A woman who identifies as a vampire has laid bare her unusual lifestyle – revealing that while she doesn’t drink blood, she ‘sucks energy from people.’
Self proclaimed ‘nerd’ Hellen Schweizer, 30, from Providence, Rhode Island, explained that she spent years being fascinated by the idea of ‘vampirism.’
She explained that she would ‘dress up as fictional vampires’ and film content for social media – when one day, the realization hit her that it wasn’t just a costume.
‘In 2016, I was first introduced to the term [vampirism] but I spent years trying to convince myself that wasn’t who I was because so many people say “vampires aren’t real,”‘ she explained exclusively to the Daily Mail.
‘One night in March 2022, I was getting ready to make videos and I looked at myself in the mirror and said, “This is not the costume.”
‘And it was that moment that began my still ongoing journey of learning, and embracing who I am as a vampire.
‘The Count from Sesame Street isn’t real, Lestat isn’t real, but vampirism as a spirituality very much exists, and is what Bram Stoker researched when writing Dracula.’
Hellen explained that most of the ideas about vampires like only being able to come out at night and garlic being poisonous were just made up for the movies.
‘I love garlic. Love it. I put garlic on [everything]. I’m obsessed,’ she revealed.
‘I do sleep at night but I tend to fall asleep around 3am and wake at 10am, so I’m a night owl.
‘I won’t burst into flames when I touch the sun, but for me and many other vampires, the sun does drain us and it takes a little extra energy to bring us back to normal.
‘I will age, and my body will eventually take a dirt nap, but my soul is what lives forever and will reincarnate.’
While she doesn’t drink blood, she said there are some people who identify as vampires who do.
Instead, she said she ‘takes energy’ from others with their ‘consent.’
‘We’re called “vampires” because we suck energy out of a person and put it into ourselves through meditation practices,’ she dished.
‘For example I might feel drained, and a friend might have too much energy. She’ll ask if I can take some and it’s a win-win for everyone.
‘Then there’s ambient energy, which isn’t necessarily in someone but around them. That type of energy usually manifests at concerts, festivals, etc.
‘What makes me different from someone who isn’t a vampire is the fact that they don’t need to take energy.
‘They have it, and can replenish. We as vampires don’t naturally have our own and become drained when we don’t “feed.”‘
Hellen, who works in a book store, loves to embrace the vampire look and often wears fake fangs, a cape, and sparkling makeup – because ‘yes, real vampires sparkle.’
But unfortunately, that means she sometimes gets stares from strangers in public.
‘I definitely get stares,’ she admitted. ‘I get occasional [comments like], “Vampires aren’t real. Get a life,” or, “Jesus can save you from all this.” But usually people get excited and say they love my outfit.’
She also sometimes receives ‘downright vile’ comments from trolls online.
‘They usually don’t listen when I say vampirism is a spiritual path, and they assume I’m under the impression that I’ll live forever and be able to turn into a bat and fly into their homes,’ she explained.
‘The most harmless will say I’m “delusional,” “not a real vampire,” or, “attention seeking” but the more harmful ones will say things like, “I bet her parents disowned her,” “We should bring back bullying,” or, “Real vampires aren’t crossed eyed and ugly like she is.”
‘Or they make assumptions that I’m evil and hurt people and animals and plants. But I love people, and animals and plants and try to do my best to make a positive impact.’
However, she insisted that she’s unbothered by the hate, adding, ‘I just laugh at how ridiculous people can be.
‘I’d like to say I feel sort of sorry for my haters. My haters aren’t very bright, are they? And instead getting on the internet to have fun, learn new things, and interact with all different kinds of people, they log in, say a lot of nasty words, and then carry that with them through the day.
‘Hatred is a gross disease that cripples the mind and body. They’re sad and angry people and I feel sorry for them that they never get the chance to be free, love, and embrace their complex identity like I do.’
Most of her family is supportive – except her mom, who ‘probably thinks she’s going to hell’ – but unfortunately, Hellen said she’s lost a slew of friends over it.
‘I’ve lost friends because of this. There were also old friends who said they were initially supportive, but then would snicker behind my back and say the meanest things and judge my appearance,’ she shared.
‘It was like being bullied in high school all over again. It hasn’t stopped me from being me though, and I have friends I made a few years ago who really love and respect me, and I’ve been making more friends these days who embrace me for who I am.’
But most importantly, she said her husband, Jean-Marc, is her number one supporter.
‘He himself isn’t a magic practitioner or a vampire but he encourages me to embrace myself and my magic,’ she gushed.
‘We love each other so deeply and I honestly feel like the happiest woman in all the world.
‘I told Jean-Marc I was a vampire a few weeks into dating. He knew I did videos but he didn’t know it wasn’t just cosplay.
‘He was, and has been constantly supportive and never once put me down. Instead, he builds me up when I’m discouraged and I want everyone to have this in their lives.’
In the end, she hopes that being open and honest about her lifestyle will help end the stigma around vampires.
‘Vampires have the reputation for being dark and mysterious, and I have those traits, but mostly I’m goofy and nerdy,’ she concluded.
A 2015 survey conducted by the Atlanta Vampire Alliance found that 5,000 people in the US practice vampirism.
An author and ‘vampire expert’ named Joseph Laycock who studied and wrote a book on the lifestyle previously told BU that there are two different types of vampires: lifestyle and real ones.
‘Lifestyle vampires admire the aesthetic. They may like vampire movies or writer Anne Rice, and they may own a set of prosthetic fangs or wear Victorian costumes to nightclubs,’ he said.
‘But at the end of the day, they know they’re no different from anyone else because they don’t feed.
‘Real vampires, on the other hand, believe that their physical, mental, and emotional health will deteriorate if they don’t feed – either on blood or on energy.’
He said the vampires that do drink blood generally have ‘a few drops at a time’ through a ‘syringe.’
