'The Culpo Sisters' Explain Being an Influencer
'The Culpo Sisters' – Olivia, Aurora, and Sophia – answer the question that has been on all our minds: What does an influencer do?
There’s a funny moment in the pilot episode of TLC’s new reality show The Culpo Sisters – which centers on former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo and her sisters Aurora and Sophia – in which their parents Susan and Peter confess to not understanding what an influencer is.
“They act like it's a job, they have to open [boxes] up and pull out this cool stuff,” a bewildered Peter says, with Susan adding, “What the hell do they do? Because I don’t know.”
Given their parents' age and Rhode Island residency, the Culpo parents can be pardoned for their ignorance. But for the rest of us who have questions about the logistics of earning a living as a professional influencer, the Culpo sisters are happy to explain.
“I feel like the thing about being an influencer, literally you could have any career in the entire world, it’s just choosing to be vulnerable and creating a community based on that vulnerability because you’re finding common ground with a group of people,” Olivia says in an interview ahead of the show’s Nov. 7 premiere. “Anybody can be an influencer. And everybody who is leading a public life is an influencer.”
“You have to take risks, like anything else in the business world,” Aurora says. “I have a masters degree in teaching and I worked with kids with Autism for a long time. When I had my own kids, I opened up my platform to share my struggles with postpartum [depression] and just kind of bring people along that journey with me. So I feel like I kind of integrated my background with teaching and with kids into my influencing as well.
“I think the word ‘influencer’ kind of gets a bad connotation, because people just assume you’re taking selfies all day,” she continues. “But the goal is to be vulnerable and to share.”
For what it’s worth, even the Culpo sisters find the label miselading.
“I prefer digital entrepreneur,” Aurora says with a laugh.
The Culpo Sisters premieres Monday, Nov. 7 at 9pm ET on TLC. To watch on Sling TV, use the link below to subscribe to Sling Orange + Blue.