
Punk Sailor Moon
Cosplayer: figglybuff
Photo: felixwongphotography & jriversxphotography
custom car xtrek_lun Convention : Otakon (Washington DC)
Sailor Moon was my first love ~I guess you could say in anime~ + as the first source of my femininity + empowerment at a young age that stemmed from Asian influence. I grew up watching the American version. Then I rewatched the OG Japanese + fell deeper in love. As a kid born in 93, I appreciate it more as an adult.
In middle/high school days, I was a misfit. I heavily experimented with my looks + fashion choices to express myself. I had more phases than the moon (pun intended) but my emo/punk phase never trickled out of my system completely.
How could I pay homage to one of my favorite childhood fandoms? By marrying the rebellious side of my teen angst years with the soft, feminine magical aesthetic of Usagi/Sailor Moon.
I was watching Sailor Moon Eternal + Sailor Moon Crystal on Netflix. I saw a Facebook post from my friend, Amy Tiller asking for a Sailor Moon replacement in their Punk version group at Otakon ASAP. How crazy the timing was since I was in the middle of watching the anime!

The fact that we rushed it in two days to finalize the entire look was impressive. Amy Tiller treated it as a free commission + we exchanged ideas based on the iterations of Sailor Moon’s looks. I loved the idea of wearing a denim vest with a Punisher crossover since the last con I cosplayed as the Punisher. She crafted + adorned the denim vest, the hair accessories, hand-painted the brooch, + put grommets in the blouse to make a shoelace effect.Her sister, Beth Tiller made the tiara out of cardboard, took a red gem from old jewelry then glued it using gold puff paint, jeweled my mask, + made the beaded mask holder. She reduced the floofy pigtails with bubble braids. She also re-arranged the metal chains intertwining my shirt.
I chose a mix of clothes to fit the punk scene to be recognizable enough. I styled the wig + hot glued heart shaped red gems on the pigtails. To stay on brand, I used the Sailor Moon ColourPop makeup palette. I added anime lines under my eyes for extra flair. I “hardened the look” with gothic touches by introducing black leather garters + thigh highs.
I am thankful that this was a collaborative effort. This entire outfit was put together by the power of love and friendship! 🌙 ✨🖤
The Punk Sailor Moon because of how perfect the situation was under time pressure + how my look was completed through the assistance thanks to new friends. I was overwhelmed with compliments + met cosplayers who rocked Sailor Moon characters.
I was in the spotlight of the anime sports car section. A customized Subaru was decked out in Sailor Moon artwork. I was given a dope sticker of a modern day Usagi posing with the car just as I was in real life. The unique photo opportunity was the most memorable to me.

Otakon was my first Anime con + being Sailor Moon was the cherry on top. Despite the stressors of cosplay crunch, I’ll still look back + be over the moon of the experiences I shared.
During my childhood, I looked forward to playing dress up + planning my Halloween costumes in advance. I chose obscure characters + would happily tell everyone the lore behind the character I was recreating!
I discovered cosplay in 2010. In highschool, I felt alone most of the time so I crafted + created in my spare time to share with others online. My way of escaping reality = planning my self-photoshoots at home. I would post my cosplay photo sets on Tumblr to reveal my love for > insert characters here <

My first cosplay + videogame was Lara Croft: Tombraider. I dressed up as her many times in my youth because I played a lot of the games. She was a strong, badass icon whom I admired. As I started to begin my fitness journey, I subtly dressed up as her. Then gym regulars started to refer to me as, “Tombraider”. I didn’t know this at the time, but this is where my cosplaying journey began.
Cosplay was a constant in my life since I was in diapers. I just didn’t know what it was at the time or that it would become my lifelong mission as an adult. It gave me my sense of self, the strength to see myself in these characters + stories, a supportive community,+ an awakening of my creative power.
Disclaimer: All images and videos used, do not belong to FnC and belong to their respective owners.
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