Sophie opens the door with a huge smile. She’s every bit as bubbly as you’d expect from someone whose spirit animal is a bunny. She’s an ever-gracious hostess and offers me a La Croix, which I gladly accept, complete with a “Much Love Sophie” branded napkin. As we sit down to chat she jumps right in and begins talking, immediately alleviating the sort of awkward beginning that can feel inevitable when you interview a stranger.
Even on a casual Saturday morning, Sophie McGuire wears an Instagram-worthy outfit that includes an unfortunate portrait t-shirt, frame miniskirt, and sol sana boots.
She’s the girl behind the heart emojis and smiley faces of the popular lifestyle blog, Much Love Sophie. At 16, she’s a young woman with a mission: “Seeking and sharing positivity through style, beauty, and life.”
In 2015, she established Much Love Sophie as a creative outlet devoted to spreading positivity, and she surely looks fashion-forward while doing it. She has seen immense growth in her blog and has garnered more than 15,000 followers on Instagram. At just age 13, she partnered with SMU alumna Amber Venz-Box’s company RewardStyle. This allows her to send shoppable links to her followers–and receive a percentage of the purchase if it’s bought through her specific link.
“I’m so thankful to Amber for [this opportunity]. She’s amazing, she’s incredible, she’s not only the best businesswoman but she’s an amazing mom,” McGuire said.
While her blog focuses on fashion, she aims to diversify her content. She prioritizes her health and works out nearly every day. Whether it’s a pilates class or a walk around Highland Park, McGuire is always moving. Aside from sharing her workouts, McGuire has teamed up with her 19-year-old sister Maddy to run a food account (@yumyss) where they share their favorite recipes and bites. It’s while talking about this that I learn McGuire’s penchant for Royal Blue Grocery’s new golden almond milk latte with a dash of chai, which will set you back around $7.00. Sophie orders one nearly every day.
“Golden milk is so good for you it has so many health benefits and chai just tastes like fall,” McGuire said. (In the name of research, I had to try it, and she’s clearly onto something with buzzword ingredients like turmeric and ginger.)
Every morning she starts her day with healthy pancakes made of egg whites, oats, banana and cinnamon. McGuire said she likes these better than regular pancakes and they are way healthier. Don’t be fooled; she still loves to indulge. Her go-to indulgences? Pasta and gelato.
With all these other interests, it’s hard to believe that McGuire can make time for school. Lucky enough she goes to school in the comfort of her own home. She is currently enrolled in online high school through Texas Tech University. This flexible schedule allows her time for blogging and traveling. She frequents her family’s home in Los Angeles often and visits Maddy at USC. She credits the West Coast for her “cool girl” style.
“I’ve always been just in love with fashion. I remember going to play dress up in [my mom’s] closet every single night and I still do sometimes,” McGuire said. “I remember going in there and putting on her high heels.”
Although she has killer style now, she was not immune to the awkward middle school years. She wore a beret every day for a year. (No one’s exempt from a French girl phase.) Until she was 10 years old, she wouldn’t leave the house unless some part of her outfit incorporated glitter. She still loves glitter tennis shoes, but she approaches her style in a different way now. For her, fashion is a means of exhibiting what lies on the inside.
“I feel like fashion is an expression of yourself and I think it’s really important to feel confident in what you wear,” McGuire said. “It’s not just about putting on an outfit, but it’s really making people feel something when you wear something.”
For philanthropy, Sophie recently collaborated with well-known jewelry designer Madison McKinley (who she calls “Maddy”) to raise awareness of Family Legacy, a charity that helps orphaned and vulnerable children in Zambia. McGuire hopes to one day volunteer at the camp the organization holds every summer. For now, she sponsors a child and donates a portion of her collaboration’s sales back to the organization. The pieces range from $68 to $136.
It is clear Sophie is motivated and hard working. She credits her dad, Mike McGuire, for inspiring her and always saying, “How you do life’s little things is how you show up for life’s big things.”
Her mom, Natalie McGuire, sang a similar tune when speaking of her daughter.
“Watching Sophie follow her dreams with so much love, determination and passion are incredibly inspiring,” Natalie said. “We are so proud of her and the positive impact she’s making through her blog.”
In the end, McGuire credits fashion for giving her a channel to express herself. To her, it’s about more than just clothes and shoes.
“It’s really about showing your personality through what you wear and expressing yourself through that,” McGuire said.
