From an early age, Ariel Couzan was fascinated by the ancient Egyptians, whose skin was the same shade of brown as hers. The 27-year-old Loop transplant smiles and rattles off stories about gods and goddesses and their legendary adventures. Couzan incorporates elements of this obsession into her style with feline earmuffs and a Cleopatra-like bob with gold dreadlock cuffs, topped with a hat whose brim is adorned with a hieroglyphs-inspired design; her zip-up windbreaker has a sphinx face. An aspiring actress and model by day, Couzan is also a diehard anime fan who cosplays often. On this day, she’s equipped with a Pikachu backpack for a downtown adventure of her own: a game of Pokémon Go on her phone. Couzan says she’s going for the look of the warrior goddess Sekhmet—if Sekhmet were also a Pokémon trainer. Couzan’s catlike eyes are a piercing yellow and red. “My contact lenses represent the fierce fire in my soul,” she says. “It burns bright like the sun.” She adds that her contacts do have a prescription. v
Walk like a Pokémon trainer
Egypt and anime come together in one woman’s style.
