Heidi Mae shares what being an egirl really means

By Harriet Piercy

Updated Jun 1, 2023 at 12:23 PM

Reading time: 4 minutes

14063

We’d only spoken about egirls as an internet trend before, but now we’ve also spoken to them in an effort to understand what the subculture truly means to them. Because perspective matters, am I right? Here’s how egirl Heidi Mae describes what being one entails and why she first shown interest in the subculture.

What is an egirl?

Mae, also known as @heidimaetrix on Instagram, told Screen Shot that “being an e-girl is all about dressing and acting how you want. It’s about not conforming to society’s expectations of you. For me, that’s kind of like dressing like I’m the villainess from an anime.”

She continued, “I started doing cosplay about 5 years ago, but I’d been secretly dressing up like characters in my room ever since I was a kid. Then suddenly I realised that I could share it on social media! It was just so much fun transforming into different characters and bringing them to life.” In its simplicity, cosplay refers to someone dressing up as a superhero or character from a video game, comic book, or movie.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Heidi Mae (@heidimaetrix)

The term cosplay was coined by the Japanese in 1984, which stands for ‘costume’ and ‘play’, and ever since then the industry surrounding the trend has grown remarkably. When we asked Mae where she’d like to live in the world, she told us “I’d have to say Japan. Because I am obsessed with the culture, food, and scenery.” Today, comic conventions take place all over the world where people spend huge amounts of money on costumes to wear, but thanks to social media, cosplay lovers no longer have to wait for a special event to find their community.

I had the opportunity to speak to the cosplay artist Jane Vindom, or @janevindom on Instagram, who fell in love with the art after visiting her first cosplay convention. She said that cosplay can only be described as “the best experience ever”, it has allowed her to travel, perform as well as judge other local conventions. What really stood out when speaking to Vindom was how incredibly important this community is to so many, and just how much passion drives it forward. She herself loves doing antagonistic and villain type characters, “I just find them more interesting and engaging, after all, most stories wouldn’t be as entertaining without them”

The artistry involved in cosplay is quite something, and “bringing the characters to life” as Vindom says to be her main objective, is no easy task. Cosplay costumes and props can be bought online, but a lot of them are intricately handmade to perfection. “When choosing a character, make sure it’s someone you really like or relate to… remember that there are no rules, when it comes to this hobby, just try to have fun with it”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by 🌸 Jane Vindom | COSPLAY 🌸 (@janevindom)

The positives and negatives that come with being an egirl

Just like everything else seen as ‘different’ by society, people are bound to talk and make judgements out of an unwillingness to understand. Unfortunately, stigmas are born, and once they are, they’re really hard to misspell. Mae told Screen Shot that “I can’t count the amount of comments I get on social media that are along the lines of; ‘you are cringe’ or ‘you’ll regret this when you’re older’ or ‘men are laughing at you, and not in a good way’.” As if that wasn’t enough, she doesn’t escape it offline either as she explained: “I get a lot of side glances and stares whenever I’m out in public.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Heidi Mae (@heidimaetrix)

So why would anyone want to live with that amount of negative chatter in their wake? Mae told me why, and her reasoning resonated with me: “The community is so accepting and friendly! They really support each other!” I’d like to point out here that not one of us can truly be friends with or liked by everyone we meet, and if anyone has a welcoming and happy group of people to be completely themselves with, why wouldn’t they want to be a part of that, regardless of what onlookers view them as?

Even though Mae puts up with—or hopefully ignores—the unnecessary bad vibes that are extended onto her social media platforms, she still has the courage to keep doing what she loves. “Something that I stand for is mental health awareness. I have anxiety, depression, and PTSD which I started treatment for 3 years ago. I am very transparent about my struggles and how they affect my everyday life. I want my followers to know that they’re not alone, that mental illness doesn’t make you weak and that the stigma surrounding psychiatrists and therapists needs to change.” And babe, I one hundred percent agree with you.

Mae continued that “You can’t let others’ opinion of you influence how you dress and act. There will be a lot of pushback from society” so “Just have fun with it!”

Mae also acknowledges the presence of different sub-genres within the egirl community, “There are a lot of genres! You have pastel goth, goth, gore, kawaii, etc. The fun thing about e-girls is that you can dress all pastel one day, and then dress a goth vibe the next, and that’s all just a part of being an egirl because there’s no wrong way to do it!” After hearing that, I kind of wished everyone else who doesn’t classify themselves as an egirl would just take a page out of their book, who’s to say there should ever be a ‘wrong way’ to be?

A lot of subcultures within the internet realm have enormous impacts on what an average person sees, and in themselves get influenced by, such as fashion for example. Soft boys are known for their comfy jumper while fuckboy can easily be identified by their caps. Mae seconded this by stating “I do think that e-girls influence fashion! Just look at how tennis skirts are suddenly trending in mainstream fashion when they’ve been a staple for e girls for a long time.” Also, the bleached fringe? What about the pink hair craze? All of these trends filter and polishes out in some way, eventually blurring the source. So how about we all think about this the next time we jump on a trend, huh? And never hesitate to ask, understanding culture makes living in it far more fun.

@heidimaetrix

Pastel pink #Egirl outfit! Skirt is from @yesstyle hoodie is @mukzin_official #egirloutfit #egirlaesthetic #kawaiifashion #altgirlaesthetic

♬ 神さまはじめました - kojikota45

Keep On Reading

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

MrBeast hunts for volunteers to test the viral question: who would win between 100 men and one gorilla?

By Abby Amoakuh

Celebrity Big Brother: JoJo Siwa’s partner Kath Ebbs turns off comments amid Chris Hughes romance rumours

By Eliza Frost

What is Shrekking? The latest toxic dating trend explained 

By Charlie Sawyer

Australian actor Joseph Zada cast as Haymitch Abernathy in upcoming Hunger Games prequel

By Charlie Sawyer

New study confirms Bacterial Vaginosis can be sexually transmitted, backing what women have long suspected

By Charlie Sawyer

Chris Brown is facing over 10 years in prison. Here’s how his violent past has led him here

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Jeffree Star makes inappropriate comment after Kanye West posts disturbing incest confession

By Charlie Sawyer

First look at $1 billion UK mini city where controversial HBO Harry Potter series will be filmed

By Abby Amoakuh

Campaigners call for gamers who carry out virtual rape in the metaverse to be charged as real-life sex offenders

By Eliza Frost

Kylie Jenner now follows Timothée Chalamet on Instagram, but he doesn’t follow her back

By Charlie Sawyer

Penn Badgley praised for opening up about fatherhood and raising sons on Call Her Daddy

By Charlie Sawyer

How influencer Liv Schmidt promotes toxic eating habits through the Skinni Société 

By Eliza Frost

Black cat boyfriends are in to replace golden retriever boyfriends, but are they just emotionally unavailable men in disguise?

By Eliza Frost

How Jet2holidays and Jess Glynne became the sound of the summer

By Abby Amoakuh

What is soft swinging? And why is the term trending on Mormon TikTok?

By Charlie Sawyer

Father of former Harry Potter star gives serious warning to the new child stars in HBO Max reboot

By Charlie Sawyer

UK government’s new murder prediction tool draws comparison to Tom Cruise film, Minority Report

By Abby Amoakuh

MrBeast faces new backlash as fans demand refunds for disastrous Las Vegas immersive experience

By Alma Fabiani

Amazon Music is giving away 4 months free. Here’s how to claim it

By Abby Amoakuh

BLACKPINK’s Lisa faces backlash after wearing civil rights icon Rosa Parks on her crotch at Met Gala