Mini Con, a charity conference that was meant to raise money for the organization’s mission as well as provide entertainment for Long Island science fiction fans.
“CPNassau raised just over $6,000 at the event, which is incredible for a free local event that only lasted 5 hours,” said Feehan in a SciFiSland.com story covering the event. “This was also $1,000 more than what was raised last year.”
A lot of the work that cosplayers in costume groups do is for charity. For example, the 501st Legion Empire City Garrison is not for hire for private events but will show up for charity functions and, of course, cons.
That is also what motivates Feehan, the charity work and the hospital visits that brighten a child’s day who may be going through a rough time. He has also been the commanding officer of the 501st’s Legion’s Empire City Garrison for the last five years.
“What I tell many of the people who are interested in joining the 501st Legion, or other costume group is this, ‘what’s the point of spending thousands of dollars, and hundreds of hours putting together a movie accurate costume if you have nothing to use it for?’” he said. “Sure you can break it out a few times a year at conventions and Halloween, but when you join a volunteer costume group you end up doing so much more. You are using it to help others by bringing attention to worthy causes and positive events in the community.”
The Skills Behind the Suit
Cosplaying is also a journey of continuous learning and creativity. For some, like Lili Pope, the adventure began with no prior ability to create her costumes.
“I had absolutely no skills and still pale in comparison to a lot of my contemporaries!” she admits.
She’s been able to expand her improv acting skills over the years and learned stage combat and lightsaber choreography through her involvement with Saber Guild.
“I’ve started dabbling with some costume making – I made my Poison Ivy cosplay – which was a lot of fun and I’m proud of,” she said. “With my husband… I’ve done some 3D prop making, too.”
Despite her progress, she still commissions most of her cosplays, valuing the work of talented artists.
On the other hand, Heffernan entered the cosplay world with the acting, singing, and sewing skills she needed but she acknowledges that even these have grown through her involvement.
“Things like specific mannerisms or voices for each character are things I need to continue to work on,” she said, highlighting the ever-evolving nature of cosplaying.
For Feehan, cosplaying has been a constant learning process, especially as he takes on new and challenging costumes. Feehan was first introduced to the 501st Legion in 2006 and developed an interest in building his own Stormtrooper costume. With assistance from members of the Empire City Garrison, he constructed his first costume and joined the 501st in 2008. Since then, he’s assembled over a dozen movie-accurate Star Wars costumes, including multiple Stormtroopers, a Biker Scout, Tie Pilots, a Jawa, and three different Luke Skywalker outfits, keeping him very busy.
Some tools of the trade. Photo: Courtesy of Chris Feehan.
“Being a cosplayer and wanting to do new and different costumes has forced me to learn,” he said.
His current project, a 7th Stormtrooper costume, has required him to master techniques like cutting and shaping plastic, gluing, painting, and constructing straps. Feehan is also dedicated to sharing these skills with others in the 501st, helping fellow members build their costumes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he created a 22-part video series on building a Shadow Stormtrooper kit, further cementing his commitment to the cosplay community.
“It’s a constant process and I’m always learning and trying to better my skills to tackle the next challenging costume,” he said.
Weiner also said the community helped her develop her abilities.
“I definitely had to learn skills during my cosplay journey and I haven’t learned them alone,” she added. “So many friends and family have helped me learn skills and come up with ideas for making cosplays come to life!”
Picking Favorites
Feehan’s favorite is still the stormtrooper cosplay.
“I’ve built six of them since I began trooping, and it’s always the most recognizable and impressive costume to wear,” he said.
Cosplayers often form deep connections with the characters they portray, and these favorites reveal much about their personal experiences and passions.
Heffernan said it’s a toss-up between Winnifred Sanderson and Elsa.
“I have three sisters, so I always felt like I related to characters with siblings,” she said.
She always loved princesses, but it wasn’t until she saw Frozen that she felt a strong connection to Elsa and Anna.
“Hocus Pocus was always a favorite for me, but Sarah was my favorite growing up,” she added.
However, her portrayal of Winnie changed her perspective, allowing her to appreciate the power and complexity of playing a villain.
For Lili Pope, the question of a favorite cosplay is equally challenging.
“I love all my cosplays and really have a connection with the characters and/or fandoms from which I cosplay,” she said.
Among her favorites are her Star Wars cosplays, which hold a special place in her heart not just because of her love for the franchise but also due to the opportunities they provide for charity work. Characters like Rey, Mara Jade, Padmé, and Leia resonate with her deeply. As an attorney, Lili finds portraying She-Hulk and Elle Woods particularly fun and meaningful. Many of her favorite characters, like Jean Grey, Buffy Summers, Black Canary, Poison Ivy, and Starfire, are ones she admired growing up.
“Now I get to be them, which is the coolest thing!” she said.
Carrie Heffernan as Winifred Sanderson. Photo: Courtesy of Carrie Heffernan.
Navigating the Dark Side of Cosplay
While cosplaying is fun, creative and empowering, it also has its darker sides and unspoken rules that can complicate the experience for some. Heffernan noted that, while the cosplay community is vocal on social media, the core rule remains simple: “don’t be a jerk.” This straightforward principle underscores the importance of mutual respect within the community.
Lili Pope echoes this sentiment, emphasizing that cosplay should be about fun and inclusivity.
“There’s no one right way to cosplay or a wrong way to cosplay,” she said. “We should always strive to be gate-openers, not gatekeepers.”
Lili Pope also highlights the importance of being mindful with language, pointing out how even well-intentioned compliments can have problematic undertones.
“For example, someone might compliment a cosplayer and say ‘your cosplay of X character is the best,’ but this language can unintentionally cause harm to other cosplayers,” she explained.
She also touches on the issue of beauty standards, emphasizing that cosplay should not be judged based on how closely someone resembles the actors who portray certain characters.
The negative aspects of cosplaying can sometimes overshadow the joy it brings. Heffernan acknowledges that with the exposure that comes from social media and public appearances, cosplayers open themselves up to a barrage of opinions, often from strangers.
“If you are cosplaying as a popular character and people don’t think you look EXACTLY the way they want you to look… there can be some major backlash,” she warned.
Weiner says that is true in her experience as well. Her favorite cosplay characters constantly change but right now she says it’s a tie between Mitsuri Kanroji from Demon Slayer and Harley Quinn.
“I love cosplaying Misturi because of how much I connect to her character and I love how Harley’s costume fits my body,” she said.
Self-expression, admiration and love for the character and series but most of all confidence are her main motivators for cosplaying so it can be upsetting when the people come online just to criticize.
“As someone who is plus size I have dealt with plenty of online comments about my size and not having the right body type for a character,” Weiner said. “There are so many people who say negative things to cosplayers who don’t look exactly like the character they cosplay.”
To deal with the haters, Weiner says she just shifts focus to the positive comments her friends leave her and that has an uplifting effect.
“Cosplay has helped me gain confidence in my body and my skills as a cosplayer,” she said.
Lili Pope Cosplay as Mara Jade. Photo: Courtesy of Lili Pope Cosplay.
Lili Pope cautioned about the dangers of comparison on social media.
“It can be easy to fall into the rabbit hole of comparing and feeling ‘less than’… I try to use my very, very small platform to talk about these issues,” she said, advocating for a more inclusive space for all cosplayers.
Sometimes, the dark side of cosplay manifests in uncomfortable or bizarre situations. Feehan recalls a particularly awkward experience at a wedding where the couple had made a substantial donation to charity in exchange for his appearance as a Star Wars character. Despite the couple’s excitement, “literally no one else at the entire wedding knew anything about Star Wars or why I was there,” Chris remembers, making it one of his most uncomfortable experiences.
On a more serious note, Lili Pope has unfortunately encountered incidents of sexual harassment, though she chooses not to dwell on the details. Sadly, this darker aspect of cosplay is not isolated and has been written about before. Online harassment as well as teasing, taunting, or outright unwanted sexual advances rear their ugly heads in cosplay as it does in many other industries and fandoms.
Managing the Madness: The Realities of Storage and Space for Cosplayers
Cosplay can be a source of immense joy and creativity, it also comes with challenges that require resilience and community support. The commitment can come with a price both financially and in the amount of room it takes up in your home. If you’re on a journey to become a cosplayer, then the cosplayers we spoke with say that you might want to think about storage space as well as what characters you want to play.
Heffernan describes how her cosplay and business overlap, leading her to have a dedicated room and even a storage unit to house her costumes, wigs, and accessories. Feehan shared a similar experience, explaining that his love for Star Wars costumes took up so much space that he had to refurbish his garage and install a shelving system.
“I like to rotate my many Star Wars costumes depending on the event, and now I can basically grab one off a shelf and go wherever I am needed,” he said.
He also has a cramped workroom where he meticulously works on his costumes.
Lili Pope adds a humorous touch, mentioning how she and her husband joke about needing a bigger home just to accommodate their cosplay collection.
“We have a corner/section in our finished basement that’s dedicated to all things cosplay, but we could definitely use more space for it,” she said.
A portion of the storage area in Chris Feehan’s garage. Photo: Courtesy of Chris Feehan.
Crazy Cosplay Stories
When it comes to fun stories, Feehan has some of the more remarkable experiences.
One day Feehan received a mysterious email inviting him on an all-expenses-paid trip to Aman, Jordan, to be a Stormtrooper at the premiere of The Rise of Skywalker. Initially thinking it was a scam, Chris was thrilled to learn that the offer was legitimate.
“They wanted ten 501st Legion members to go, so I submitted my information and was one of the lucky ten selected,” he said.
The trip, arranged by The Royal Film Commission of Jordan, included visits to a children’s hospital, a mall, and the movie premiere. The following day, they were taken to the Wadi Rum desert, where scenes from the movie were filmed, for a breathtaking photo shoot in full costume.
“It truly was the experience of a lifetime and one I will never forget,” he said.
Feehan also recounted a funny and surreal experience involving one of the most iconic figures in the Star Wars universe. During a promotional appearance for The Last Jedi at a high-end clothing store in New York City, Chris was stunned to learn that Mark Hamill, Luke Skywalker himself, would be joining them.
“We were absolutely stunned and beyond excited,” he said. “It was incredible to have Mark Hamill with us at the event, and we basically got to hang out with him all night talking and taking photos.”
The cosplaying world is not only rewarding but also a great way to meet like-minded people and constantly challenge your skills.
“It lets you be a character you admire, even if just for that day,” Feehan said.
Desert scene. Photo courtesy of Chris Feehan.
The Last Word
Cosplaying is also more than just dressing up; it’s a form of self-expression that welcomes everyone, regardless of their background.
“There is no right way or wrong way to cosplay, and cosplay is for everyone,” said Lili Pope. “No matter race, gender, age, size, class, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, etc., if you want to cosplay just go for it!”
Weiner added that the secret to enjoying cosplay is in the name.
“Cosplay is made up of the words costume and play, and that is what it’s all about,” she said. “Dressing in costumes and playing around with your friends. It’s such a fun hobby if you let it be! Don’t take yourself too seriously, just go and have fun!”
Want to cosplay at a local con? Check out SciFiSland.com’s ultimate list of cons on Long Island where you can go as your favorite character for almost every fandom imaginable!
