Canadian Cosplayer Sara Stewart

Hi Sara it is a pleasure to feature you on SimplySxy.  Please share with our readers a little about yourself and where you’re from?

Hi everyone! My name is Sara Stewart, but I go by the alias of Scarlix when online and cosplaying. I’m an animation and digital painting student at OCAD university in Toronto, Ontario, and I sew and craft in my spare time. I’m obsessed with Lord of the Rings, Kingdom Hearts, everything DC, and Pusheen the Cat! I’m your stereotypical shy, awkward, anxiety-ridden nerd who loves hugs and the indoors. I’m Canadian, born and raised (and yes, we do say “sorry” and “eh” a little too often), and live near Toronto. I’ve yet to go to a con outside of Canada, but hope to travel (or be invited) to conventions in other countries soon!

When did your interest in cosplay start?

My interest in cosplay started about 4 years ago when I first heard about conventions and the fact that people would dress-up as characters when they went to them. Halloween is my favourite time of year, so I’ve always enjoyed dressing-up in costumes, and I love everything to do with comics, gaming, anime, and sci-fi, so it just made sense to try it out! The first time I went to a con was FanExpo Canada in 2015. I was supposed to go with a group of friends, but they ditched me, so I ended up taking my mom with me. The best thing is that my mom now attends almost every con with me and has become my biggest fan/supporter and also a huge nerd too!

Which character have you enjoyed cosplaying most so far?

I absolutely love cosplaying Raven from Teen Titans. It was the first costume I ever actually sewed and put together (with the help of my mom)! I connect with Raven on so many levels that I feel almost too comfortable when portraying her (haha). She’s quiet, enjoys being alone, annoyed by people, never smiling, and a little gothic… Pretty much sums me up! Not only do I relate to her, but her costume is SO comfy to wear.

If you’re a con-goer, you know how tiring it is to walk around convention halls for 8+ hours a day, so being comfortable is very important. She is also very well-known and easily recognizable by kids, which is honestly one of my favourite things about cons. Nothing can compare to the look on a little kid’s face when they see their favourite character from their favourite cartoon in real-life. I grew up watching the original Teen Titans cartoon, so I understand how magical it is to see your favourite character come to life.

How is a typical cosplay con like and what do you usually do there?

My typical con day starts at about 5am. Most of my cosplays require extensive makeup and preparation time, so I like to set aside at least 2-3 hours for getting ready (I’m usually a zombie until at least 6am, or I’ve had some tea and food). Once I’ve gotten in my cosplay and packed my bag for the day, it’s time to hit the convention floor! I like being really prepared and planned out with how I’m going to spend my time, so the con map and schedule is my best friend!

Throughout the day, my mom (or other friends with me) will have to frequently remind me to drink water and eat food. My anxiety can get pretty high during conventions, so the thought of actually consuming anything is at the back of my mind. I usually have between 1-4 photoshoots set up for the day, so I plan out how to get to the locations and how long it will take all the day before. In between photoshoots, I mainly spend my time taking pictures with other con-goers, browsing the dealer’s room and artist alley (I’m a sucker for all of that beautiful art, and it’s a great way to support local artists too!), and saying hi to my con friends whom I only get to see a few times a year. By the end of the day, I’m absolutely exhausted and ready for a nice bath, greasy food, my hotel bed, and whatever happens to be playing on the TV.

What misconceptions about cosplay still exists now?

A lot of people still believe that you have to be a certain size or race to cosplay – I say to heck with all of those people! The cosplay community is built on mutual support and love for everyone around them. We help each other and encourage each other to continue doing what we love and get better at it. Cosplay is for EVERYONE! Be who you want to be! Wear what you want to wear! No matter what, there will always be people who will find false flaws in you, so ignore them and do what you love! You shouldn’t cosplay someone based on the sole fact that you might look like them. You should be cosplaying because you love the characters you portray and want to show off how AWESOME you are!

If you could have a superpower, what will it be?

Oh man, this question always stumps me… I think I’d have to say that I’d love the ability to shapeshift. Can you imagine how rad it would be to turn into a dragon! It would make commuting to school a whole lot easier, that’s for sure. I could explore the world in a whole new way, see things I can only dream of seeing – Soaring through the skies as a graceful hawk, swimming through the deep seas as a slick shark, running to catch my classes or the train on time as a speeding cheetah… The possibilities are endless! Plus, I’m a huge animal lover and I like to think that shapeshifting into a certain creature would allow me to understand and talk to them.

Which genre of movie do you like most?

Fantasy and sci-fi! I fall in love with the stunning worlds that CGI can create nowadays. I love being whisked away on unimaginable adventures, to lands that make our world seem so small, with creatures of every kind! As I previously mentioned, I’m a die-hard Lord of the Rings fan, so anything fantasy is my cup of tea. I find that I really become fully immersed in the worlds and stories of fantasy/sci-fi movies, and it allows me to escape our occasionally dull world for a short while when needed.

What is the funniest or lamest attempt a guy has tried to know you?

Let’s go with the lamest attempt a guy has tried to get to know me. I receive a lot of personal DMs on Instagram, as that is where I am most active on social media. I honestly do not mind answering questions about cosplay or someone wanting to briefly say hi to me, but let me inform you that cosplayers have lives outside of social media. We go to school, we have jobs, we have our own problems and schedules that we have to deal with on a day-to-day basis. That being said, we are not online to be your personal pen-pals. I had a guy recently attempt to buy and send me a gift in hopes to (and I swear to you these were his exact words), “have the chance to become better aquatinted” with me.  I love my followers and I’d love to meet all of you at conventions, but I’m not something that you can “buy” time from. Please do all cosplayers a favour, and refrain from trying to “buy” our friendship.

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions Sara. One question before we end, how do you define “sexy”? 

“Sexy” is being confident with who you are and what you’re wearing. I find that when I truly connect with a character when cosplaying, it’s a huge self-esteem boost and I feel sexy no matter where I am or who is looking at me. It takes a lot of courage for cosplayers to pour their hearts and souls into costumes that take countless time and effort to make, and then to present themselves to crowds of thousands of people. Sexy is feeling good about yourself and not caring what others think of you. Be sexy! Be proud to see yourself as sexy!

Follow the beautiful Sara Stewart on:

Instagram: @scarlixcosplay
Facebook: Scarlix Cosplay

Images courtesy of Sara Stewart, D Fundano Photography, KJ @OOC, Harrison Tan

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