Inspiring Stories: Andrea Chong Is Breaking The Influencer Stereotype

PRESENTED BY PANDORA, AS SEEN IN HARPER'S BAZAAR SINGAPORE MAY 2017

You know her by her Instagram handle (@dreachong), if not by face, but Andrea Chong never started out wanting to be a social media influencer. "I grew up wanting to be a teacher. It all began with a hosting gig and modelling for online stores," she says. "I started taking photos of my outfits, people started following me for what I was wearing, then it took over my life and became a career." In an ongoing partnership with Pandora, we shine the spotlight on Andrea and three other dynamic self-starters that are pursuing what they love and inspiring others to do the same along the way.

I stay true to myself by… Telling myself “I’m not doing the best that I can.” I set a very high standard for myself; I need to be better, be it when it comes to writing, shooting or creating content.

I like to explore… Unconventional travel destinations. I went on a safari in South Africa where I saw lions up close and tried zebra meat. I got to sleep under the stars in the Sahara Desert, and I loved Chefchaouen in Morocco – it’s the blue version of Santorini.

My philosophy is… I work hard, I don’t play at all. The opportunity cost of taking a break is too much. I’m young, I don’t believe in off-days or weekdays… You should be lucky that there’s work. You should be paranoid if there’s no work.

A typical day for me is… Waking up at 5:30am and sleeping around 11pm. I have no social life. I started working at 17, so that has always been my focus. I send my dad and boyfriend to work, do some shoots and spend the rest of the day replying emails, coming up with concepts or attending meetings.

The goal is to… Be behind the camera, working on the production and creation of content that I have control over. I also want to be a mum, I’d be a total soccer mum. I value family time a lot—I always make it a point to have at least one meal a day with my dad.

Do… What you love; do what makes you happy. But if you want to make it your career, be smart and savvy about it. Think about how you can make it profitable.

Discover the stories of all the exceptional women in our series here: Sara Wee; Jaime Lee and Ng Yi Lian.

Photographed by Gan

Styled by Debby Kwong

Makeup and Hair: Manisa Tan/Palette Inc

Manicure: Audrey Wee

Photography assistants: Samsidi Baderi, Loy Kok Wee