This is a part of a series titled Self-Acceptance where I explain the process of self-portraits I have taken which started during lockdown. It explores themes of self-confidence, working with what you have, and accepting myself (duh). 

In case you didn't know, this post's cover photo consist of onigiri! Watching anime makes me crave Japanese cuisine, so I made a batch of pork belly onigiri last week. It was my first time, and they turned out great! As you can tell, I'm an avid anime fan. Some of my favorites are Naruto, DBZ, Attack on Titan, Demon Slayer, and I wish I could name more, but that'd be a long list. They've always been a big part of my life, and it's become a subject in some of my self portraits:

These portraits aren't cosplay to be exact, but are more so photos inspired by certain characters. I've called them modern takes. Officially, I've done(left to right):


  • Prince Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender - I got the idea from my eczema. This winter has been particularly harsh on my skin(maybe because of quarantine and being inside more?). It's especially bad around my eyes, and I look extremely tired when it's flared up. It reminded me of Zuko's scar, and I was able to photoshop it onto my face. My eczema isn't as big as the scar, but the redness is pretty similar. I'm pretty self conscious about it, but this helped me look at it in a positive light.
  • Tanjiro Kamado from Demon Slayer - Tanjiro has some really cool earrings, and I wanted them for myself. As soon as I got them I went straight into photography mode. However, I wanted to capture the unique style from the series, and was able to create some of the water breathing form animation for the shoot. It's my first time mixing 2D with real life, and it's such a distinct look thanks to the color scheme.
  • Itachi from Naruto - Itachi is probably my favorite character from the series. I won't say why because it might spoil it. His clan carry the Sharingan(look at my eyes), and an earlier series it was my first foray into anime inspired photography. This time around, I got an Akatsuki inspired jacket from a brand called Pink City. Aside from that, we also just painted an accent wall in our house at that time, and the black really set the tone for the shoot.


***I've unofficially done Trunks, Rock Lee, and Todoroki Shoot, which basically means I did quick tests on my iPhone.***


I love doing these because they help me get really creative in how I portray these characters and choose to be inspired by them. I have more that I want to do, so you'll definitely see more of these. Which has been your favorite so far?