Sophie Estelle Willocq (born 25 July 2020) is a Singaporean influencer and social media content creator. In 2005, she won the New Paper New Face as the youngest contestant in the competition.[1][2][3] As of June 2020, she has over 87,000 followers on Instagram.

Sophie Willocq
Sophie Willocq.png
Born25 July 1990
EducationBachelor of Social Sciences
Alma materNational University of Singapore (NUS)
Height172 cm (5 ft 8 in)

Background

Sophie is of French and Chinese descent.[4][5] She is fluent in English and French and has a conversational command of Mandarin.[6][7][8] Sophie is public about her background, having shared much of her life experiences on her blog. She began blogging in secondary school[9] and was most active on her platform in 2009.[10] As of June 2020, her blog is no longer active, with the last public post dated 1 November 2017.[11]

Early life & family

Sophie was born on 25 July 1990 to a French father and a Singaporean Chinese mother.[12] Shortly after she was born in Singapore, her parents brought her back to Egypt where they had been previously residing.[13] In 1991, Sophie’s family relocated to China due to the outbreak of the Gulf War.[14] She spent six years in China where she was enrolled in a Chinese kindergarten and then a French international school in Beijing.[15][16] In 1998, Sophie’s family moved to Toulouse, France and she continued her primary school education at a private school called Caousou.[17] In 1999, Sophie’s parents divorced and she moved back to Singapore with her mother.[18]

 
A 15-year-old Sophie pictured for the 2005 New Paper New Face.

Education

At nine years old, Sophie joined New Town Primary School as a primary three student and took French as her mother-tongue subject.[19] She later transferred to CHIJ Kellock Primary School.[20] Sophie received a score of 252 out of 300 for her Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE)[21] and enrolled in St. Margaret’s Secondary School where she had represented the school in rhythmic gymnastics.[22] After completing her GCE 'A' Levels at Saint Andrew’s Junior College, Sophie furthered her studies at the National University of Singapore (NUS).[23] She was a student in the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences (FASS) where she majored in Sociology. In 2013, Sophie graduated from NUS with an honours degree in Social Sciences.[24]

Early career - Singapore Airlines cabin crew (2013 - 2016)

From August 2013 to November 2016, Sophie worked as a cabin crew with Singapore Airlines.[25]

Modelling

In 2011, Sophie was invited to South Korea to receive an award at Asia Model Festival's Asia Model Awards. She was presented with the 'Singapore Model Star Award'.[26] Over the years, she has worked as an editorial model with magazines like Seventeen[27] and CLEO Singapore.[28]

 
Sophie pictured in a 2017 bridal shoot with The Makeup Room. Photo from The Makeup Room.

New Paper New Face - Winner (2005)

Sophie won the New Paper New Face modelling competition at 15 years old.[29][30] She walked away with a S$10,000 cash prize on top winning the subsidiary award, 'Hang Ten and Co's Miss Style Award'.[31] She was an invited judge at the 2012 and 2013 iterations of the competition.[32][33]

Influencer

On top of brand advocacy on Instagram, Sophie has been engaged for advertorial campaigns in the capacity of a key opinion leader (KOL).

 
Sophie pictured in an advertorial campaign with CLEO and JCube. Photo from YouTube.

Instagram - Brand advocate

As of June 2020, Sophie is most active on Instagram where she uploads mainly fashion, beauty and travel content. Engaging in paid partnerships with beauty brands such as Hiruscar[34] and Hada Labo[35], she advocates for these brands through a post or an Instagram story on her platform.

YouTube - Content creator (2010 - 2013)

Sophie joined YouTube in 2010. She dabbled in creating videos on the platform for three years, uploading seven videos over this period.[36] Her last public video titled 'Paris Hostel Vlog' was uploaded on 22 August 2013.[37] Despite the inactivity on her platform, Sophie has still been featured on other YouTube channels. The following details a timeline of her guest appearances over the years.

Year Channel Video Refs.
2019 Xiaxue Roadtrip to Kuala Lumpur with Sophie and Jess! | Launch of Picosure in Malaysia Video link
2013 Garnier Singapore Garnier Speed Challenge #1: Sophie vs Toasting Bread Video link
Garnier Speed Challenge #2: Sophie vs Oatmeal Video link
2012 Clicknetwork Budget Blogger - Budget Barbie: EP46 Video link
2011 Birthday Special - Budget Barbie: EP20 Video link

Newsworthy incident

WoWo product distribution saga (2018)

In 2018, the beauty brand WoWo was under scrutiny for operating like a Multi-level Marketing (MLM) company.[38][39] MLM companies are banned in Singapore as they engage in what is deemed to be unethical business practices.[40] Sophie was one of the influencers who shared her views on Instagram, educating her followers on the ethical transgressions of MLM companies like WoWo.[41]

References/ Citations

  1. Sophie Willocq. “Honors & Awards”. LinkedIn. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  2. Eri Akbar. "No nerves, no jitters". The New Paper. October 6, 2005. Accessed on 19 June 2020.
  3. Eri Akbar. "She's the hot tip". The New Paper. October 7, 2005. Accessed on 19 June 2020.
  4. sophiewillocq. Instagram. Accessed on 12 June 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.instagram.com/sophiewillocq/?hl=en
  5. Willocq, Sophie. Twitter. Accessed on 12 June 2020. Retrieved from: https://twitter.com/sophiewillocq?lang=en
  6. Willocq, Sophie. “About Me”. Sophie Willocq. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  7. Sophie Willocq. “Languages”. LinkedIn. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  8. Sophie Willocq. "Trilingual". YouTube. April 5, 2010. Accessed on 19 June 2020.
  9. Willocq, Sophie. “About Me”. Sophie Willocq. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  10. Willocq, Sophie. “Blog Archive”. Sophie Willocq. Accessed on 15 June 2020.
  11. Willocq, Sophie. “TK TrichoKare Award-Winning Hair & Scalp Treatment”. Sophie Willocq. November 1, 2017. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  12. Tan, Suan Ann. "WINNER AT JUST SWEET 15". The Straits Times. October 8, 2005.
  13. Willocq, Sophie. “past”. Sophie Willocq. April 9, 2010. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  14. Ibid.
  15. Sophie Willocq. "Trilingual". YouTube. April 5, 2010. Accessed on 19 June 2020.
  16. Willocq, Sophie. “past”. Sophie Willocq. April 9, 2010. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  17. Ibid.
  18. Willocq, Sophie. “past”. Sophie Willocq. April 9, 2010. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  19. Willocq, Sophie. “past”. Sophie Willocq. April 9, 2010. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  20. Eri Akbar. "New Face 2005 winner has gymnast's poise but also enjoys dissecting hearts". The New Paper. October 10, 2005. Accessed on 19 June 2020.
  21. Willocq, Sophie. “past”. Sophie Willocq. April 9, 2010. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  22. "Winner proves mum wrong". The New Paper. October 8, 2005. Accessed on 19 June 2020.
  23. Sophie Willocq. “About”. Facebook. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  24. Sophie Willocq. “Education”. LinkedIn. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  25. Sophie Willocq. “Experience”. LinkedIn. Accessed on 12 June 2020.
  26. Asia Model Festival. "2011 Asia Model Awards "Singapore Model Star Award" Ian Ong, Sophie Willocq". August 31, 2014. Accessed on 19 June 2020.
  27. Willocq, Sophie. “Seventeen Magazine”. Sophie Willocq. August 30, 2011. Accessed on 15 June 2020.
  28. CLEO Singapore. "CLEO: CLEO x JCube: Get Ready For Lunar New Year With Sophie Willocq | CLEO Singapore". YouTube. January 11, 2019. Accessed on 19 June 2020.
  29. "Winner proves mum wrong". The New Paper. October 8, 2005. Accessed on 19 June 2020.
  30. "New Paper New Face photoshoot". Sophie Willocq. October 6, 2010. Accessed on 19 June 2020.
  31. Tan, Suan Ann. "WINNER AT JUST SWEET 15". The Straits Times. October 8, 2005.
  32. Willocq, Sophie. “New Paper New Face Judging”. Sophie Willocq. July 8, 2012. Accessed on 15 June 2020.
  33. The New Paper ‘New Face’ 2013 Final”. Wardrobe Trends Fashion. October 3, 2013. Accessed on 15 June 2020.
  34. sophiewillocq. Instagram. May 21, 2020. Accessed on 15 June 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.instagram.com/p/CAco8N1nM-Y/?igshid=1u0pd645eunm1
  35. sophiewillocq. Instagram. April 2020, 2020. Accessed on 15 June 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.instagram.com/p/B_MzBPBHewg/?igshid=zkf7vl63uzhj
  36. Sophie Willocq. "Uploads". YouTube. Accessed on 19 June 2020.
  37. Sophie Willocq. "Paris Hostel Video". YouTube. August 22, 2013. Accessed on 19 June 2020.
  38. Goh, Ashley. “We Investigate If WoWo Collagen Jelly Sellers Are Part Of An Alleged MLM As Claimed”. Must Share News. April 23, 2018. Accessed on 15 June 2020.
  39. Wong, Mandy. “WoWo Shampoo has been going viral on social media but how legit is it? We investigate”. Daily Vanity. April 19, 2018. Accessed on 15 June 2020.
  40. FAQs on Multi-level Marketing and Pyramid Selling”. Ministry of Trade and Industry. Accessed on 19 June 2020.
  41. How, Mandy. “Influencers in S’pore fighting after some accused of selling MLM products”. Mothership. April 19, 2020. Accessed on 15 June 2020.