The internet has a very short memory, but it refuses to let go of certain images. If you’ve spent more than five minutes on Pinterest or "Old Money" Twitter lately, you’ve seen them. Alexa Demie, draped in ethereal fabrics, looking like she just stepped out of a pre-Raphaelite painting or a dark folklore anthology. It’s the Fairy Tales Alexa Demie shoot, and honestly, it’s one of the few pieces of celebrity editorial from the last few years that actually feels like art instead of just "content."
She’s a shapeshifter. Most people know her as Maddy Perez from Euphoria, the girl who made rhinestone eyeliner a global phenomenon. But this specific project—photographed by the legendary Petra Collins—showed a completely different side of her. It wasn't about the high-glam, sharp-tongued teenager we saw on HBO. It was something much more ancient. Something weirder.
Petra Collins and Alexa Demie are a match made in aesthetic heaven. They both share this obsession with "girlhood" as something that is both beautiful and deeply unsettling. When they teamed up for the Fairy Tales book project, they weren't just taking pretty pictures for an Instagram grid. They were building a world.
The Visual Language of the Fairy Tales Alexa Demie Collaboration
The project actually stems from a book titled Fairy Tales, published by Rizzoli. It’s a collection of erotic and surrealist folklore written and photographed by Petra Collins, featuring Alexa Demie as the primary muse. If you're expecting Disney-style princesses, you’re looking in the wrong place. These stories are dark. They’re gritty. They’re basically the original Brothers Grimm versions filtered through a 1990s soft-focus lens.
In one of the most famous shots, Alexa is lying in a field of flowers, looking almost like a corpse—or perhaps a sleeping beauty who doesn't actually want to be woken up. The lighting is hazy, dreamlike, and distinctly Petra. There’s a specific shot of her with pointed elf ears that went absolutely viral. Why? Because it tapped into a very specific "recession-era escapism" that young people are feeling right now. We don't want to live in the real world; we want to live in a forest where we might be a wood nymph or a dangerous siren.
Demie has this incredibly specific face. It’s timeless. She can look like a silent film star from the 1920s or a club kid from the 2020s. In the Fairy Tales Alexa Demie series, she uses that versatility to play multiple archetypes. She’s the victim, she’s the monster, she’s the enchantress.
The costumes are a huge part of the draw. Think sheer lace, vintage corsetry, and heavy silver jewelry. It’s "Coquette" meets "Gothic." Fashion historians often point to the way these shoots reference the work of photographers like Sarah Moon or even the early 2000s editorials in Vogue Italia. But because it’s Alexa, it feels modern. It feels like something you’d find on a dusty VHS tape in a haunted attic.
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Why the "Demie-Core" Aesthetic Won't Die
You have to understand the context of when this dropped. We were coming out of a period of "Clean Girl" aesthetics—slicked-back buns, neutral colors, very corporate and sanitized. Alexa Demie is the antithesis of the Clean Girl. She represents "Messy Glamour."
The Fairy Tales Alexa Demie shoot provided a blueprint for people who wanted more texture in their lives. It encouraged a DIY approach to fashion. Suddenly, everyone was buying elf ears on Etsy and trying to recreate that "blurred" photography style on their iPhones. It wasn't just about the clothes; it was about the mood. It was about being "unreachable."
Alexa herself is famously private. She doesn't post on TikTok every day. She doesn't give us "get ready with me" videos where she talks about her breakfast. This mystery feeds into the fairy tale narrative. She is the mythical creature that only appears once every few years. That’s why these photos have such a long shelf life. They aren't tied to a specific trend cycle because they aren't trying to sell you a specific brand of sneakers or a new mascara. They’re selling a fantasy.
The Petra Collins Connection
We can't talk about these photos without talking about Petra. She has been criticized and praised in equal measure for her "female gaze" style, which often focuses on the vulnerability and sometimes the grossness of being a woman. In the Fairy Tales book, she pushes Alexa to be more than just a "pretty face."
There are images in the collection that are genuinely disturbing. Blood, dirt under fingernails, strange distorted perspectives. It challenges the viewer. It asks: "Why do we want our fairy tales to be pretty?" Historically, fairy tales were warnings. They were stories told to keep children away from the woods. Alexa plays into that danger perfectly. She doesn't look like she needs saving. She looks like she’s the one you should be afraid of.
The Cultural Impact and the "Ethereal" Trend
Since the release of the Fairy Tales book, we’ve seen a massive surge in what people call "Fairycore" or "Fantasy-core." This isn't just a niche internet thing anymore. High-fashion brands like Rodarte and Simone Rocha have been leaning heavily into these motifs for years, but Alexa Demie brought it to the mainstream.
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When you look at the Fairy Tales Alexa Demie images, you see the influence in modern music videos, too. Artists like Olivia Rodrigo or Willow Smith have clearly pulled from this visual lexicon. It’s that blend of suburban boredom and supernatural longing.
Interestingly, the shoot also sparked a lot of conversation about Latina representation in fantasy. For a long time, the "fairy" or "elf" aesthetic was dominated by very pale, European-centric features. Alexa Demie, who is of Mexican heritage, completely reclaimed that space. She proved that the "ethereal" look isn't tied to one specific ethnicity. It’s about energy. It’s about the way you hold yourself in front of a camera.
Breaking Down the Style Elements
If you’re trying to understand how this aesthetic works, it’s basically a mix of three things:
- Surrealist Propping: Using things like oversized mushrooms, fake wings, or vintage mirrors to create a sense of "otherness."
- Soft Focus/Grain: The photos look like they were shot on film because they usually were. There’s a warmth and a "noise" to the images that makes them feel tactile.
- Contradictory Makeup: Mixing heavy, dark eyeliner with very "dewy," natural skin. It creates a look that is both tired and awake, human and non-human.
People are obsessed with the "Maddy Perez" makeup, but the Fairy Tales Alexa Demie makeup is arguably more influential because it’s more wearable for everyday life—if you're the kind of person who wants to look like a woodland spirit, anyway.
The Legacy of the Project
Does it still matter in 2026? Absolutely.
As AI-generated imagery becomes more common, we’re seeing a backlash. People are craving things that feel "real," even if the subject matter is "fake." The Fairy Tales project feels human. You can see the imperfections. You can see the sweat and the dirt. You can see the chemistry between the photographer and the subject.
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Alexa Demie has become a bit of a silent icon. She chooses her projects carefully. She doesn't overexpose herself. This makes every new image feel like an event. But even as she moves on to new films and new roles, the "Fairy Tale" era remains her most cohesive visual statement. It’s the moment she stopped being an actress and became a Muse.
The photos remind us that fashion and photography don't always have to be about "looking good." They can be about storytelling. They can be about the weird, dark parts of our imagination that we usually keep hidden.
How to Apply the Fairy Tale Aesthetic to Your Own Creative Work
If you're a photographer or a stylist inspired by the Fairy Tales Alexa Demie collaboration, don't just copy the elf ears. Look at the lighting.
- Embrace Natural Distortion: Use old lenses or even put a bit of Vaseline on a filter to get that hazy, "Petra-esque" glow. The goal is to make the digital look analog.
- Focus on Narrative, Not Just Posing: Instead of just standing there, act out a scene. Are you hiding? Are you hunting? Alexa’s eyes always tell a story in these photos.
- Mix Textures: Combine delicate fabrics like silk and lace with harsh environments—think a forest floor, a concrete basement, or a dusty attic.
- Research Original Folklore: Look beyond the Disney versions. Read the Italian fairy tales or the Eastern European myths. Find the darkness and try to capture that in your visuals.
- Prioritize Mood Over Perfection: If the hair is messy or the makeup is smudged, keep it. That’s what gives the "Demie" look its power. It’s the "beautifully undone" quality that makes it feel authentic.
The real takeaway from the Alexa Demie and Petra Collins partnership is that the most lasting images are the ones that feel a little bit uncomfortable. They linger because they ask a question that they don't bother to answer.
To truly capture this vibe, start by curating a moodboard that focuses on "Atmospheric Storytelling" rather than just "Celebrity Style." Look for 19th-century illustrations and 70s horror movie stills. Combine these with the raw, modern energy of Demie’s editorial work to find a middle ground that feels fresh. If you’re shooting, try using a higher ISO to introduce grain, or experiment with colored gels—specifically greens and pale pinks—to mimic that specific forest-tinted world Alexa inhabited during this iconic era.
Keep your editing minimal; the "magic" should happen in the camera through lighting and genuine expression, not through heavy Photoshop filters that strip away the texture of the skin. Ultimately, the "Fairy Tale" look is about reclaiming your own mystery in an age where everything is usually on display.