Gallery: Rey Was Comic-Con’s New Favorite Cosplay, and We’re Loving It
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Stephanie, 20, made her costume herself. “I grew up with Star Wars and when I was little I used to pretend to be an Ewok,” she says, “So the chance to dress up as a cool badass woman that was part of the childhood movie series that I followed, it was amazing.”
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Twenty-three-year-old Tara’s reason for cosplaying as Rey is simple: “Because she’s amazing and Star Wars is life.”
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This weekend was 16-year-old Claire’s second time as Rey; she also wore the costume at Wondercon this spring. “This costume is really comfortable, which is unlike 90 percent of female costumes, probably,” she says. “It’s also just fun. A lot of people come up to you and go, ‘Oh, another Rey…’ and it’s like, first of all, why is that necessary to say? Secondly, it’s fun to wear a costume that a lot of other people wear because then you see other people and you’re like, ‘Hey! More Reys!’ You just kind of make this connection.”
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“I grew up watching Star Wars \[movies\],” says 24-year-old Ana Vuko, “and I just identified with the character and it just felt like the right option.”
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“She’s a badass, obviously,” 17-year-old Emerald Dodge says when asked why she picked Rey, “and she’s one of the first major Star Wars leads that’s a strong female character.”
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Eleven-year-old Kylie “picked Rey because I liked that Star Wars movie a lot and I thought her costume was amazing.”
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Jennifer, 42, came with her daughter (not pictured), who was dressed as BB-8. “We made her BB-8,” she says, gesturing to her child. “That was the genesis, and then we just kind of filled in from there.”
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“Growing up watching the Star Wars movies, Princess Leia was the only female character you see and identify with, ” says 24-year-old Krista. “Rey wasn’t just a token female character, she was a good character. She was complicated and she was cool and strong and tough and allowed to be a really good hero. I feel like women don’t get that a lot in entertainment: a really good hero to look up to.”
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Six-year-old Eesha’s mother says she had wanted the costume for a while and had to buy it for her daughter when she saw it at the convention. (Kids today, amirite?)
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Pro tip, cosplayers: 32-year-old Cristhian Mace made her goggles from swim goggles. So, like Rey, she’s smart. (Also, she wore the full head wrap because she has a pixie cut and didn’t think she could pull off a wig.)
