Abla Sofy is a Moroccan fashion model, who previously became the first Arab to be featured in a Guess campaign. She recently made her Hollywood acting debut in Bully High, a coming-of-age drama that tackles some of today’s more prevalent and controversial issues such as religious prejudices, sexual orientation, and bullying.
Shortly after arriving in Los Angeles at the age of 21, Abla met Mohammed Hadid, the Palestinian-American real estate developer known for building luxury hotels and mansions, mainly in the Bel Air and Beverly Hills neighborhoods. She worked as his personal stylist when he appeared on such reality television series as The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Shahs of Sunset, and Second Wives Club. Mohammed loved her style and sense of fashion, and eventually introduced her to fashion icon and Guess co-founder Paul Marciano. Abla was almost immediately asked to model for Guess, but coming from Morocco, modeling was frowned upon for Arab girls – especially for a brand like Guess, as their aesthetic can be very sexy. Instead, she worked for the company as a stylist and designer – working on campaigns with the likes of Hailey Baldwin, Camilla Cabello and Jennifer Lopez.
After two years working with Guess and getting to know the company inside and out, she was approached by the producer Redone to star in a music video with French Montana, Daddy Yankee and Amanda Cerny. After the video came out, she received a lot of exposure, and was again approached by Marciano about modeling for him. This time she accepted, becoming the first Arab model to be featured in a Guess campaign! And the first ever Arab model to have a billboard on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood!
Today, Abla is pursuing acting, having recently made her big screen debut in Bully High, a new drama that centers around a Muslim exchange student who gets bullied by other students and school officials for wearing her hijab. Abla plays the bullied student’s mother in a very personal and powerful flashback scene.
Check out our interview with Abla:
Congratulations on your successful career so far. Was modeling and acting always the plan for you?
Abla: I studied in Morocco with a Bachelor in commerce, then I moved to LA for fashion school. After I finished school, I got asked by Mr. Paul Marciano, the founder of Guess to model for them. He is Moroccan too, so I met him through some friends. I said I couldn’t do it because back then, social media was not as big in Middle Eastern Arabic countries. It was not the best look. So I said I can’t model but I would love to work for the company. So I started working for him as a stylist and as a designer. I did many campaigns, like with Haley Baldwin, it was her first modeling job, we did Camila Cabello, Jennifer Lopez and other celebrities and then I got approached by Redone, who was an international music producer to the music video of promotion of Morocco, to be the lead model in a music video. After the music video I opened my social media and I got a lot of followers and people enjoyed my content. So, when I got back to LA, I got asked again to be the first Arabic Guess model.
What was it like transitioning from the fashion side of the industry to being a model and being the face of companies?
Abla: Honestly, I think they complete each other because it’s important to know the industry that you’re working in and it helped me a lot to understand more about fashion and about clothes. I enjoy it more and I understand it more because I want to be more than a pretty face. I love to get involved sometimes to create social media content campaigns. Sometimes I propose to do it myself, so I hire my own team and I am my own creative director. I think I have this eye because I went to school and I studied fashion in a deeper way.
Yeah, I definitely see how those would complement each other. You mentioned how you turned down the Guess campaign at first, can you explain why you rejected them the first time and then accepted the second time a little further?
Abla: Yes, because when I first moved to America, it was the very beginning of social media and in Arabic countries it was not– we were not exposing our faces and we wouldn’t even have like pictures on WhatsApp because we’re like more private, you know, you don’t show your pictures, you don’t show what you do. So, it was harder for us to be on social media and to put our life out there. And with Guess, they do a lot of sexy pictures, you know, pinup is kind of their iconic signature, and I wasn’t going to be able to do that. But later when I became more known on social media, they wanted to adapt. Mr. Marciano proposed for me to actually be the first– before I was just going to be a model for the brand, but after, because I became kind of a personality it was kind of like a collaboration with the Middle East. So, in photoshoots there were clothes made for the Middle East. And I was more open to that because they have specific collections that they sell in the Middle East regions. So we’d do campaigns for the Middle East and collections that are made for the Middle East. And the whole word being on social media is also becoming more common and it’s normal now. The transition took a little bit longer, but it was the best way for me to do it. It was perfect timing.
And you’re also an actress, most recently making your feature film debut in the film Bully High. How did you get involved with that project?
Abla: I was on a red carpet and Bill was there with the cast of the movie. We met there and when we got introduced I told him that I was Arabic and he said, ‘I’m doing this movie and I need an Arabic actress for this role and you’re perfect. This is exactly how I imagined the actress,’ and so it was really the perfect place at the perfect time… I play the mom of a girl that is bullied in school. I died in a terrorist attack, and so the girl has a flashback with her mom having a deep talk. And so I play the mom.
And it’s my understanding that your daughter in the film is bullied because she wears a hijab and the entire movie is kind of a commentary on cultural differences and learning to accept everyone for those differences. Did that play a big role in you accepting your role in the movie?
Abla: Yes, of course, because when I moved to the US, especially when I started modeling, when you say you’re Arab, they always say, ‘oh the terrorist,’ or I had many comments where, even as a joke, people say, ‘your grandfather is a terrorist.’ So people always, when you say you’re Arabic or you’re Muslim, they always bring up the stereotypes and they judge you. People have these ideas in their head about hijab or Islam that are just not true. So the message of the film was very strong that we have to accept people the way they are and whatever we see on TV or the problems that exist in this world have nothing to do with the people that you meet on a daily basis because we have nothing to do with that.
What does it mean to you to be able to represent Arab women with your career and your platform?
Abla: Honestly, it’s very important. That’s why I always, whenever I do a project, I embrace the fact that I’m Arabic and every time I work with brands, I make sure I highlight that because I had to fight for it. I had to miss some jobs because, for example, I couldn’t do swimwear, or I couldn’t do anything too sexy. And so it was harder for me to get there but I did and then I achieved and I’m achieving everyday. Every time I put something in my head, I get it. And especially now Middle East and Arabic countries are becoming very, very powerful in the world, so we cannot ignore us anymore. We have a voice and we’re important and we have our place, not just in fashion and movies, but everywhere.
With all of that said and with your experience in this industry, do you feel that Arab people are now starting to be represented properly in the media?
Abla: Honestly, yes, finally, I’m very happy to be in fashion. We see more and more and more Arabic models modeling with big brands and international brands. And in the movies, we’ll get there. We now have the Red Sea Festival that is in Saudi Arabia every year and very big, big American actors are going there. So, I think finally we’re getting there where people are seeing us as we are. We’re talented people, our culture is beautiful, our food is amazing, our fashion is amazing, and so I think finally we’re getting there… And beautiful countries to visit, you know? We’re such an important part of the world. You have to give credit.
Now that you’ve been in the industry for a little while and you are seeing the progress, is there anything that is still lacking or that you hope changes for the future to make things better?
Abla: I mean, yeah, I think we should still be going towards diversity, especially in the movies. I do TV presenting back in the Middle East and whenever I try in America or in other countries, they always go, ‘oh the accent!’ Okay, but everyone has a different accent, you know? And especially in the movie industry, they put people in boxes. But diversity is what makes things beautiful, and I think we should experience more of that and give more chances to people that are diverse.
What advice would you give to young women who want to pursue a career similar to yours?
Abla: The best advice I could give is believe in yourself. When I started, the people were making jokes, ‘Oh, no, you’re a blogger!’ Like there is always a place to start and there is nothing wrong with starting with whatever you think is the best place to start. Even if people are judging you, you shouldn’t listen. It’s whatever your heart in your heart and whatever is your goal, you know you better than anyone, so go for it. Don’t compare yourself to other people, especially nowadays with social media, people only post their successes. Everyone is going through something but they are never going to show it. Most people only post their achievements, so you can’t compare yourself. You’ll feel like others are doing better but they started somewhere and they got there. And you’re starting somewhere and eventually we’ll get there.
Ultimately, what is your career goal?
Abla: I would love to represent the Arabic woman, the Muslim girl, in the U.S. and represent them the best way possible. I want to work with all these brands and work more on TV. I love TV presenting, like I said I had a TV show on the biggest TV channel in the Middle East and I would love to pursue that in the U.S. And I want to do movies because I love acting.
Are you working on anything at the moment?
Abla: Yes, so working on starting a new brand. My own brand. This is my goal for this year. I’ve been working on that for a little while.
Are there any acting projects or anything like that coming up for you?
Abla: Yes, I am working on a series back in Morocco. This will be my next acting project.
If people want to stay up to date with your work, what social media platforms can we follow you on?
Abla: Yeah, so I mainly use Instagram- @ablasofy.
