I earn $100-AN-HOUR to dress up as Disney princesses – it is the best job ever

A woman has revealed how she gets paid $100 an hour to dress up as Disney princesses, transforming herself into Moana, Princess Jasmine and Encanto’s Mirabel.

Disney superfan Maya Browne, 27, from Los Angeles, has wanted to work as a professional princess since high school.

She used non-uniform days at school to express her love for Disney princesses and dress up as her favorite characters.

Maya regularly attended character cosplay conventions before she started experimenting with body paint and sharing her designs on social media.

She eventually sought work as a princess performer — and hasn’t looked back since.

Disney superfan Maya Browne, 27, from Los Angeles, has wanted to work as a professional princess since high school

Maya’s career has gone from strength to strength and she finally landed her dream gig when she was offered a role organizing children’s parties in February 2022 as the main characters of Encanto, Mirabel and Isabela.

Now that she works in what she describes as ‘the best job ever’, she attends up to two parties a day like a real princess.

Maya, a part-time cosplayer and part-time princess artist, said, “I have always loved Disney and felt very connected to the characters.

‘Actually, I can just be a big kid as a job. I go to parties dressed up, hang out with the kids, play games, tell stories, birthday cakes, take pictures and get paid $100 an hour.

“It’s really fun and special, especially for those kids who might not be able to go to Disneyland and I can be their princess.

‘It is very important to me to make the children feel special.

“When I see their faces and they hug me and don’t want to let go, it’s so special.”

When organizing a princess party, Maya’s day can be busy, especially if she has to change characters.

She used non-uniform days at school to express her love for Disney princesses and dress up as her favorite characters

Maya regularly attended character cosplay conventions before she started experimenting with body paint and sharing her designs on social media

She explained, “I do my makeup, which usually takes 45 minutes to an hour.

‘I’ll be there an hour early to put on my costume and get my party bag ready. I make sure I have my storybook, face paint, speaker and tiara to crown the birthday girl.

‘If I can’t paint all the children’s faces, I make sure I have stickers to hand out.

‘When I come in, there is always music on and I give the birthday boy/girl a big hug and talk to them for a while.

“I like to jump right into a dance because it’s a good icebreaker. Then I move on to face painting and balloons.

‘Every parent is different in what he or she likes. Sometimes they want games all the time, but sometimes it’s more personal with the kids.

‘The next time I have a party with another princess, I have to change the make-up and costume in the car. I’ve gotten really good at changing in my car.’

Maya’s favorite character to perform is Mirabel, thanks to her “high energy” and “fun songs.”

“Moana is also fun because I can change my voice to sound very much like her.”

Maya had the opportunity to work with Disney when she cosplayed as a character from Avatar, describing it as “surreal.”

Maya’s career has gone from strength to strength and she finally landed her dream gig when she was offered a role organizing children’s parties in February 2022 as main characters from Encanto, Mirabel and Isabela.

Now working in what she describes as ‘the best job ever’, she attends up to two parties a day like a real princess

‘It was surreal. It’s sometimes hard to accept that this is something I can do. I am so incredibly grateful to have these opportunities.

“When I was invited to a Disney premiere and given the cosplay opportunity, it was crazy.

‘I’d felt inadequate for so long and then this company that I’d looked up to all my life told me to come along – it’s just amazing.’

After attending the 2021 LA Comic Con, Maya knew she wanted to work in cosplay and princess performance.

“I had a mutual friend on TikTok who gave me her extra ticket and I had the best three days of my life.

‘I learned so much about costumes and social media. It gave me a euphoric feeling. I knew this was what I wanted to do and I wanted this to be my job.

‘I also felt like I didn’t fit in very well at school, so it was great to finally feel like I belonged and I had wanted that all my life.

“I now sometimes get paid by TikTok for videos I post of characters I’m dressed up in.”

Maya believes there needs to be better representation for artists of all backgrounds within her industry to share: ‘I’m half black, half white and there isn’t really a princess who is the same as my background.

“I do all these other characters, I don’t represent their background, but I have a similar skin color.

‘Many companies don’t have enough artists to play certain princesses. I’ve never met anyone who plays Moana who is Polynesian.

“They’re usually girls who can physically represent the character, but don’t come from the same background.”

She said: “A lot of people online say I have to come from the same background as the character to play them (but) I don’t agree with that.

“If I’m not going to play Princess Jasmine or Moana, then it’s a white person.

“If there are more girls who look like me and want to do this job, please start because we need you.

“I don’t feel like I have to come from the same background as long as I look like the character.

“As a child, I saw Spanish characters and could identify with each other because we look alike, regardless of our background.

“Ultimately it’s a personal decision, but a lot of places don’t care about representation.”