HentaiCon was such a cool experience that we didn’t just have fun meeting new fans and seeing all the vendors, but we got to meet some really hot Instagram stars, too. One of those people was Stephanie Michelle, who, on the day we talked to her, was rocking an epic Bowser outfit.
At first glance, you’d think that Stephanie Michelle was intimidating to talk with. Not only is she voluptuous and pretty, but she’s as confident as could be. After talking with her, she gave a little glimpse into what led her to become such a Hentai fan, and how she’s hoping to inspire others the same way she was once inspired herself.
Sugarcookie: What Made You Want To Come To This First HentaiCon?
Stephanie Michelle: “So, for me, one of the big things I talk about on social media is how feeling good when it comes to female porn and masturbation is very taboo. And when women talk about it, a lot of the reactions are so negative. I got fed up with it, so I started talking about how it’s totally OK to talk about these kinds of things, and people started to join the conversation. So, it’s why I like coming to these types of Hentai events, because it’s another way to interact with fans, especially girls, and seeing how to inspire people to keep talking about all these wonderful things.”
Sugarcookie: How Important Is It For You To Inspire Other Hentai Fans?
Stephanie Michelle: “It’s so, so important. I look at it as something I should be doing, because you see all these other girls and you want to tell them it’s OK to do these things in a healthy way, but also a nerdy way. There are a lot of cons that are sexual in nature, but they aren’t all nerd friendly. In my personal experience, as a nerdy girl growing up, it was difficult talking about sex and relationships; and it’s almost different when you’re a nerdy person trying to do that. For me, I was shy and lacked confidence growing up, so I think about a girl now who can relate to that, who can look at me and feel more positive about themselves.”
Sugarcookie: How Is It Interacting With All The Fans Here At HentaiCon?
Stephanie Michelle: “Yeah, for me, one of the things I’ve been talking about with the people here is how we can improve hentai and how we can just continue to improve it. How we can be sexually positive and confident talking about some of these topics without feeling, I don’t know, weird to some other people.”
Sugarcookie: What Makes Anime So Unique To You?
Stephanie Michelle: “When you watch anime, whether you’re a boy or girl, the characters are always very attractive. And you want to look like these people. When you’ve got a body like me, which is really curvy, you can’t always look like those characters. But what hentai does is let you kind of be yourself in a different form, and that’s why we all love this.”
Sugarcookie: Talk About Some Of Your Lewd Shoots.
Stephanie Michelle: “Like I said, I’m really curvy, and not the typical hentai-looking character, per se, so, in my lewd photos, I started shooting things that I really wanted to see in an anime hentai style. I felt like a lot of girls were inspired by that, who told me, ‘hey didn’t know I could do that’ and be and feel sexy if they didn’t fit the normal hentai look. I want everyone to just embrace their body and feel like they can be a part of the community.”
Sugarcookie: What Is It About The Hentai Community That Brings Everyone Together?
Stephanie Michelle: “I think the anime community, in general, is really eclectic and eccentric. And the coolest thing about it is that anime has no limits, so you can do anything you want, which is refreshing, because you don’t get to see that in traditional media. Anime invites you to be yourself, and there’s usually someone in anime that you want to be like, or inspires you.”
Sugarcookie: Was There A Moment For You When You Just Said, ‘Screw It, I’m Just Going To Wear Whatever I Want To’?
Stephanie Michelle: (laughs) “I’ve been going to anime events now since middle school, so I feel like I’ve sort of been brought up in this kind of culture. I always wanted to cosplay, but I was scared because it it can be so intimidating, and I, literally, had no idea where to start. After talking to my now husband about cosplay, he was so supportive, telling me that he’d do it with me. So the first time I dressed up in cosplay was with him, and we went as Gambit and Rogue together. It was so awesome.”
Sugarcookie: And Then It Just Kind Of Stuck, Huh?
Stephanie Michelle: “I mean, it makes me feel powerful that so many people like it and have such a positive reaction, yeah. It gives me confidence to wear cosplay, and I love making other people happy. Plus, it’s the only time we can ever feel like actual animators, which is kind of cool, right?”
Leave a Comment