Influencer slams Australian Fashion Week after she is asked 'diabolical' question by a reporter: 'No way in hell'
The TikTok star, 21, who has 1.4 million followers on the platform, arrived at Carriageworks in Sydney 's Eveleigh district wearing a fluffy, green two-piece by Selezza London on Tuesday and a metallic silver dress with a plunging V neckline on Thursday.
'This is my third year attending Australian Fashion Week and I wanted to do a little debrief on how this year has been,' she began in a video posted today.
Sopha said she flew into Sydney from Texas in the US on Tuesday morning.
'I didn't really have a lot of time to prepare my looks. I kind of packed my suitcase with heaps of stuff I had from home and loaned heaps,' she explained.
'I always say yes to the interviews because it's a bit of fun and part of the experience, and good for exposure. But some of the questions I have been asked this year were diabolical.'
Pedestrian.TV reporters asked Sopha, among other Fashion Week attendees, how much money she earns and what was the biggest brand deal she has ever turned down.
'There is no way in hell I'm ever going to answer that question, and I'm sure that if I turned around to the interviewer and asked them the same thing, they would be uncomfortable,' she said.
'I don't think you should ask people about money, that's just how I was raised.'
Sopha added that she felt the attending media had the 'sole purpose' of 'trying to 'catch people out with tricky questions' to elicit 'juicy' answers.
'But some of the questions were really good so thank you to the interviewers that had good questions prepared,' she noted.
The TikToker explained she has not had any media training and attended AFW alone, without the company of her mum or manager: 'So I'm freaking out. I don't want to word vomit and say the wrong thing.'
Sopha said she had all the clothing she rented for the week sent to her hotel room and planned to pull looks together ahead of each show.
'I knew it was going to be stressful but I didn't really have any other option because I left it too late,' Sopha, whose real name is Sophia Beggs, continued.
Sopha's answers were not included in the video that was uploaded to Pedestrian's TikTok.
In another video, which Pedestrian has since removed from their TikTok, interviewers asked, "Who is the biggest microtrend final boss?"
'First of all, s*** question,' Sopha fumed.
'You can see almost everyone is uncomfortable and clearly doesn't want to answer that. We're at AFW... Let's talk about Australian Fashion.
'I wouldn't be asking whose fashion sucks.'
'The Australian influencer scene is already so toxic and we have such Tall Poppy Syndrome, we don't need other creators bringing people down.'
The 21-year-old was named as the 'biggest micro trend final boss' in the video by another TikToker, who she noted 'wore SHEIN to Australian Fashion Week,' with a disdainful look.
'Not sure what that's about.'
One familiar face to answer the question was Sydney socialite Suzan Mutesi, who said that she turned down a $5000 payment from a brand because she felt 'she deserves more.'
Sopha's eight minute video has been liked more than 32,000 times in the past six hours, with hundreds of attending media, influencers, and even Abbie Chatfield weighing in the debate.
'The money questions is such a trap,' Abbie commented.
'If you refuse to answer you're 'not being honest'. If you say what you turned down, you aren't grateful or are hated for the money you earn. It's so misogynistic demanding influencers tell people what they earn.
'They just know people are waiting to hate influencers (especially female influencers) and they know that will get engagement, no matter what the question. I hate this s***.'
'Imagine an AFL interviewer going up to the players and asking who they think is the worst,' one viewer pointed out.
'Money transparency is very important but that's not done by trying to get a sound bite from a young female at fashion week,' one fan commented. 'That conversation should happen in a contextual space with a constructive conversation around income misunderstandings/questions about influencers incomes.'
Sopha replied: 'Yes I agree!'
Elsewhere in her video, she said AFW has been 'a bit of a s*** show in general', noting that the Carriageworks venue had changed the standard layout for 2025.
'The lack of diversity at the fashion shows has been insane,' she added.
'I went to a show yesterday and diverse wasn't even in their vocabulary. I was sitting there thinking this is so s***. I just thought that in 2025 we would've been a lot better at that by now.'
Sopha Dopha's street style interviews featured in several videos shared this week, both by traditional and non-traditional media outlets, on social media.
She said the comments about her looks have been 'hateful' and 'toxic.'
'I don't think "I ate" with some of these outfits. I pulled these looks together in 30 seconds rummaging through my suitcases,' she said.
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