This Tim Burton fan works as a carer for the elderly by day, and transforms herself into a human doll at night.
Despite her child-like appearance, Lucia, from Sweden, is 20-years-old, and has been cultivating her look since falling in love with Burton’s gothic movies as a teenager.
She said collecting gothic dolls triggered her own ’emo phase’, which saw her cut off her hair and dye it black, before developing the girlier, doll-like appearance she favours today.
Lucia, who wears eye-enhancing contact lenses but hasn’t had surgery, says her look often attracts criticism in public and online – where she shares snaps of her outfits on Instagram – but insists her cosplay hobby isn’t a ‘weird, sexual thing’, and says it has helped her to find herself.
Swedish carer Lucia, 20, has long had a fascination with the film director, Tim Burton
She began emulating Japanese street style as a teenager around five years ago
It wasn’t until she was 15 that Lucia began replicating Japanese street fashion, two years after she first developed an interest in it after discovering Japanese magazines.
‘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.
Lucia, who uses eye enhancing contact lenses but has not had any surgery, says she often attracts negative comments in public and on social media
‘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 make-up 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.
She shares snaps of her extreme, doll-like look with followers on her Instagram page
Despite her childlike appearance, Lucia is 20-years-old and works as a carer for the elderly
‘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 prioritise 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.’