People yell at me in public and call me a demon because of my extreme appearance, but I don’t mind looking scary
A punk body modification fan has revealed that people are so scared of his alternative appearance that they ‘yell’ at him in public.
Seb Axel, 28, from Brighton, started experimenting with a more unique style around the age of 21: he got piercings and tattoos, dyed his hair silver and wore white contact lenses.
The video game studio project manager estimates he spent around £2,000 to achieve the look he wanted, which has earned him nicknames such as ‘demon boy’, ‘angel from above’, ‘alien’ and ‘thing at the foot of my bed’. ‘.
Although he loves the gothic look, which is inspired by anime, Seb admits he gets some pretty extreme reactions when he’s out in public.
‘Some people are completely shocked by it [my look]’, Seb explained.
Seb Axel, 28, has revealed that people are so scared of his alternative appearance that they ‘yell’ at him in public
“I had people yell at me in public, in both good and bad ways. People run up to me and try to start a conversation with me.
‘I once had a woman in her thirties tell me I was a beautiful creature from another world – there was no way she would stop talking to me for at least ten minutes straight.
‘I know a lot of people can’t handle the eyes.
‘If I try to be a little more incognito, the trick is never to look at people; that’s usually exactly the moment when people start to panic.
‘But I don’t really care if people find me scary. I mean, to some extent that’s the point, right?
“One thing I’ve been paying attention to is that if someone reacts or says something in a big way, that means I’m doing a good job of being that thing.
“Sometimes an insult to me is actually proof that what I’m trying to convey is working.”
The project manager from Brighton started experimenting with his unique style around the age of 21
Seb introduced himself as a teenager before starting his body modification journey
Seb has hand and arm tattoos, has dyed his hair silver and is used to wearing white lenses and acrylic nails
He has had nose bridge and septum piercings, as well as upper and lower lip piercings
Although he loves the anime-inspired goth look, the Brighton man says he gets some pretty extreme reactions when he’s out in public
So far, Seb has had nose bridge and septum piercings, upper and lower lip piercings, hand and arm tattoos, dyed his hair silver and is used to wearing white lenses and acrylic nails.
“People are just at a loss for words,” he said.
‘It can be a bit scary for me at times, I’ve had a few comments from quite large guys who seem a bit rough and I can’t tell at all whether they approve or hate my appearance.
“It’s almost funny to think that some of these actually slightly dangerous people are afraid of me rather than the other way around, but it’s become the most normal thing in the world.”
Despite the ‘huge’ backlash he often receives, Seb insists the negativity doesn’t affect him – and even his loved ones have largely accepted his style.
“I think my mom definitely had a lot of reservations about it at first, but I think she’s mellowed out about it over time,” the 28-year-old explained.
“My friends are much more supportive and even encourage me to go further and make it even crazier.”
He also said that he should not be discriminated against because of his idiosyncratic style, adding: ‘I don’t want alternative fashion styles to be limited to people who are problematic or mentally unstable or crazy or anything like that.
Seb, pictured as a teenager, has natural curly brown hair and matching auburn eyes
He started his body modification journey by dying his hair different colors
Despite the ‘huge’ reactions he often receives, Seb insists that the negativity does not affect him
Next, he hopes to get a forked tongue, thinking it’s a “cool, extreme body mod.”
The 28-year-old often wears white contact lenses and lots of eyeliner
Seb likes to experiment with striking makeup looks with a black lip
‘It can and should be for everyone who wants it.
‘I want to be proof that you can be well-rounded, have a great career, be friendly, approachable, healthy and fit and have a positive impact on the world, despite looking like an absolute mental case. ‘
Looking to the future, Seb has plans for more adjustments.
He said: ‘I would love to have a split tongue – for me that’s just the coolest extreme body mod, it’s so unique and you don’t see it often.
‘Along the same lines, I would like to have permanent canines – I feel like things in your mouth just feel really intense and it would be insane to combine the two.
“I also want to cover most of my body with tattoos, except maybe my face, because I don’t think that suits the aesthetic.”