An autistic woman has dedicated herself to cosplaying as an ordinary woman in her everyday life, it has been revealed.
Emma Bernard, 28, from Huyton, first began dressing up as Emma Bernard (Normal Version) in her early teens – after people routinely rejected her for who she was.
“The trick is to wear what everybody else wears without being accused of copying,” Bernard told us. “My colleague laughed when when I bought the same Zara tank top. Then it was the sage pleated skirt from H&M, then the yellow frilly ASOS jumpsuit. After that, she blocked me on Instagram and told me to stop stalking her online.”
“It’s far more than just a look,” Bernard insists. “I’ve sewn myself a whole new personality. I laugh in all the right places. I make up friends that I pretend to be hanging out with, when I’m really just spending weekends in bed. And when people ask what music I like, I make sure to never actually tell them.”
“It means I’m no longer the Emma who got bullied,” Bernard said proudly. “I’m now the Emma doing a horrible impression of a neurotypical woman, and getting bullied for that instead.”
Despite her commitment to being a full-time cosplayer, Bernard worries that nobody’s asked for a photo with her yet. “Does that mean my costume is really convincing, do you reckon? Or just plain bad?” Loved ones of Bernard’s refused to comment.
“It’s a real thrill pretending to be somebody else.” Bernard insisted. “I mean, hiding who I am on a daily basis is slowly killing me. But in a really fun way.”
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