By Liana Jacob
MEET the Tim Burton fan who is a carer for the elderly by day and transforms herself into a human Japanese doll by night.
Carer, Lucia (20), from Sweden, grew up in a normal childhood environment and has always been interested in alternative fashion. Through her fascination with their look, she used to have a collection of gothic dolls, which triggered her ‘emo phase’, as well as her love for horror film director, Tim Burton.
When she was 14, Lucia dyed her hair black and cut it the way the ‘scene queens’ look; which initially shocked her parents until they eventually accepted her quirky image.
It wasn’t until she was 15 that she decided to replicate the Japanese street fashion, two years after she discovered it.
“It was a lot easier, since people had already gotten used to me looking ‘weird’ in my ’emo phase’ and it wasn’t a big deal that I now looked a different kind of ‘weird’,” Lucia said.
“I’ve always liked girly and cute stuff but there was a time in my life I thought that was childish and I thought I wasn’t even allowed to like the colour pink and be girly.
“I’m glad I got over it and realised there’s nothing wrong with it and it does not make you weak to like cute things.
“Right now, I mostly work and it’s not very special; I wake up, wash my face, eat breakfast, go to work, come home, have dinner.
“In the evening I usually, watch a series, play games and talk with my boyfriend since we have a long-distance relationship.
“If I don’t work I like to dress up, do my makeup, and take a lot of pictures to upload on my social media.
“My fashion style is something I’ve developed over years. I guess you can say it started after my ’emo phase’ when I was 15 but I looked completely different at that time.
“I was first inspired by a Japanese style called Fairy kei but I soon grew out of it and got more and more inspired by other Japanese styles like ‘roma gyaru’ and ‘himekaji’.
“I have created this look by developing my makeup style, using eye enlarging lenses and wearing cute clothes. I haven’t had any surgery or anything like that.”
Lucia doesn’t always receive praise for her look and she has had strangers stare at her and make ‘rude’ comments on her social media.
“I get a lot of stares when I go out all dolled up but I’ve gotten used to it. Some people have been rude by pointing and laughing, or people thinking my fashion is some weird sexual thing or something,” she said.
“But mostly, I get positive comments from people telling me I look cute but I know not everyone will like the way I look and I respect that as long as they keep it to themselves.
“The sweetest reaction is when children point at me and tell their parents that I ‘look like a princess’. I do feel like it has helped me find myself and what I like instead of just trying to fit in.
“I can do a simple version in twenty minutes for school but if I have time I usually give it over an hour. Sadly, I often priorities sleep.
“I just try to take care of my skin every day since it’s very sensitive, otherwise that’s it. In the future, I’d like to be able to cosplay more since it’s my hobby.
“When I first got into cute and dolly fashion I was really inspired by Japanese fashion magazines like ‘Egg’ and ‘Popteen’. That’s how found out about the fashion.
“Now I get a lot of inspiration by other amazing cute girls just scrolling through social media.
“My message to you is to try new things and do what you like. People will judge you no matter what and you’ll be better off handling it by doing something you love.”
For more information visit: https://www.instagram.com/meltyeye/
