Barbara Rodolfi, aka, Sbabby Cosplay, lights up the stage with a great portfolio costumes from Italy! Beyond the popular cosplays like Samus and Nidalee you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find some interesting and rarely seen cosplays like the Stone Lady and Holli Would from Ralph Bakshi’s 1992 Cool World!
Follow Sbabby on Facebook and Instagram to see what she’s up to. Photos by
Dario Bertozzi, Demis Albertacci, Mario Moscarelli, Francesco Ambuchi and Alessandro Casini.
Thanks to the Internet Archive’s Wayback-Machine, we were able to unearth this interview with Sbabby from May of 2016 from the now defunct Amazing Cosplay Community website.
What does cosplay/modeling mean to you?
Cosplaying and at times modeling are ways of expressing myself. I’m not a very confident person, I was bullied at school for my appearance and my passions (back in my days being a geek was anything but cool). When I was 18, out of school and more mature, I decided to fight back my insecurities and I found cosplay as a way to do so. It’s challenging on a lot of levels, in terms of crafting and also when it comes to the “play” part. Seeing the amount of positive feedback gave me a huge confidence boost, so now I can face bullying a lot better (and I’m talking actual bullying, not criticism. I love criticism.) Luckily being a girl who plays video games, loves comic books and prefers to spend money in crafting materials rather than in makeup and clothes is quite popular these days, so that helps a lot too.
What is the most valuable lesson life has taught you so far?
Your attitude towards obstacles makes the difference, always be positive.
What or who keeps you grounded?
I mean, what doesn’t? Life is hard, every day is a new challenge, I never feel truly accomplished at all. I think one should always strive to be better and do better.
Was anyone a strong source of inspiration for you when you first started your cosplay/modeling journey?
Giorgia Vecchini, she’s the most popular cosplayer in Italy, she won WCS a few years back. She’s extremely motivated, very talented and most of all, intelligent. Such a business woman.
How did you get started in your own cosplay/modeling and what keeps you motivated?? What is your favorite cosplay you have done so far?
Nidalee from League of Legends. My boyfriend really pushed me into trying this, he even cosplayed with me a couple of times even though it’s not his thing he knew it was something I would have loved to do and he helped the 18 year old me to find the courage to get started. The praise of my little group of fans and from my family keeps me motivated.
What achievements or highlights of your career are you most proud of?
I’m not a competitive person, so I rarely compete in contest, but when I do, I do it right and I often go home with a prize XD. The prize that gave me more pride was the one my cosplay group won with our performance of Cell Block Tango from the musical Chicago. None of us are professional dancers or performers, but we put so much work into that cosplay skit it truly paid off.
What has been your greatest cosplay/modeling obstacle and how did you overcome it?
My face is the feature I like less in my body, so I simply had to learn how to do correcting makeup.
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How do you hope to inspire people?
I don’t presume to be a role model or an inspiration to others, but I hope that knowing where I come from and what I’ve achieved with hard work and pushing my limits inspires younger and insecure people to do the same!
Do you have a favorite quote or motto?
Never stop learning.
Surprise us with a fun fact about you!
I learned that in cosplay, appearance is very important to keep attention from the fans alive, so in between photo shoots when I don’t have new pictures to post, I post a lot of selfies. I’m always dolled up, cleavage showing, hair done. The truth is, 99% of the time when I’m home with my boyfriend I’m in comfy clothes, glasses on, with pillows stacked up to support my back while sitting at my computer and gaming.
Is there any cosplay/modeling advice you would like to share with others based on your own experiences or on those around you?
People live this cosplay thing in a million different ways; all that matters is that you’re happy while doing it. Whether you’re competitive, or you like to do one monumental cosplay a year or a bunch of sh*tty cosplays every week it doesn’t matter. As long as it makes you feel good, you’re doing it right. Live this thing the way you actually enjoy it, in a way that it adds bliss to your life!
We’ve got another Italian cosplayer you are definitely going to want to check out: Meet Ambra Pazzini!
