When it comes to fandoms, cosplay is one of the more creative ways of expressing your love for a genre. The innovative costumes, elaborate makeup, and unique props are, after all, a main draw of Comic-Con.
So what better way to pay homage to the beauty of classic Disney princesses than re-creating their looks IRL? Richard Schaefer, known as The Official Ariel on both Tumblr and Instagram (although his Instagram is currently private), does just that — and he's getting famous for it. Schaefer, who Metro reports is a freelance makeup artist, has transformed himself into many a princess or prince — Snow White, Jasmine from Aladdin, Meg from Hercules, and, of course, Ariel and Eric from The Little Mermaid.
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The 21-year-old started experimenting with transformations roughly four years ago, and he first cosplayed as his favorite princess Ariel, before tackling other leads in classic Disney stories (see some of his earlier work here). "I was pleasantly surprised at how convincing I looked, so I decided to stick at it and try different princesses too," he told Metro.
Today, he not only styles his own wigs (which he says is "a fucking blast"), but also sews most of his own costumes.
Since he first donned that auburn mane, he's honed his incredible makeup skills and strengthened his fan base: He now has more than 82,000 Instagram followers. Our only question: When are the YouTube tutorials coming?
Click here for a sampling of his best looks.