{"id":59152,"date":"2022-06-23T17:50:52","date_gmt":"2022-06-23T17:50:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=59152"},"modified":"2022-06-23T19:40:26","modified_gmt":"2022-06-23T19:40:26","slug":"olivia-ponton-on-her-meteoric-rise","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/olivia-ponton-on-her-meteoric-rise\/","title":{"rendered":"Olivia Ponton Reflects on Her Meteoric Rise and Finding Herself Along the Way"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photographed by Kat Irlin. Styled by Joseph Errico. Hair by Walton Nunez. Makeup by Christopher Ardoff.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For most teenagers, life flipped upside down pretty quickly once the pandemic descended. Plans were canceled, goals were put on hold, and sooo many TikTok videos were made. For Olivia Ponton, everything<\/em> switched; only in her case, she skyrocketed to social media stardom.<\/p>\n

Just two weeks before COVID-19 lockdowns began in 2020, Ponton signed with Wilhelmina Models at 17 during a spring break visit to New York City. \u201cThe day that I left was the day that the whole entire city shut down,\u201d Ponton tells GRAZIA NOW<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Work was slow at the start of the pandemic, so she did what everyone else was doing: She made TikToks. \u201cI loved sharing what I was doing with my life. During COVID I was trying one new thing a day, whether it was cooking, playing basketball, volleyball, or exploring new places in my hometown,\u201d she says. \u201cI got really positive responses from people about how I made them feel. That was my main motivation to keep going.\u201d She eventually caught the attention of Thomas Petrou, a founder of The Hype House, a home that online content creators live in together. After she visited the Los Angeles mansion, she moved in for about three months.<\/p>\n

Ever since, she\u2019s amassed 7.8 million followers on TikTok<\/a> and 3.5 million on Instagram<\/a>. \u201cIn the blink of an eye, all of a sudden, I\u2019m in this incredible position,\u201d Ponton shares. \u201cI would say genuinely, it’s been a little hard to process everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Photographed by Kat Irlin. Styled by Joseph Errico. Hair by Walton Nunez. Makeup by Christopher Ardoff.
Tory Burch dress<\/a>, $898, necklace<\/a>, $298, rings<\/a>, $228 each, cuff<\/a> $348, sunglasses<\/a>, $185, toryburch.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She not only became a social media star; but also, started racking up serious modeling credits, too. Indeed, her next career milestone was a full-on pinch-me-moment. Earlier this year, Ponton was named a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit<\/em><\/a> Rookie and was featured in the 2022 issue<\/a>. \u201cWhen I got the call for SI Swimsuit<\/em> issue, I didn’t believe it happened for weeks. I was even on set shooting in Montenegro, and I was just like, This isn’t real. Olivia, snap out of this. This is a dream. You’re going to wake up tomorrow morning<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rocketing to fame so quickly at a young age could be tricky to navigate for anyone, but for Ponton, it’s possible to stay grounded by working out, eating healthy, and focusing on \u201call those little basic self-care hacks.\u201d The other half of her mental health equilibrium involves ignoring the \u201cinsane\u201d amounts of negativity that\u2019s online. \u201cThere are hundreds of thousands of people saying things to you that are not very nice,\u201d she explains. \u201cAnd for a while, I didn’t want to do it anymore because I was like, I can’t handle people being mean to me 24\/7<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Photographed by Kat Irlin. Styled by Joseph Errico. Hair by Walton Nunez. Makeup by Christopher Ardoff.
Tory Burch bikini top<\/a>, $148, shorts<\/a>, $298, necklace, $228, earrings, $198, hat<\/a>, $278, toryburch.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Instead of quitting \u2014 because as she puts it, she \u201cdoes not quit\u201d \u2014 Ponton decided to deliver the type of uplifting content she wants to receive. (She\u2019s known for sticking Post-it notes with positive quotes and affirmations around her home.) \u201cEverything is about karma. What you put out is what you get back,\u201d she says. \u201cI decided I’m just going to post my happy content and make other people happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, Ponton\u2019s only human, though. Something is bound to trigger self-doubt or impostor syndrome when she\u2019s scrolling through her feeds. (It\u2019s a pitfall no matter how many followers one has.) Still, she\u2019s mastered channeling negativity into something positive.<\/p>\n

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Photographed by Kat Irlin. Styled by Joseph Errico. Hair by Walton Nunez. Makeup by Christopher Ardoff.
Tory Sport<\/a> anorak<\/a>, $798, Tory Burch swimsuit<\/a>, $318, hat<\/a>, $228, earrings $198, toryburch.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWhen I do catch myself getting into that rabbit hole \u2014 stalking girls and looking at Pinterest and getting into a whole comparison game, Why don’t I look like this? Why don’t my outfits look like this? Oh, my body.<\/em> It makes me sad, and I’m not a sad person. I don’t like being sad,\u201d the model shares. \u201cThe moment I catch myself doing that, I literally breathe and say, Out of my head and into my body. And in that moment, I check with what my body needs. Am I hungry? Have I showered? Am I ready for the day tomorrow? Am I doing what I need to be doing in this exact moment?<\/em> Every time I start doing something that is positive for me in that moment, it takes me away from my phone and now I\u2019m focused on myself rather than the pretty girls that are on social media.\u201d<\/p>\n

This strong mindset and focus on mental health helped propel Ponton forward into another realm of self-realization: Last year during Pride Month, Ponton announced that she was bisexual, an experience that she says \u201cimmediately\u201d felt like a \u201cweight lifted\u201d off her shoulders. Afterward, \u201cI could breathe,\u201d Ponton recalls.<\/p>\n

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Photographed by Kat Irlin. Styled by Joseph Errico. Hair by Walton Nunez. Makeup by Christopher Ardoff.
Tory Burch dress<\/a>, $898, necklace<\/a>, $298, rings<\/a>, $228 each, cuff<\/a> $348, sunglasses<\/a>, $185, toryburch.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But that was Instagram. Reality? She describes the first few months after as \u201chard,\u201d especially with those she loved. \u201cComing out is not the easiest thing,\u201d she shares. \u201cIn the past year, the biggest accomplishment I\u2019ve had is accepting me for me and figuring out the type of people that I liked, what I liked.\u201d<\/p>\n

By Pride of this year, she announced she is \u201cpansexual and proud\u201d in a rainbow-filled post on social media<\/a>. Says Ponton, \u201cI have a very emotional connection to a person rather than based on looks. I think that’s something that’s been beautiful that I’ve been able to realize.\u201d<\/p>\n