20 Questions with Olivia Ponton

Photographed by KEVIN BERRU
Styled by BRANDON NICOLAS

Olivia Ponton
@olivia.ponton

Where are you from?
I am from Naples, Florida.

How did you begin your career as a influencer?
Me and my best friend, Sabrina Holt, in my hometown started making Tik Tok videos on our phones because … Gosh, I don’t even know why. Just because we were bored. And then it took off. I started Instagram before I did Tik Tok. And for Instagram, I just traveled a lot as a kid and was posting travel photos and a lot of people liked that. So, I grew a following on that as well.

How do you balance between social media and your personal life?
I definitely put my phone away for an hour a day just to completely get off social media and not work because I do sometimes struggle with mixing work and my personal life. I feel like it’s very important to be able to make a hard separation throughout that, and that’s why I have such amazing friends and surround myself with amazing people.

As a model and influencer, what’s your favorite part of each career?
I think it’s very empowering to be able to say you’re a model and to help other girls feel just as confident. And when you go shopping, it’s just like fun to see yourself. And then as an influencer, I would say it’s really an amazing job because you have such a large influence on girls that are younger than you and that do look up to you. And just because I feel like I was once one of those little girls and I followed tons of girls that were Victoria Secret models. It’s a responsibility and so amazing that I have the influence and power to influence young girls.

What does a typical work week look like for you?
Every morning I wake up at 7:00 am, workout, make my breakfast, look at my emails, get ready for the day, film my content and then go to work if I have a job or not.

With over 5 million followers on Tik Tok and 2.5 million on Instagram, while you continue to grow in the world of social media, how do you hope to influence people through your platforms?
Definitely with Four Oceans. It’s a nonprofit that I work with to help clean the ocean. We’re in this beautiful place in Cancun right now but most people don’t realize that many places like Hawaii are so trashed and many beaches are pretty much dead and can’t be used because of how much plastic and trash washes up on them.

What do you enjoy doing in your time off?
Definitely traveling. Definitely traveling and hanging out with my friends. Also, the people that I live with are really fun to hang out with, and I just like hanging out with friends in the studio. I really love learning how to cook and try new things.

What can people expect to see from you in 2021?
I’m coming out with leggings and sports bras and long sleeve tops, which I’m really excited about because that’s one of the main reasons why I started on social media and grew with my workout routines. I feel like that’s something that a lot of people have been wondering about.

Are there any other categories in your career that you’d like to explore?
Acting, I think. It’s kind of scary to think about, but yeah, I think it would be kind of fun to act as a different person for each movie or show or whatever it is.

You’ve managed to inspire people of all ages from all over the world, what advice can you give for someone who aspires to have a career like her own?
Never give up. As much hate and negativity as there is in the world, there’s so much positivity and just focus on positivity and keep going no matter what.

Where do you draw inspiration from for the content that you create?
Alexis Ren, 100%.

What would you like to say to your fans?
Thank you for supporting me through everything, everything always. And just always giving me endless love. And on bad days where I literally feel horrible and I’m crying, I can go onto my pages and see so many people love me and make cool edits and write me paragraphs and ask for my advice. It’s just truly motivating. It’s like, well, the world doesn’t hate me. That’s awesome.

What is your dream destination?
Thailand or Bora Bora.

How is your stay at Garza Blanca Cancun Resort with Modeliste Magazine?
It’s probably one of my favorite places I’ve ever been. I’ve been to Mexico a few times and every time it’s been really nice, but I think Garza Blanca is definitely the best.

What are three things you could not travel without?
Aquaphor. My toothbrush and toothpaste. I’m really big on that. And then probably my bikini because wherever I go, I’m always in a bikini. Like literally, it could be snowing outside and I’m in a bikini.

What has been your favorite part of working with Modeliste Magazine?
Everyone is so accepting and everyone just wants to help me. It’s so awesome. I feel a lot of love.