The Stunning Transformation Of Sofia Richie

If you consider yourself a fan of reality television, pop culture, and the ins and outs of celebrity life, chances are you're a big Sofia Richie fan (or at least infatuated by her lifestyle). Sofia, of course, is the young socialite daughter of hit-maker Lionel Richie, the famed musician and "American Idol" judge who carved a space for himself in the music industry with the group the Commodores in the 1970s. Sofia, by nature of her relationships and family, has pretty much been in the spotlight since she was a kid, having been exposed to the amazing pros (associations with celebrities, business opportunities, etc.) and the heartbreaking cons (relationship exposure, substance abuse, etc) that come with fame. At only 23 years old, Sofia has capitalized on her name and street cred.

Of course, many people know her as the young woman who maintained a years-long relationship with "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" star Scott Disick, who had been in an on-again off-again relationship with the mother of his three children, Kourtney Kardashian. When Sofia hit the scene and seemingly swept Disick off his feet, people wanted to know about the woman who was 15 years his junior. So look no further: This is the stunning transformation of Sofia Richie.

We can't imagine what it'd be like to be famous, let alone come from a famous family, but that was the case for Sofia Richie. She shared with Complex that her dad Lionel Richie's legendary music career often led to her being surrounded by musicians — Michael Jackson was even her godfather. Despite all the fame she was exposed to daily, her dad made a point to keep her as grounded as possible.

"You get to see places kids don't normally see, and meet people that are not normal," Richie shared. "[But] there are pluses and minuses to it. You don't really get the quality time you get with a normal dad. I feel like I grew up kind of fast, but I love my life and the way I grew up." And from the looks of it, it's clear that Sofia's dad, Lionel, had faith in her own intuition and vision for her life from a young age. He shared with Billboard that his daughter was an "old soul," who was "very clear about who she is and what she wants." But still, Michael Jackson as your godfather? Can't say that's particularly relatable.

As the daughter of a legendary musician, Sofia Richie's dad Lionel Richie had a hand in how she grew up and transitioned into the public eye. She told Elle in 2014 that when she was growing up, she had been friends with children of other industry professionals who were in the "Hollywood" scene but noted that she spent most of her time outside of that scene, possibly because her dad had a pretty tight lid on Sofia's exposure. 

"My dad is more strict because of my sister. I feel like now he's on the preventative side — it's not like I'm doing anything bad, but he went through all that with Nicole, so he's just strict to prevent it from happening again," Sofia told Elle. Of course, she is referring to the conflicts in which her older sister, Nicole Richie, found herself during her younger years, most notably being her drug use. As noted by People, Nicole used both cocaine and heroin and credited her drug use to boredom. "I think I was just bored, and I had seen everything — especially when you're young, you just want more," Nicole said.

If you don't know Sofia Richie for being Lionel Richie's daughter, or for being Scott Disick's long-term girlfriend (now ex, we should add), then you probably know her from the modeling world. Sofia told the Evening Standard that after being home-schooled for four years and being on the road with her dad, she decided to turn her attention to modeling after her friends and family encouraged her to give the modeling agency a try. 

At just 15, Sofia signed a modeling deal and appeared in Elle and Marie Claire. By 2016, she had been chosen to be the face of Material Girl, the fashion line started by none other than Madonna and her daughter, Lourdes Leon. As a massive Madonna fan girl, Sofia was "obsessed" and called the experience "insane and overwhelming." "I have met [Madonna] several times with my dad. I think she is a good role model because she is independent and strong," Sofia said. As for Leon, the model revealed at the time, "We have a lot of mutual friends and they think we should link up, because we are so similar."

Sofia Richie is from an impressive family, but she hasn't fallen into their shadow. Richie is creative in her own right, and she proved that as she transformed into an influential social media presence. To solidify her presence in the fashion world, 2019-era Richie collaborated with Frankies Bikinis, allowing the budding star to make her first real stamp on the industry she was busting into. 

Frankies Bikinis noted during the launch of the Richie collaboration that the young model was the "perfect 'it' girl to collaborate with." She ticked all the boxes — femininity, confidence, California lifestyle. And to make a good thing better, Richie came to the table adamant that her suits be available to a variety of body types. "A big focus for us was making sure the silhouettes were flattering to different body shapes and sizes because no body is the same," Richie said, before adding that she wanted to bring elements of her "tomboy flare [sic]" style to the collection. "Whether I am wearing baggy jeans with a fitted tank ... or styling my swimwear with a pair of sweatpants and sneakers, I love to have that perfect mix of femininity and tomboy," she said.

As briefly aforementioned, Lionel Richie had some thoughts about Sofia Richie's transformation from budding 18-year-old model to girlfriend of mid-30s Scott Disick. It seemingly was not the evolution in his daughter's growth that Lionel had hoped for, and he made his feelings known on the matter. As noted by E! News, Sofia was "infatuated" by Disick, and although Lionel wasn't thrilled about it, he tried his best to appeal to the couple. 

"Lionel has accepted their relationship but still isn't entirely 100 percent on board with Scott mostly because of the age difference and how young Sofia is," a source revealed. "Lionel can see how happy Sofia is though so he is definitely making more of an effort with Scott." Of course, Lionel is known as an "honest, up front kind of guy" and he made it clear to his daughter that his father-daughter relationship with her was his priority. As such, he swallowed his genuine feelings about her relationship and seemingly tried to make nice, even spending the holidays with Sofia and Disick in 2019. "He's trying to be there for Sofia and to be supportive of her despite his reservations about her relationship," the source continued.

Some people go through a breakup and are derailed for a good chunk of time — after all, enduring such a huge life change can really seem to throw things off. But that certainly did not seem to be the case for Sofia Richie, who all but thrived in the aftermath of her breakup from Scott Disick. Yes, we'd seen her thrive as a happily in-a-relationship lady, but when she struck out on her own, it seemed as though the world was at Richie's fingertips. 

Over the years, Richie's profile and fame had grown exponentially, and her influence was reaching over 6.5 million people on Instagram alone when she was just 22 years old. As such, her business portfolio transformed, and as noted by The Things, Richie became the face of a number of brands, proving to the world that she certainly didn't need a man on her arm to make it big in her business. Included in Richie's brand and designer contracts were the likes of Pretty Little Thing, Rag and Bone, Mermade Hair, and more. With increased attention and sponsored posts, according to The Things, likely came even more brand collaborations, pointing to the budding success of the young star.

Sofia Richie has evolved from the famous tomboy child of Lionel Richie into a star in her own right. From her impressive social media following to her classy wardrobe to her brand collaborations, it seems as though the world is at her fingertips. And as noted by The Zoe Report, Sofia has some impressive accomplishments under her belt, proving that her reign is just getting started. Notably, Sofia and her sister, Nicole Richie, collaborated on a collection for the House Of Harlow 1960 clothing line, and Sofia reportedly brought her "modern street style" to the table. 

"Sofia is young and on the street ... boots on the ground," Nicole said of her sister and their work together. "It was very cool to watch her bring in these very current pieces that I probably never think to bring in on my own." And that's not all! As of publication, one of Sofia's latest collaborations is with Rolla's Jeans, where she lent her fashion eye to the brand's classic denim and western style (via Yahoo! Life). It's safe to say that we're just seeing the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Sofia's career and accomplishments, and we can't wait to see what she accomplishes!