A few weeks ago I shared on Twitter how much I’d love to see Disney give us a plus size princess:

 

Am I the only person who is totally ready for a #plussize Disney princess? #bodypositive pic.twitter.com/7L2z4epbmJ

— Jillian Pedersen (@jillianhailey) April 26, 2018

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Wouldn’t it be wonderful for our sons and daughters to see that there is beauty in all body sizes lead by one of the most adored storytellers of all time? I’ve really loved seeing the strides that Disney has made in the past few years. We’ve had less love stories and a variety of different princesses who are strong and determined. These are the lessons I love seeing my daughter soak in. But alas, every single one of these girls are thin, very thin. I think it’s finally time we see different body types represented by the heroes we’ve come to love. Perhaps this will happen in the future but in the mean time, I’ve discovered my very own plus size Disney princess on Instagram.  Her name is Misty.

Amazing photo right? I have a feeling you’ll be even more impressed when you learn that this outfit was handmade by Misty herself! Her love for cosplay started in fourth grade when she began going to conventions. At the time, her grandmother made her costumes but over the years Misty gained the knowledge from her grandma that would lead to her making her first costume on her own- Merida.

While she was certainly brave (pun intended) to take on such an intricate project on her own, you can see that it truly paid off. I’ll be the first to say I couldn’t pull anything off like this my first time in. Aside from seeing an accomplishment like this come to full fruition, there was something in the con world that she noticed was different and fulfilling. There was acceptance and support in there.

“I wasn’t getting compared to my skinny friends on appearance. People were saying that they liked my work and my skills. And that’s a huge amazing thing to me. I love competition, and part of why I love it, is that while there is some form of accuracy involved in being similar to character, judges critique on your craftsmanship and skill- not on your size, or if you look like you walked out of a movie. But even more so, I love the convention scene, because I don’t know that you’ll ever find a more inclusive type of community, at least in the midwest. We all take care of each other, and everyone is supportive of everyone. It’s that kind of positivity that people need more of in life.”

Misty’s story just gets better from here. Interning at the public library in her home town, she showed her co-worker some of the costumes she had been making. That’s what lead Misty to be invited to become a snow sister for an event at the library. Accompanying the well loved character Elsa, Misty as Anna made an appearance that would soon become multiple requests to do various character story time events.

“It’s so satisfying to be able to see little kids’ faces light up, and to give them an opportunity to meet a favorite Disney Princess, without having to have their parents somehow afford to travel all the way to Florida or California from Wisconsin.”

Through the success and acceptance of the community around her, Misty has been able to create Daikon Cosplay. The group educates others on how to dive into cosplay. Misty also plans to open an Etsy shop this summer to sell some of her designs. I find this to be an incredibly exciting opportunity for plus size women who have been yearning for more options to dress up as their favorite characters. We all know how hard it is to find a plus size costume.

While you’re looking through these amazing photo shoots, you may be wondering where Misty gets the confidence to follow her passion. We all know the battle of struggling with body issues, especially when wearing something that is sure to attract attention. For Misty, it’s been an area of growth. She shares that she’s been plus size her entire life but theater helped her break through any shyness she might have had. Even still, her adventure into cosplay began with her wanting to cover up her body. Thankfully, she had a roommate whose own confidence seemed to rub off on Misty. Her name is Bryar and she does plus size cosplay as well. A quick glance at her profile and you can see exactly what Misty is referring to. It’s amazing how things like that can become contagious. Being a Convention Director often looked to for guidance, she says you have to fake it ’till you make it. And she feels she’s made it, something I have to totally agree with. Look how much inspiration she is spreading from little girls that will now see a princess with a real body type to someone like me who is excited to see that plus size women can wear anything and look amazing in it.

“I still have flaws and parts of me I’m not happy with, but I love me for being me. And that’s something that I think is something to strive for, regardless of what you look like.”

She says that one way she’s helped build her confidence is by taking more selfies.

” There was some post on facebook a few years ago that said the more selfies you take and post, the more you’ll like yourself. And honestly it’s true. Because you start seeing all your good sides and good angles. And because you get that positive response on Facebook and Insta of people liking your face, it makes you feel good.”

This reminds me of one my very first blog post Get Your Confidence Back where I encourage those looking for a boost to take a photo shoot. It really does do wonders.

I’m so excited to have discovered Misty and even more so with sharing her amazing story. She really is paving the way for body acceptance and plus size representation. Thank you Misty for all you are doing in the community to make a difference. You can find out more about her cosplay group Daikon by visiting the website or liking them on Facebook. And to get your fill of all of the plus size cosplay Misty has to offer, give her a follow on Instagram!