'Just because you are different doesn't mean you have to be an outcast'

EUGENE, Ore. - In sequins and star-shaped glasses, Mister Ooh La-La looks like a blast from the past.

"I was born in Eugene, but I consider myself a citizen of the world," he said.

And yes, that's his legal name.

"I prefer for the men to call me mister," he said, "and for the women to call me ooh la la."

He's a jack-of-all-trades - and interesting ones, to say the least.
    
"I am a film director, entertainer, full french fashionista, etcetera etcetera," he said.

In the 1990s, Mister Ooh La-La appeared on the "Jerry Springer Show" to show off his entertainer side. 

In 2009, he directed a feature-length slasher film set in "Emerald City, USA."

But of all his passions, being a "French fashionista" tops them all.

"I like the other worldly yet refined style, I guess you would say," he said.

So you might imagine him working in a clothing boutique or sending models out on the catwalk.

But no: he's a manager for a boxing duo in the DOA Professional Wrestling circuit.

He makes sure the wrestlers look good in the ring - and ringside, he's their biggest cheerleader.

So is this just an act?
 
"To me, I wake up in the morning and I am Mister Ooh La-La," he said. "Nothing seems out of the ordinary."

Growing up, he felt suppressed and tried to hide. But when he was 18, he changed his name - and his life. 

"A lot of times when I see groups of people, they're all wearing uniforms. They have the same haircut, the same pants and it's so sad because I feel like a lot of people suppress individuality to fit in with the masses," he said.

And in a day and age where we hear so much about bullying and acceptance of differences, perhaps there's a lesson we can learn from him.

"You don't have to walk around with the shackles of society," he said. "Just because you are different doesn't mean you have to be an outcast."

Beyond the sequins, berets and antics, there's some Mister Ooh La-La in all of us.

"Show to the world, don't be ashamed of who you are," he said. "If you are a genuine person, if you are a kind person, if you really show people the true reflection of who you are, they will see a piece of themselves in them because really, we all want the same thing. We all want to love and to be loved."