After commanding the stage as an exotic dancer shortly after turning 18, Lara Loxley ventured into the colorful world of sexy roleplaying via camming, which she has done full-time for the past three years.
“I’ve always loved cosplay in all of its forms,” she told XBIZ, “but I was hesitant to get into it, because making the costumes looked so hard (spoiler: it’s as hard as it looks). For me, the idea of getting to play a character was worth a try, and everyone has to start somewhere. So I just jumped in!”
I am a big fan of busty badass babes and really cool costume designs. Luckily, there is no shortage of characters to choose from!
With some help from her good friend and artistic collaborator Ryland Babylove, Loxley learned the ins and outs of cosplaying. “She helped guide me with costume and set building, and has done a lot of my photography and videography” she shared, noting that because of Babylove’s support, she was able to grow in her creative confidence.
Backed by an avid fan base, Loxley was crowned 2020 XBIZ Best Cosplay Cam Model at the first-ever virtual edition of the Cam Awards this summer, during the climactic finale to the online XBIZ Miami conference. Though she misses the fun-in-the-sun from 2019’s in-person (and pre-pandemic) show, Loxley was thrilled to win what has fast become one of the most coveted awards of the night, given the popularity of cosplay.
As the Cam Star of the Month for October 2020, a fitting honor for the cosplayer extraordinaire since it’s Halloween season, Loxley shared her passions and imagination in this exclusive interview.
XBIZ: What character costumes and roleplaying scenarios do your fans request the most?
Loxley: I get a lot of requests and suggestions for pretty much every genre under the sun. I definitely take all of them into consideration, but I choose my characters based on what I’m inspired by. I am a big fan of busty badass babes and really cool costume designs. Luckily, there is no shortage of characters to choose from!
XBIZ: Describe the most elaborate cosplay you’ve ever done and how you pulled it off.
Loxley: My newest cosplay is Tifa Lockhart from “Final Fantasy 7 Remake.” That one was requested so much, I knew I had to do it! Jessica Rabbit is another popular request, and while I have done the sparkle gown version of her, I’m working on my own design, based on a more Domme aesthetic. For the fall, I am hoping to finish up my cosplay of Ciri from “The Witcher.” I think it’s going to look beautiful: I’m going to shoot it in the woods during the Canadian autumn!
My first “big” build is still my favorite: Rikku, from “Final Fantasy X-2.” I hand-dyed the bra, panties and scarf. I bought and altered a skirt. I painted the shoes, accessories, and made the arm pieces. The wig is my favorite part though, and I think it really pulls the whole look together. In terms of coloring, it’s not 100% accurate to the games, but I chose to tone it down and make it more aesthetically realistic. I think that really helped bring Rikku to life for me.
Honestly, the kind of cosplay I do overall isn’t very technical. Most of the time, I buy the whole outfit or mix and match individual pieces to make a character work. In the future, I hope to get better at foam building so I can branch out into physically building more items, such as armors, myself.
XBIZ: What are your favorite platforms to cam on?
Loxley: I started my cam career on MFC and have stuck with it so far, but I also cam on my premium OnlyFans account from time to time.
XBIZ: Besides camming, what else do you do as far as revenue streams?
Loxley: Camming is my full-time job! I create lots of other content, such as videos, as well. I’ve been on OnlyFans for over a year and have found an incredibly supportive fan base there. I have a premium one that features nude cosplay and non-cosplay content, as well as a free option that is 100% cosplay content.
XBIZ: What are the biggest ways you’ve improved as a cam model in terms of offline marketing and online interactions?
Loxley: When it comes to offline marketing, I genuinely have no idea what I’m doing. I try to tweet pictures and keep up with social media, but it happens in phases for me. I really dislike social media and don’t have any non-business accounts.
I suppose I have learned that moderation is key. Don’t make yourself miserable, it won’t lead to anything good. When it comes to online cam stuff, I think I learned another very important lesson: cam during your most energetic and happy times. I am a morning person, through and through. Good luck getting me to do anything work-related after 4 p.m.
I struggled for a long time trying to establish a regular schedule while camming at night and I was so unhappy. I gave up before even getting started most evenings. I now cam exclusively in the mornings (8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and it’s changed everything for me. Getting online is easy most days, and I enjoy it so much more. That has been the key to the success that I have found. You don’t need to be on at nights to be successful. Take care of yourself and good things will follow.
XBIZ: Who do you admire in the industry among your peers, and who are you closest with?
Loxley: There are so many incredible models I look up to! This industry has so much talent. My two closest cam friends are BadlandBandit and Ryland Babylove, fellow Canadians and beautiful women who kick ass. As I previously mentioned, I have collaborated with Ryland on many occasions.
Hopefully in the future, when the pandemic is no longer a concern, I can do some collabs with Bandit, too! I’ve also gotten so much guidance from XBIZ’s own Catjira, which I am incredibly grateful for. She has really paved the way for cosplay in this industry!
XBIZ: Discuss your experiences at XBIZ Miami and what it was like being crowned Best Cosplay Cam Model.
Loxley: My first XBIZ was in 2019, and I was terribly excited to be nominated for Best Cosplay Cam Model. I’m not always in tune with the cam community, so it was pretty nerve-wracking for me, especially since I have severe social anxiety. Of course, everyone was so friendly, kind and welcoming. I had a really wonderful time and got to meet some incredible people.
This year was exciting in a different way; along with being nominated, I also got to take part in my first panel! It wasn’t as scary for me this time around, since I’m used to being online. I was totally taken aback by winning this year though! I had no such expectations whatsoever. If you caught my “acceptance speech,” you probably saw some of that. I just kind of looked around in confusion, which was very on-brand for me!
Along with the delay with the video, there was also a few seconds where I thought heard that I won, but was sure I had misunderstood something. Then, before I could say thank you, my time was up! Whoops. After I finally stopped laughing at my massive screw-up to a live, international audience, I was really excited! I had to put down my phone and go for a late night walk with my partner to calm down.
XBIZ: Tell us about your short-term goals in the coming months, as well as your big ambitions in the years ahead.
Loxley: Over the next few months, I want to really just focus on camming and keeping up with my schedule there. I feel like I’ve started to get the ball rolling and I don’t want it to stop! Like many others in this industry, I do tend to overwork and get burned out. In the years ahead, I just want to do what makes me happy. For now, that means camming, cosplay and content creation. That might change in the future, but I seriously doubt it. Still, I don’t tend to focus too much on small details. We only have so much time in life and I try to follow what brings me the most joy. So far, I haven’t been led astray by that motivation. It got me here, after all!
