I’m introducing a new series called Game Changers, where I hope to bring you some of the most fascinating people who are changing the game for our LGBTQIA+ family.
Allow me to introduce you to Stef Peloza, a 19-year-old professional make-up artist and YouTube video blogger (http://www.youtube.com/stefsanjati) with over 174,000 subscribers. Her videos regularly reach a much larger audience, into the millions at times. She is active on many social media platforms under her pseudonym Stef Sanjati and has been referred to by a number of media sources as one of the most inspirational young trans women of our time. Here is an interview we did earlier this month:
Hi Stef, let’s start with a few details to introduce you to our readers.
Okay! I was born and raised in Wallaceburg, Ontario. Small town, nothing but a Wal Mart and some churches. I live in Toronto and work as a make-up artist and blogger, and I want to really focus on the blogging aspect because I really enjoy it and connecting with my audience.
How long have you been video blogging on YouTube?
I had an old channel about six years ago in early high school, but there was about a four or five-year gap between that work and my new work. I consider the first channel kind of a warm-up period, the break where I observed the world and worked a day job to be an incubation period, and the new work to be a birth. It’s what I really love to do – connecting with an audience, sharing emotion and life. While doing make-up is a skill I have, blogging feels like the life I want and it’s more fulfilling than anything else I’ve done.
Let’s talk a bit about some of your posts on YouTube… you’ve hit on a number of topics, but the one that seemed to get a great deal of interest was the one titled, My Face: Waardenburg Syndrome. (http://youtu.be/Rbra10-3sa8) Could you tell our readers more about this topic?
Waardenburg Syndrome is a genetic trait I’ve inherited from my mother’s side that, essentially, gives me my face. If you Google it and look at the people that come up, we tend to have a lot in common. Not just a nose shape or a smile, but it’s like your face is copied and pasted onto another body. It’s bizarre. The look itself though is what gets attention – bright blue eyes, wide-set features, white hair. When I was a kid it seemed like a sin to be different, physically, but now that I’ve grown up I understand it’s the unique parts of us that make us interesting. I love my face now. The video itself has garnered 2 million views now – I did not expect that when I recorded it. Saying the number “million” feels unreal to me, because in my head I think that surely that many people don’t really care to watch me speak? It’s interesting. I wrote that video on a 20-minute subway ride and recorded it on a whim in about 15 minutes. It wasn’t something I spent a lot of time thinking about, so I’m glad it has been well-received and most of the responses and comments have been positive and kind!
Can you share about your artistry through make-up? You do truly amazing work for the people you work with.
There’s a lot I could say about make-up. Without getting too specific, I can say that I feel make-up should be owned by the person wearing it. I mean to say that it should feel like you – not like a mask. Whether or not it looks like a mask is irrelevant. It needs to feel like part of your body. You need to look into the mirror and see yourself as you want to see yourself, not see what you think others want to see. If those are the same thing, okay, but it usually isn’t. When it comes to more high fashion or theatrical things or costume looks, of course, the same things don’t apply. But when you paint your face in the morning, it should be you looking back at yourself in the mirror.
I’ve seen many examples of your work, you seem to have a knack for seeing the person inside aching to be let out, and showing that person to the world… any thoughts?
I would say that’s a wonderful compliment because that’s what I try to achieve all the time. Sometimes the person inside is different from day to day, too. I’m all about expressing who you are through your body, through your appearance. Having ownership and agency over yourself and showing what you want to show off who you are on your body. Make-up, to me and in my life, plays an intimate part in that.
You recently came out to family and friends as a transgender woman before coming out publicly, how did that go for you?
It didn’t go as I thought it would, actually. Most cases were perfectly fine, but there was one that went unexpectedly. I expected something extremely positive and excited, mostly because I kind of thought they already knew. If they did know, I think they were telling themselves it wasn’t true, perhaps. They reacted in a defensive way, almost. Like I was questioning their understanding of who I was. Of course, my understanding of who I am is the only one that matters. However, I think I tend to forget that other people do have opinions on me, and that kind of bothers me. It’s like trans people almost need to ask permission before transitioning, as if they may not know what’s good for them. This is the best thing for me.
How was it for you, the response to your Facebook post, then your video post with over 457,000 views titled “I’m Transgender” (http://youtu.be/1Ynvhmk_zgA)?
When it comes to online responses, sometimes it’s easy to forget they’re real. I try to read each and every one twice over so that I can absorb it, and I try to picture it being said to me, and I find thinking of them that way gives it a more personal effect. Hearing that my videos or writing has helped someone or encouraged someone or even brightened someone’s day has a profound effect on me and gives me the fuel I need to keep on creating, or to transition, or to really do anything with my life. That fuel is the reason I do what I do – if I was Lady Gaga, I would say that I live for the applause. It’s like that.
Did you expect the response you’ve received so far since telling the world who you always have been?
No, I didn’t expect it. Online, the response keeps on going. It keeps living. That’s something that I love about it. There’s a wave when you first unleash something onto the web but a few months later, someone else may find it and more dominoes can fall. It’s like a gallery. I didn’t expect a big response, but I live for each and every response, whether it’s one comment or a bunch of news articles.
If you could speak directly to Trans Youth who find your coming out video, what would you tell them?
I would say that you are perfect as you are. To be incomplete is a human experience, and we’re always growing. YOUR BODY IS NOT WRONG. It may not look just how you want it to, but the second you acknowledge that, you’re not trapped anymore. It’s never necessary to hate your body, and if you do, it’s not on you. It’s not your fault, and I hope you fall in love with it soon.
Who are your role models, who inspire you?
My biggest role model is my mother – she’s the exact kind of woman that I aspire to be. So compassionate and her care for everyone is something to praise. I also adore Lady Gaga, who got me through all of puberty and teenage life. Now that I’m older, I really respect her artistry. Her commitment to her art and her imagination is incredible – I hope to create like that one day. Video games are a huge source of aesthetic inspiration for me, too! When I look at myself, if I don’t look like I could be in a video game, I need to change something.
In terms of trans role models, I admire Laverne Cox for her tenacity and burning spirit. Hari Nef has her stuff together and gives off a wonderful vibe that I adore. All of the trans people that have come before and those that have risked, or given, their lives for this fight will always be a huge source of motivation for me too. Without them, we would be nowhere.
