Modeling Industry Marvel: Sophia Russo

“I hope to be the change I wish to see in the industry!”
Natalie Abouchian
Sophia Russo, NOW’s go-getting It-Girl, has tackled the modeling industry with boundless
optimism and is destined for greatness with her deep passion for the industry. Sophia professes to
be at her happiest right now and claims to be living the aspirations she had four years ago. She
feels that after things started to fall into place for her, she became more inclined to put herself
and her happiness alongside her career.
Sophia has gained extensive knowledge about the modeling profession on her road to
high-fashion modeling and generously gives her advice for young women looking to get into the
industry. “Being yourself is literally your best-selling element,” she argues. Soon after attending
her first few casting calls, she noticed that the more confident and relaxed she appeared, the more
clients and prospects she attracted.
Of course, it’s no secret that Instagram can be a difficult environment, with many individuals
who desire ill on others. Sophia, on the other hand, explains how she prioritizes her mental
health and disconnects from the haters. Sophia primarily uses the app for work and doesn’t share
too much of her personal life on social media in order to retain her privacy. “This can be so
difficult with social media since it can be used anytime and everywhere,” she says, “but I
recognize how vital it is to protect my own energy as well.” However, restricting her Instagram
usage per day or week has helped her to conserve her mental health.
While Instagram is a difficult environment, it is also the source of Sophia’s internet stardom.
Growing up, she never gave much attention to expanding her social media since it felt out of
reach. Growing up in a small town in New Jersey, having a significant following in her
hometown was unusual. She did, however, meet someone in the entertainment world who
encouraged her to strive to expand her brand on Instagram. From there, Sophia discovered how
much she enjoyed creating content for her audience. As a result, Sophia has made countless
virtual and in-person relationships. Since beginning to grow her following, Sophia gets a lot of
inquiries about modeling from girls who live vicariously through her behind-the-scenes
modeling footage.
Models, by and large, are expected to travel as part of their jobs. Sophia has visited X Games and
Miami Swim Week as part of her extensive travels for both business and pleasure. While The
Bahamas is her preferred vacation spot, Costa Rica is her favorite destination for work. But when
she’s not on the road for business, Sophia likes a variety of activities, including working out,
cooking, hitting the beach, eating (“I love food”), hiking, and shopping.
Sophia believes that the pressure to maintain a flawless appearance is the hardest aspect of being
a model. She doesn’t believe in dieting, but she does her best to maintain a healthy weight by
eating moderately and not overindulging. Not only is it difficult to maintain her image as an
influencer when she isn’t feeling or looking her best, but simply walking out into public might
have a detrimental effect on her reputation. Although she finds her work to be mentally fatiguing,
Sophia never forgets the benefits she has received as a result of her career. Sophia hopes one day
to be able to see a change in the minimum height requirement for models in the modeling
industry. She has seen models of many sizes and shapes, which she feels is great because of the
body positivity trend. However, she finds it very hard for her to go to castings or get any work in
places other than Los Angeles due to the fact that she is quite a petite model. The average height
for women in the US is actually 5’4 so she thinks that there should be more representation of
shorter models everywhere. “I hope to be the change I wish to see in the industry!” Sophia
proclaims.
Although Sophia Russo hopes to make trailblazing changes in the modeling industry, she also
looks forward to starting her own brand. “I would like this to be an encouragement to other
women who feel like they don’t belong in an industry to just work hard and do it regardless,” she
says to all the women who want to break into the modeling profession