Welcome to #InternetQueens, a blog series celebrating inspiring female creatives on the WORLD WIDE NET!!
Today I present to you a magical being whose internet presence I’ve been following for close to 4 years. During that time I’ve been constantly inspired not only by her FIRE selfies, but by her creativity and incredible courage in helping others deal with struggles like low self-esteem, mental illness, and transphobia. Did I mention that she’s basically magical?
Stef Sanjati, a YouTuber based in Toronto, makes videos covering a vast range of topics– from makeup tutorials to adorable lifestyle vlogs to, more recently, the chronicling of her journey in transitioning and hormone therapy. Honestly, I wouldn’t be exaggerating in saying that her advice has definitely made an impact on my life. Being born with a rare syndrome myself, Stef was one of the first role models I had who had come to terms with her condition and embraced it, glowing with confidence and looking fierce AF while doing so.
What I looooove about Stef is her ability to express herself fearlessly and creatively, building up an audience that appreciates her originality and sense of humor. She’s open about her passions and what she loves– things like style, beauty, video games– and found a medium through which she could share all those passions and find like-minded people. She’s also really good at fusing these interests together, as you can see in this Skyrim makeup tutorial.
But here’s the best part: Stef not only embraces all the love her fans give her, but she also projects that love right back to them in the form of Twitter challenges, shoutouts, and engaging with her viewers in the comments section. She’s the queen of audience interaction and building up a supportive fanbase, something I think we can all learn from as internet creatives.
I could go on and on about Stef and her impeccable makeup, fashion, and life advice, but if you’re looking to get guidance on anything ranging from your emotional health to your struggle with contouring, check her out! Seriously. After weeks of making my cheekbones look like a sad hybrid between Angelina Jolie’s in Maleficent and Jim Carrey’s in The Mask, Stef emerged from the mystical elven realm beyond ours and taught me how it’s done in this particular video.
Follow Stef on Youtube, Tumblr, Instagram, and Twitter, and come back next week to hear me gush about my next #InternetQueen!
Natalia del Pilar 