What are the chances of randomly approaching and interviewing the same Swedish girl twice, six years apart? Sadly, neither of us remembered one another. It was not I until I got home that I recalled a previous young, fashionable, blonde Swedish girl in Union Square. I looked in our Uberchic archives and sure enough, there she was. She was the Uberchic for July 2004 as well! Click here to see that older interview. So here’s part two, six years later, Sofia Headstrong on Bedford Ave, Williamsburg Brooklyn.
Ask a New Yorker: You don’t look like you’re from this neighborhood originally?
Sofia: I’m from Sweden.
Ask a New Yorker: What are you doing today?
Sofia: Today I’m working. I’m actually going to the gym right now. And then I’m going to a photo shoot later tonight.
Ask a New Yorker: What type of work do you do?
Sofia: I’m a correspondent for a Swedish television show and also for a Swedish newspaper called Svenska Dagbladet.
Ask a New Yorker: How long have you lived in New York?
Sofia: I think a little more than five years now. First I lived in the East Village and then I moved to Williamsburg.
Ask a New Yorker: Describe Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Sofia: I think Williamsburg is the ultimate playground if you’re young and like to have fun. So it’s like a play ground for adults or people who consider themselves in-between youth and adult.
Ask New Yorker: What’s your photo shoot about?
Sofia: I’m working on a book. So I’m going to photograph two people for the book. I’m working with a Swedish Photographer. Her name is Anna Schori.
Ask a New Yorker: What’s the book about?
Sofia: I’m not allowed to say too much but it’s kind of an interesting take on style.
Ask a New Yorker: Describe the biggest difference between Sweden and NYC?
Sofia: It’s a major difference. I’m from a small town of like 9000 people which is more like Williamsburg than Stockholm. It’s easier for me to live here because you have a main street and people are on their bikes and people are saying hello to each other while Stockholm is more impersonal. People are not so friendly. It’s a beautiful city but harder to have interaction with people.
Ask a New Yorker: Are all Swedish girls blond with blue eyes?
Sofia: No, It’s just because certain movies came out in the 60’s that started the ideal or this stereotype of how Swedish girls look. But if you go to Sweden it’s actually about only 30% that are blonde. Sweden markets themselves as the most modern country in the world and this reputation of being liberal and free is all part of that modernism that Sweden promotes.
Ask a New Yorker: Are you a beach lover?
Sofia: Yes, very much so. Because in Sweden the summer is, like, one week basically. I take full advantage living here of the summer.
Ask a New Yorker: What are some of your hobbies?
Sofia: I’m a marathon runner. I also have a running blog. I encourage people to have style when they run. So my thing is that I always run races in a dress. Because I think it’s more fun. I’ve run the New York marathon twice. The first one I ran in a green dress and the second I ran in a blue dress with some yellow ribbons that kind of encourage the Swedish in me. So that’s my thing. I’m a marathon runner.
Ask a New Yorker: What’s your best time?
Sofia: My best time is 3 hrs and 45 min. I hope to improve that this year. I’m addicted to running. I run every other day. For me running is a way for myself to stay healthy and to have a clear head and to feel good about myself, which helps me survive living in New York.
Ask a New Yorker: Describe your style.
Sofia: I always like to dress according to a certain philosophy or a certain mood that I find in the morning. So I never pick out what I’m going to wear the next day. I always go with the feeling that I have in the morning. So often I try to envision something from a movie or fairy tale or something like that. So today it was more about colors. So today I decided to do things in gold. I have these gold shoes that I found in Shanghai, which are really insane. The funny thing about these shoes are that one time an old man came up to me in Manhattan on the upper east side and asked me if I was a millionaire which is a really fun thing about these shoes. The braids are basically because I didn’t have time to wash my hair. So it can be a reason for convenience for a certain hair style. I like to entertain myself and other people with style. I think it’s a good way to make the day a bit more fun.
Ask a New Yorker: Last question: On the beach, is it a string bikini, one piece, two piece or just your birthday suit?
Sofia: Swim wear should never be about trends. When you expose your body in minimal fabric it has to be about what is flattering for your body type and nothing else.
Ask a New Yorker: Fantastic.
