Stephanie Arenas Loves to Share

Stephanie Arenas loves to share. The petite part-time model has been an avid blogger since 14 and turned her childhood passion into a hustle with the launch of StephieSoSexy.com three years ago. The lifestyle blog gets views from males, who are usually pulled in by Stephie’s sexy pics and cute charm, as well as females, who frequent the site to get fashion and beauty tips from Stephie herself. But it’s her creative content and journalistic approach that’s built a solid co-ed following for the site, which hit 100,000 views at the end of 2011. XXLmag.com spoke with the self-taught blogger to learn more about her site, her modeling career and future ambitions. — Calvin Stovall (@calvinstovall)

XXLmag.com: How did you get into blogging?

Stephanie Arenas: I started blogging maybe when I was like 14, 15. I would have a little journal online but it was like personal. Ever since I was younger, I really, really loved writing and documenting. So, I would have my little blog when I was younger, like 16, and then that was like my favorite past time. So as of late, I started doing it on a more grown-up scale, I go out to different exhibitions, events, museums whatever and I cover them to try to get people to go and do something different and out of the usual. It gets a lot of great feedback, which is such a motivator for me to keep it moving. I do it for my own fun, my own hobby, and the fact that I get a lot of good feedback out of it, that’s even better.

What kinds of stories do you seek out?

I like to do active things, or things that will help you learn something new. For example, I covered the auto show. Not a lot of chicks are into cars, but maybe after seeing my post they’ll be like, “Oh, let me try the auto show, see how cool it is.” Not a lot of people from my age group or lifestyle would even want to visit it and try something new. And to me, that’s what it’s for really.

You run everything on the site?

Yes, me. I do everything from the web design, to the graphics to the photography— absolutely everything.

Did you go to school for any of this or are you self-taught?

Self-taught. Ever since I was young, I was really in to computers. So that’s my baby. Everything on there is done by me.

What’s your ultimate goal with the site?

I would like to get it to where I have such a huge following that I would be able to be sponsored and be taken out for travel to cover certain things in different places on a larger scale. So maybe if my site gets to be that big and I have different establishments wanting to back me up, that’s the goal. That’s a great goal because then I’ll be getting paid to do what I want to do, which is everybody’s dream really.

How did you decide on the name StephieSoSexy?

I have no idea. Honestly, it’s been there so long— basically, I wanted a model name. That was the whole thing. I didn’t wanna when I was getting into modeling I didn’t want my name to (get out) so, I think it just caught on. It stuck, and it’s catchy, so there it is.

How did it feel to hit 100,000 views?

I really didn’t start constantly posting until about late 2010, I started really, really, getting in there. Before it would just be a once in a while thing but I really started grinding on it in late 2010. In fall 2011 I hit over 100,000 views. That was great for me. I had always blogged for my own satisfaction, and just having great feedback from people from all around the nation and even some other places in the world it just kept pushing me. So, ending 2011 I was keeping track of my stats and I would notice it would keep going up and up until it passed 100,000 in a year. I was like, “Wow, this is great.” A little blog about me, that I manage everything that anyone can do is getting quite a following. And I was like half-assing it, imagine if I really went hard on it. 100,000 would be like in a day.

What about your modeling career?

I started modeling like maybe four years ago. A friend of mine referred me like, “Hey, you should try modeling, why not?” And ever since then it was good and I started making money off of it on the side from my regular day job. And it just seemed like it was so easy. It was like very easy money. Just pose, and I can definitely take pictures, so it’s not a problem for me.

Do you have long term goals for your modeling?

I usually stick to beauty modeling, I don’t do too much fashion being that I’m petite and I stick to what I’m good at. And I do some glamour, but that’s basically it. I do it now mostly as a side thing and I’m very picky about what I represent. I’m not into the really bootylicious modeling or super, super sexy because in the end, I do have the blog and that’s the journalist side so I’m very careful with what I touch, what I model. My main thing is the writing and I think the modeling I’m not that crazy about it, it’s not much of a challenge. What I do is write… I’m very, very picky with what I put my face on because I actually have something behind me. It’s not just the face. I use the whole StephieSoSexy model image to grab your attention, but once I have your attention I have a little more to show you.