“This gorgeous Hälssen & Lyon calendar is made of brewable tea. Each day is made of fine pressed wafer thin tea leaves.” 

notbadcosplay:

musicalpencil:

notbadcosplay:

To every girl who has ever said, or even thought, “I’m not pretty enough to cosplay”

I want you to take a look at these photos. Side by side. One is fresh out of the shower and ready for bed. The other is wearing makeup, a wig, and having her picture taken by a photographer. This is the same girl.

It’s amazing how much you DON’T see of all those great cosplayers who are idolized. You see their cosplay pictures and are envious that you aren’t that pretty. But reality is, when we go out in cosplay there is a lot of makeup and wig work involved. I have friends that don’t recognize me outside of cosplay.

I don’t want young girls to look at cosplayers and think, “I can never look at that.” Because cosplay is what made me feel beautiful. I want you to look at yourself and say, “They’re just like me when they aren’t in costume. We’re all human, and I am just as beautiful as such and such is.”

When I go out to the grocery store, not wearing makeup, probably wearing old cut up jeans that have paint on them, I don’t get hit on. No one tells me I’m beautiful. But I step outside of my hotel room and suddenly I have young teenage girls telling me how they wish they looked like me and how they don’t feel pretty enough to cosplay.

I’m telling the truth when I say, “I’m wearing a lot of makeup.”

Except this only works if you’re white and have either universal or standard beauty features which work for almost every character. Makeup can change a lot, but it can only do so much. If the genetics didn’t work in your favor, you can’t treat this problem the same way because those that weren’t blessed with those genes aren’t treated the same way, in or out of cosplay. They - we - don’t have the luxury of being considered pretty or accurate no matter how much or little makeup. 

Uh. Anyone of any race, size, gender, or age is beautiful.
Even if you had your face ruined by a steam roller, you can still have beautiful features which can be focused on. Maybe it’s your eyes. Or your smile.
My post wasn’t “YOU CAN BE BEAUTIFUL WITH MAKEUP” it was, “Don’t say you can’t cosplay because you’re too ugly, because those beautiful girls you see cosplaying look like ordinary girls without all the glamour cosplay brings.”
I was bullied as a kid, called all sorts of names; from Albino and Ghost all the way to my family members calling me Chimperella because I apparently look like an ape. TO THIS DAY they use that as if it totally didn’t destroy my self image.

I didn’t think I was beautiful. I looked at other cosplayers and was like, “I wish I looked like her.” I wanted to badly to make my skin darker, or my eyelashes a normal color (mine are white) or may face less long or whatever. But I stopped myself. Because I am me, and I’ve only got one body.

When girls say they aren’t pretty enough to cosplay, I get upset. Because that was me. I had no self esteem. I didn’t see myself as beautiful, and no one else acted like I was. I don’t want people to go through the misery I did.

I tend to focus on the my features which I like best. I try to bring out my eyes and high cheek bones. I may not be the prettiest girl on earth by any means, and I was astounded when people told me both pictures were pretty because of this idea drilled into my head that without makeup, I’m ugly, but I know that I have good attributes, just like EVERYONE else
Maybe it’s your smile. Maybe it’s your eyes. Maybe it’s your lips, or some other feature. There is something in ALL OF US that is physically beautiful, no matter our size, age, race, or gender. Focus on that and you will realize that you are beautiful, no matter what anyone says.

And this is from the girl who was convinced for 20 years of her life that she looked like an Albino Ape. Don’t waste 20 years of your life feeling ugly. Find that beauty and focus on it.