EPISODE 35
Tessa is joined by curve model and content creator Sophie Hughes, whose work spans e‑commerce, fashion, beauty and lifestyle. Sophie has built a loyal online audience by speaking openly about her surgery, recovery and the emotional and physical changes that shaped her life.
She talks about building a sustainable modelling career, the pressure around sizing and the realities people never see, from back‑to‑back e‑commerce days to energy management, boundaries and navigating an industry that still struggles with consistency around curve representation.
Sophie also shares how transparency has helped her stay grounded, why representation matters and the importance of confidence, communication and advocating for yourself, especially when you’re the only curve model on set.
Sophie Hughes on Curve Modelling, Online Visibility and the Realities Behind the Camera
Interview by Tessa Dewing for The Business of Modelling Podcast
Sophie Hughes is a curve model and content creator whose work spans e-commerce, fashion, beauty and lifestyle. Alongside her commercial work, Sophie has built a strong online presence by showing her real body, talking openly about her surgery and recovery, and challenging the narrow expectations often placed on curve models. “People follow me because I’m honest about my body changing, I’m not pretending it hasn’t.”
Early Career, Body Changes and Finding Her Space
Sophie started modelling in her teens, but it was only after major surgery that she began posting honestly about her recovery, scars and fluctuating size. This shift shaped her career in ways she didn’t expect, helping her build a more engaged audience while redefining what curve representation can look like. She speaks about the pressure to stay within a “perfect” set of measurements, and how unpredictable body changes can be when you’re shooting frequently. “Curve models are judged on being curvy… but also being the right sort of curvy. It doesn’t always make sense.”
Commercial Work and the Realities You Don’t See
Most of Sophie’s work is e-commerce, including long days, fast turnarounds, hundreds of looks and the stamina needed to stay consistent on camera. She breaks down how demanding this can be physically and mentally, especially when clients expect identical sizes across brands or don’t understand the variation within curve categories. She also speaks about boundaries on set, knowing when to voice concerns, and the difference clear communication makes to a job running smoothly.
Sophie is very open about the emotional load of being online. She explains how she navigates comments about her body, the expectation to look a certain way, and the responsibility that comes with having an audience. “It’s weird when people feel entitled to your body, but being honest about mine has also helped so many people.”
Representation, Visibility and Taking Ownership
She talks about advocating for yourself, asking questions, and not being intimidated by the pace of a commercial set. She also emphasises why true representation matters, particularly for curve models who are often booked inconsistently or used as a token inclusion. “You need people who actually look like your customer, not just one curve girl squeezed onto the board.”
Looking Ahead
For Sophie, the future of curve modelling relies on more realistic sizing, clearer communication from clients, and a better understanding of how physical demands affect models’ bodies over time. She believes transparency is an important step towards shifting expectations and normalising the variety that already exists in real people.
Her career and online presence both stem from the same place: honesty, realism and showing the parts of the job and the body that too often stay hidden.