Cosplay Confessions is a series we do to spotlight and get to understand the wonderful members of our cosplay community (and beyond!). This month we have HarleytheSirenXOXO!
How did you get into cosplay?
I didn’t really know cosplaying was a thing people do until I stumbled upon a local convention, Tsubasacon, online when I was still in high-school. The site had advertised that one of the activities for the convention was going to be a cosplay masquerade and showed a series of previous pictures from past years. I thought to myself, this is something I could totally get into and the rest is history. I had previously thought that the only conventions were larger ones like SDCC. My friends and I all planned to go to this convention as Batman Villains, I was Harley Quinn (based on the Batman: Arkham City version) of course, and we had an amazing time. I’ve now been cosplaying for nine years or more.
Why do you like cosplaying?
As a few of the people know that follow my pages, I suffer from anxiety in addition to a variety of health issues; most prevalent being severe allergies and asthma. Cosplaying has been my chance to not have to be confronted with some of these issues and give me a much-needed distraction.
A lot of people also might not know I’m pretty shy in my daily life, but I feel like taking on the personas of my favorite characters have really given me more confidence. I tend to go for heroes or villains that showcase strength, confidence and sass. Interacting with others in character has to be one of the most fun experiences.
Cosplay has also been an excellent outlet to showcase my love of the arts. I also have a minor in art, so I love to work on anything creative such as design-work, makeup artistry, etc. Some of my favorite makeups I’ve tried so far have been trials for my upcoming cosplays of She-Hulk, Raven, Starfire, (and my original Bombshell Bleez) cosplays. In my spare time, when I’m not cosplaying, I tend to keep my painting skills sharp and post several of my painting projects online.
In general one of my favorite things about cosplaying is when a child actually believes you are that character, be it a princess, hero, villain, etc, and they ask to hug you or take a picture with you. I’ve had several kids basically tackle me with excitement and that is one of the most heart-melting experiences.
I also had the chance to meet several new people through cosplaying that I never would have encounters with otherwise such as my best friend, and amazing artist, Michael Mayne. I also met another best friend, Robert Farley, at a convention as he is the first professional photographer I’ve ever worked with (Madman with a Softbox). Of course, I have met several other talented and friendly people through conventions as well, too many others to name, but I wanted to take the time to mention two of my oldest friends.
What have been your favorite characters to cosplay so far?
This question is difficult for me because I have so many favorite characters. I would have to say any of my Harley Quinn versions would be number one because she holds a special place in my heart; hence my cosplay handle. I love her eccentricity, her sass, her bubbly personality, and her badass attitude. I relate to her on several levels, but I won’t get into it for the sake of keeping the answers short. Jessica Cruz would be my next favorite because we have so many similarities in terms of anxiety issues and learning to become more confident in herself. (Silk for similar reasons) Black Widow I love cosplaying because I felt confident and intimidating during the entire photoshoot. Any of my DC Bombshell cosplays are a personal favorite because I love pinup fashion and designs by Ant Lucia; I also loved the DC Bombshells series. Disney/ cartoon characters (Ariel, Sarah Sanderson, Velma and Mavis Dracula) are super fun for events with kids just because they get so excited. Morticia Addams, Elvira, and Death were characters I love because of their spookiness and charm. I have a personal connection with every single character I choose to cosplay in some form or fashion so in essence in every single character has been my favorite.
How do you put together your costumes?
No matter what the costume is I always start with researching several images of the character online to see the outfit from all angles. I then do the same for the makeup portions. I do not put 100% emphasis on looking exactly like the character and I try to add my own personal flairs to both aspects for my own unique take on the character. I also spend time researching and looking for appropriate settings and backgrounds to take my photos.
Some of my older costumes I had help with, my grandmother helped me sew them together while I designed and cut out all the patterns. A lot of people don’t know my grandmother and I made most of my costumes from scratch, such as my Bishoujo Kotobukiya Fem Freddy which was all individual stripes we made and put together so it would be to scale lol. We also handmade my Kagome, Black Cat, Infinite Crisis Slumber Party Harley Quinn, Kiki and pieces of my Fionna cosplay (such as the hat, backpack and Cake prop). I’m terrible at sewing full costumes, but I can sew things like bows, bags or simple outfits like the skirt for my Savage Land Rogue.
More recently I commission a lot of my costumes from Etsy (using funds from sold costumes or generous sponsorships), having input with seamstresses and leather workers (about patterns, fabrics, or paint choices), or I purchase premade cosplays from herostime or zentai-zone. When my aunt isn’t busy, we make a lot of costumes together from scratch or by altering thrift store pieces or tearing them apart for fabric. I probably have the most fun altering thrift store pieces.
What have been some of your favorite conventions/events to cosplay at?
I’ve only been to a handful of events. I’ve been a guest at Page-3 Gamezone (located in Pikeville, KY) a couple times in the past when I lived in the area. I always had a really good time because the staff, vendors, other cosplayers, and attendees were awesome. I’ve also attended Scarefest and Lexington Comic Con (both located in Lexington, KY) which were pretty fun conventions. Finally, my first two conventions were Tricon and Tsubasacon (located in Huntington, WV) which I try to attend every year if I’m back home in KY; they’re both cons full of amazing people and hold a lot of nostalgia for me. More recently I’ve only been to Daytona Beach Comic Convention in 2018, ironically as Ariel, and haven’t been to any lately due to working on my degree. (Which I finally graduated this May with a Master of Arts in General Psychology and should have a more free schedule now. Woo! )
What is one of your favorite cosplay stories?
Let’s see this is a difficult one so I will do several short stories.
At my first convention I met Leah Clark and Robert McCollum, voice actors from some of my favorite anime, and they asked to take a photo with me and I almost died from excitement.
At another convention I also met James Patrick, who is the author of the Joker’s Asylum series among other titles (dressed as my take on TDK version of Harley Quinn if it had happened lol) and he told me I reminded him of Joe Quinones’ Harley.
At Scarefest I met Ken Kirzinger when I was dressed as Fem Freddy and one of my friends at the time was dressed as Jason. He asked for our picture with him on his cellphone and unfortunately, we never got a copy.
At a photoshoot during a convention for Gwen Stacy and Spider-Man we were politely told to leave a hotel parking garage roof for liability reasons. We still managed to get a few shots before we left. This is the day I learned you and your photographer should always ask for permission first to shoot in places like this, haha.
What are some of the challenges you’ve had to overcome being a cosplayer?
I would say one of the biggest challenges for me, and for several other female cosplayers, is dealing with men who believe that you know nothing about the characters you cosplay…because you’re female. I’ve had several men try to “man-splain” several aspects about characters I love and become very irritated when they realize I might even know more than them in some cases.
Another challenge is based on the characters I chose to cosplay. Some are more modest, while others show more skin. I’ve had several people judge me based on the more “sexy” cosplays and assume they can touch me or hug me at a convention without asking. I even had one troubling incident where a man followed me all day, took several candid pictures of me, and even took an “upskirt” picture of me during the convention masquerade and decided to post them all online…. Luckily a few friends helped me get the posts down and encouraged me to not let one bad experience deter me from the hobby.
The final challenge would be my poor sewing skills, haha.
What advice would you give someone interested in getting into cosplay?
Have fun and don’t let anyone tell you “how to cosplay.” Whether you buy your costume or make it we’re all just a bunch of people representing the characters we love. Also, to not be discouraged or deter from cosplaying a character when you see another cosplayer with a higher skillset cosplay the same one. There’s always going to be someone more talented than you.
Otherwise I would just say for them to try and see what local conventions are in their area and try those out! I would recommend bringing a friend as going alone can be overwhelming.
What character would you love to tackle someday?
Again, another long answer where I can’t choose just one. I have so many cosplays I have completed I need to photograph, haha. Other than that, two of my all three of my favorite characters would have to be Harley Quinn (Classic and Rebirth versions), Catwoman (Adam Hughes, Jim Balent, and Batman Returns versions), and Wonder Woman (Terry Dodson version) so finally finishing those will be amazing. Concerning Marvel cosplays it would have to be She-Hulk, Spider-Woman, and Mystique.
What has been your biggest cosplay achievement?
I haven’t really won any rewards, as I’ve only been in a couple masquerades, but I would say my achievement is more based in that I’ve accomplished cosplays for several characters I love in addition to meeting several amazing and talented people.
Has Cosplay led to any career opportunities?
Cosplaying has also provided me with several opportunities such as modeling, which has been such an honor, for several companies. Socially Stealth I believe is no longer in business, but they were the first company to send me promo products and ask me to be a spokesmodel for their site. Gray Wolf’s Chainmaille and Morgan Crone Creations are two of the other craftsman that have done the same. I’ve modeled several of Gray Wolf Chainmaille’s jewelry pieces and two of the chainmaille tops; all products were as comfortable as they were beautiful. Morgan Crone Creations made my jewelry for Savage Land Rogue and Bombshell Cheetah (same pieces) as well as my bell earrings for Bombshell Harley Quinn. Both are extremely talented artists and you should check them out! Cosplaying also gave me the opportunity to be featured in some amazing projects such as the Artbook featured on your site for Free Comic Book Day.
Where can people find you?
Facebook, DeviantArt, and Instagram. I have yet to post to Instagram, but I plan on it soon. I also plan on making a Twitter account in the future.
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