Mandy Pursley was born without a right forearm, KNSD reported. She told KPBS, "When I was growing up, I rarely saw anyone who looked like me on television ... I still had never seen amputee women being portrayed as beautiful or strong."
In a Sept. 19 Facebook post, Pursley said she was inspired to create a Cinderella costume with a twist after her 8-year-old daughter began reading the fairy tale in school.
Pursley told KPBS that it took 60 hours to create the Cinderella ballgown. Instead of glass slippers, she had a sculptor use her prosthetic limb as a model to make an arm out of clear resin. She created a Prince Charming costume for her husband, who is a staff sergeant in the Marine Corps. The couple donned their costumes for a photo shoot and Pursley decided to post the photos on her Facebook page after she was unable to attend Comic Con due to illness, KNSD reported.
The positive response has been overwhelming, and inspired Pursley to create a separate Facebook page, Be the Spark Cosplay, to encourage others to "use cosplay and art as a means to highlight the beauty of our differences."
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