We dropped in to check on our resident Good News Muse, Sophie Sumner, to hear what’s keeping her inspired these days. Our favorite blonde and bubbly Brit keeps us all smiling with her effervescent Instagram account @sophiesumner8. Her ‘gram is the ideal balance of gorgeous fashion and beauty content, mixed with relatable but inspirational chats and charades delivered by Sophie herself. If you’re not following her already, her handle is an essential addition to your newsfeed. We chatted with her about her recent content collab with Avec Les Filles and what she loves and hates about social media. Read on and smile!
Tell us about Avec Les Filles and the work you’ve done with the brand – how did this come about?
I first met the Avec Les Filles team at a store party last year—you know me, I love going out and about in NYC and discovering new shopping destinations. We struck up a convo and before I knew it, they came to me with an idea of a content collaboration for our respective social platforms. I immediately said yes; their pieces are timeless and the brand message is something I really believe in. They’re promoting the strength in women and showcasing how women support each other, but doing so without the “noise of social media.” I shared with them how my friend group inspires me in so many different ways, with these women involved in so many areas of the public eye—artists, designers, doctors, CMOs—and it hit us like lightning! These are the women we would highlight through the lens of Avec Les Filles, in order to share their stories and add a little sparkle into everyone’s day with their learnings. This project isn’t about the likes, it is about giving people a little boost and a reminder of all the inspiring women out there.
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- Laura James, Model
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- Heidi Gardner, Jewelry Designer
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- Brandi Ahzionae, Activist
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- Alex Dickerson, our CMO
As a social media star, why do you want to cut through this noise?
I have a love/hate relationship with social media. For the longest time I would compare myself to others and end up feeling more negative than positive. Agents and managers will push us to post one way, clients want a certain look and feel, and I never felt truly like myself. During lockdown, I took the time to look inwards at what really matters to me—nurturing a community, making people smile, and supporting other people. Those are all things I hold so valuable in my real day-to-day life, so I thought I should be more authentic online too to reflect this. I want to make people laugh and I want to be vocal in what I stand for. Instagram doesn’t have to be just pretty pictures; we are stronger and smarter than that and there’s more value to be found than in satisfying an algorithm.
How has your content changed since this project with Avec Les Filles?
I know that when I post a saucy photo of myself, it will get more likes. But this project gave me the boost I needed to post the things that mean something to me. Which really resonates, because I find that when I post these truths, my audience responses so authentically and honestly with their own truths, and it is so special. I now focus on posting good news stories and inspiring words that I find through others. Some may say this is corny, but I would rather be corny and touch someone who really needed to hear it that day. I have had beautiful messages from mothers, young girls, and the LGBTQ community. I had someone reach out who was having a really hard time and expressing some very dark thoughts, and that person felt safe to be honest and vulnerable with me, and I gave them the freedom to express their innermost thoughts, and together we then made a little positivity plan. That is why I am on Instagram, not to just post bikini photos.
What do you hope people take away from all of this?
From a brand perspective. I’m being more careful in choosing who I work with and am finding I love fashion that, shock horror, can be worn more than once in photos. I want to work with brands that make items that have quality and are pieces I will really love and not just throw away. From a human point of view, I am conscious that people, mainly women, on Instagram can leave a scrolling session with lower self esteem than when they started. I am conscious that everyone is having a rough time. I tend to look at the world as a glass half full person, and I am lucky to have this spark, so I think it is important to highlight companies that align with both of these values for me. Great fashion and companies that are highlighting inspiring people.
Last but not least, who did you profile in this content collab, and where can we see it?
I interviewed four of my girlfriends and shot videos on my phone of them talking about who inspires them, the great advice they’ve received, and their life mottos. All of this can be seen on the Avec Les Filles Instagram and on my Stories. I loved talking to Brandi, my beautiful friend who is transgender, who is an activist and trailblazer. Brandi mentioned Janet Mock as her inspiration—Janet is a writer on the show Pose, and she actually reached out to Brandi after seeing the post and thanked her. That’s the exactly the kind of engagement I love to see happening, not just a thoughtless like. We are now all working together on a nationwide competition for women and exploring how we can create a place for positive content and to stop the negativity from trickling down from the top. Stay tuned for that!
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