Princesses

Decided to reflect on my growth as a cosplayer today and dug deep into my computer (photobooth to be specific) and found quite a few gems, and holy crap I sure have come a long way. Never stop learning, my friends! I've come so far as a cosplayer and I can't wait to see how my skills change farther up the road ✨💙✨ it sounds cliche but I encourage you to NEVER give up, because no matter what your skill sets are you can constantly improve upon them and grow. We all start somewhere! 😊 Now I challenge all my Cosplay, artists, and MUA friends to post something similar! "Change is inevitable, growth is optional" so go on and be proud of how far you have come!

A photo posted by TheOfficialAriel (@theofficialariel) on Jun 4, 2016 at 12:33pm PDT

For years, Richard Schaefer's tumblr Ariel's Grotto has been in the right-hand bloglist. You can see his cosplay evolution in the above images.

This past month, Ariel has been the subject of much publicity -- pieces in Cosmo online, The Daily Mail, The Huffington Post, The National Enquirer, etc. That's the kind of attention that helps yield 158,000 followers on Instagram!

I wonder if Richard would cosplay Hannah Montana, Lizzie McGuire, or  Jessica Rabbit? Here's a Taylor Swift look:

Got a long list of ex-lovers, they'll tell you I'm insane 😏💋 Congrats, Queen @taylorswift #dontsueme

A photo posted by TheOfficialAriel (@theofficialariel) on Feb 16, 2016 at 2:22pm PST

Mostly, as the stories report, Richard goes in for Disney princesses. Here are some faves:

It's hard to explain. Lizards and pumpkins and things! ✨✨✨

A photo posted by TheOfficialAriel (@theofficialariel) on Jun 23, 2016 at 10:13am PDT

I must say, I really felt quite distressed at not receiving an invitation 💚😈💚

A photo posted by TheOfficialAriel (@theofficialariel) on Jun 7, 2016 at 2:56pm PDT

Madame Gaston, can't you just see it? ✨💛✨

A photo posted by TheOfficialAriel (@theofficialariel) on May 17, 2016 at 6:10pm PDT

Pin-up Gurl: DeLa

Rupaul veteran Ben De La Creme makes a fabulous pin up gurl. I couldn't decide which of these pics to put first as DeLa looks gorgeous in all of them.

Tragedy

RIP Alanis Laurell (Ross), one of the 49 victims at Pulse.

Her artistry is apparent on any number of videos on youtube.




Alanis was simply lovely.

Yasumasa Morimura

Are you familiar with the photographer Yasumasa Morimura? He does self-portraits in the guise of famous people and iconic photos.

Hare are some fantastic examples -- Audrey Hepburn, Brigette Bardot, Elizabeth Taylor and Marlene Dietrich. A Google image search will yield many more treasures, including some male icons.

Favorites from Flickr

I check my Flickr account about once per week. It's always a good morning when I find new pics of Gina Lee. Though she's outdoors in the sunlight, she's ready here for a night on the town:

 

 And covergurl Vesna from Prague poses like a studio model:

 

Gender and Race Transformation?

This is Jerzy Grzechnik performing as Diana Ross on the Polish television program Twoja Twarz Brzmi Znajomo. How do we feel about the blackface?

 

 Jerzy has already appeared on the show as Adele and Britney Spears.

Guy Tries Online Dating as a Woman

A first-timer?

 



He also tweeted about it:

So this happened...

'Guy Does Online Dating as a Woman'https://t.co/T9Ds7X083J pic.twitter.com/Ymp3yiMbD4

— Sy Thomas (@Sy_Thomas) March 15, 2016