One thing about Ola Elsharef is that she commands a room. She’s an influencer on your screen, sure, but off it, she has an aura that very few can match. It’s not enough to call the 28-year-old “cool” or “magnetic”—though both of those things are true. Ola has a kind of confidence (dare I say “empowerment”…but, like, the actual kind) that makes a person think, ‘I mean, of course I own this place’. And it’s refreshingly audacious. “I’ve always been this self-assured person deep down, but social media really unleashed it”, she beams.
Call it what you want—self-esteem or self-delusion—but I was instantly drawn to it when I walked onto set for our cover shoot. She was lying in the studio with a dozen flowers pinning her hair to the floor. A picture of elegance. An aesthetic Instagram post brought to life. Consider me (and the other 500,000 people that follow her, it seems) influenced.
Blazer: Kristina Fidelskaya
Dress: Missoni
Rings: Tiffany & Co.
Interestingly, Ola has always worked in finance — a normal side of herself that she insists is an integral part of her lore — and she landed the influencing gig almost by chance. But, she says, the desire to work had always burned fiercely within her. Growing up in Sudan, she longed to be the provider. “I always thought that my dad’s work was a privilege”, she tells me. Nowadays, work and success comes to her in abundance. Not even two years into her influencer career, she landed a spot in the coveted ‘Dyson Squad’, which, as any person who’s chronically online will tell you, is a pretty big deal. The rest of her resume reads equally as bold: There was the brand deal with Amazon. The dream collabs with Sunday Riley and Songmont. Oh, and she also has a 9-6 corporate job. Such is life, I guess.
The term “influencer” carries significant weight when it comes to Ola. A quick look at her TikTok comments reveals the substantial impact her content has on young women in war-torn Sudan. And when her life-long friend joins us on set some hours later, I begin to understand the depth of her influence. “Shereen is the only person who’s seen it all”, Ola says.
Ola and Shereen Ahmed share more than just beauty and grace (I mean, the energy shift on set when Shereen arrived was equally palpable); they share core values. Their bond, rooted in a deep, emotional connection, has been nurtured through years of 8-hour philosophical chats at university in Dubai. They are two besties that have always been primed for life – the cool big sisters; the girls that give you life advice in the club bathroom.
In the spirit of girlhood—and for the sake of modern journalism, of course—they graciously let me into one of their heart-to-hearts after our shoot. Amidst musings on alter egos, family, and a few tears, the many layers of Ola Elsharef begin to unfold.
Dress: Zimmermann
Cover story: Ola Elsharef is in bloom
Shereen: You know, when I first met you, I remember I opened the door to my dorm, and you were sitting there with my roommate. And I thought, who is this beautiful girl in my room?
Ola: How do you think I felt? Because you were a model. I come from Sudan and we don’t have models. That’s next level.
S: Stop it.
O: Remember that music video that you did? In my head I was like, wait I literally live with a celebrity. It felt like Gossip Girl or something. But we connected straight away…over family, really.
S: You know I always tell you that you remind me of my mother – you’re both Geminis, you’re both very head strong, you go after what you want. I think that’s why I related to you.
O: I come from a community where people don’t typically share who they are, or share the realities of their life. But when I met you, you just shared everything. I just admired the confidence, and you made me feel equal. Truly, you made me realise that it’s ok that certain things in my life don’t go well. You gave me hope. And your mum, I relate to her because she’s someone who pushes no matter what. She always wanted the best for you, and now I want the best for my family. Especially recently, I felt a huge responsibility to take care of my family after the war when my family moved to Egypt. All this work I do, I do it for them.
S: We’re the same in that way. Family is at the core of all that we do, they’re our biggest motivators.
O: And we’re very serious about our lives. From day one we bonded over that. We were never handed things, so we strived to become the women we wanted to be.
S: And be grateful for things, always.
O: Always.
Dress: Mach & Mach
Earring: Phenomenal Studio at Poison Drop
Ring: Tiffany & Co.
S: Remember during uni we’d have these chats that we felt that we were on survival mode, but trying to find time to enjoy it too. And I’m so happy that we’ve come to the point now that we’re the her that we’ve both always wanted to be, and we’re thriving. Would you have imagined, back then, that you’d end up doing social media?
O: I never saw myself doing this. Knowing me back then, I would’ve never cared for being an influencer.
S: You didn’t even post on your Instagram.
O: I had a private account with zero posts.
S: So what changed?
O: A lot of things. Eventually I got bored, and I also lost my job. During this time, I turned to social media, as we all do, you know? Also my mum is obsessed with TikTok, so she was pushing me to try it. I really enjoyed learning how to shoot and edit. When one of my videos went viral and I got some negative comments, I remember sitting there thinking, I made it.
S: You know this is what tells me that you were meant for this. Because when I post, I’m always worried about the comments, but you don’t even think about it. What was that line you used to tell me – all press is good press right? Bad publicity is good publicity.
O: You know I always had the belief somewhere within me that I could do it all. But social media helped me live that fantasy of I am that girl.
S: It’s like your alter ego finally had a place to shine.
O: Exactly.
Dress: & Other Stories
Earring: Anissa Kermiche at Poison Drop
S: And we’ve always said within our friend group that all you ever needed was a camera on you. Like you and your character needed a platform. How do you think your life has changed since?
O: I used to feel like all of this was a game, that none of it was real. I still have a 9-5 and life is normal, so social media never felt like real life. I never expected people to like me, let alone look up to me for skincare. I just do normal things, I’m just sharing my life. And for people to follow it and like it, to me that’s crazy. I’m so grateful.
S: And you being Sudanese, too…I visited Sudan and have some knowledge on the society there, or how it was at least. This is all a bit new, right? To see a Sudanese woman sharing herself on social media. There is a taboo, that’s why you get some of the negative comments. How do you overcome those kinds of opinions?
O: Most of the time I don’t read them. If I want to keep my head straight, then I can’t read them. Because I know who I am and that’s enough.
S: I love that. I really am so happy for you because of how forthcoming you’ve been with your social media. I mean you have always been a person that’s very sure of yourself, we all know this. This has always been Ola, you know, she’s been the loud, assertive, confident Ola. But now I’m so happy that this is inspiring so many people around you.
Dress (worn as top): Zimmermann
Trousers: Savanna
O: Not to mention the influencing industry has paved the way for women of colour.
S: Social media has really opened up a space for more diversity because people want it and advocate for it. People want a Sudanese woman to look up to, and social media created a space for you, for those young girls to look up to you. I don’t want to cry but it’s making me super emotional. You know I visited Sudan, I love the people. And they do not deserve what is happening right now. But you are doing a great thing. Those young Sudani girls will see Ola on the cover of Cosmo magazine and think ‘despite what we’re going through right now, look at Ola, look at how far she’s come…there’s still hope for all of us’. And that’s the beauty of influencing. It’s not just the glitz and the glam. This is hope.
O: I’m grateful. Our community is very conservative, so not a lot of us are in this scene. For me to put myself out there and find acceptance in the industry, I think I’m beyond privileged. To be here today as a Sudanese woman and to be able to tell my story, it’s mind blowing. And I can only say thank you. I’m so excited for the next generation of Sudanese women. The girls are going to know that it’s actually possible. They’re not going to be scared.
S: Because if Ola did it, why can’t they? It comes with a weight but you’re showing up not only for yourself but for them, too. And your family, of course.
O: My family lost a lot. No matter what, working was my way of being there for them. People have strong opinions when influencers talk about these things online. But they don’t know what goes on outside of what people like me post. We’re all so hurt, and looking for ways to heal each other.
Dress: Zimmermann
Ring: Tiffany & Co.
S: And look at how far you’ve come, it’s inspiring. Miss Dyson Squad over here.
O: This is a global, massive brand…and they just said like yeah babe we’re sending you a contract. This is the biggest thing that’s happened to me. I still think it’s crazy to be the face of Dyson. It’s truly top tier. I always believed in social media but this was the first time I saw a future.
S: What does it feel like to celebrate your hair with such a global platform like Dyson?
O: Listen, having my hair is not easy. First off, curly hair was just accepted like two seconds ago. The reason I started wearing my hair curly was actually because of the Dyson Supersonic. The whole curly hair movement, Dyson pushed it. For me to embrace my natural hair and to work with a brand that celebrates all hair types, it’s amazing. Working with them makes me feel so beautiful, and I had the confidence to feel that there’s a place for me in this industry.
S: Now other girls with the same hair type can feel seen too. Having you around is like a live podcast. You’re always sharing your passion and wisdom, and you really want people to realize their worth. I’ve taken so much from your mindset, I’ve learned so much. You always say how much abundance there is in this world. And you’ve proven that you just have to rise to that version of yourself and you’ll be capable of receiving it all.
O: I have a fear of not self-actualizing. I fear not reaching the pinnacles of what I’m capable of doing. I know there’s so much more for me. I want to grow old and think ‘God damn, you did all of that’, so I will.
S: Spoken like a true Gemini, babe.
Words by Megan Tomos
Interview: Shereen Ahmed
Photography: Amer Mohamad
Styling: Imgoene Legrand
Senior Producer: Steff Hawker
Hair Stylist: Sebastian Iskander
Make Up Artist: Emily Clayton
Floral Design: Egor Andryushin
Lighting Assistant: Yasir Ali Shah
Lighting Assistant: Scar Salario
Deputy Editor: Sara-Aisha Kent
Editor-in-chief: Milli Midwood