Cool gal Zhoe grew up in Brisbane, and has since relocated to Sydney’s sunny shores. She was “lucky enough” to have grown up in the generation before Facebook and Instagram, and spent a good chunk of her childhood outside—playing netball, dancing and in athletics. Now that social media has us ensnared in its claws, she admits she’ll often spend 2 hours scrolling through her Instagram feed of a night, and has vetoed hanging with certain friends because “they’re just glued to their phones and we spend the whole time in silence.” #Relatable. Since there’s a whole big world out there, “like a whole REAL world”, she recognises that it’s important for her to dabble in digital detoxes, and ‘splore Australia’s verdant backyard. Not growing up in such a digital-heavy world has enabled her to “really appreciate the small things.”
Don’t ask her to pick between the city and nature, because there’s space in her heart for both. She loves the city because there’s always something to do, but feels most grounded in nature, and likes that it helps her to reflect and reconnect with the world. Netflix takes precedence for her over Instagram, ‘cause “there’s no better thing to do on a rainy day then curl up on the couch or in bed and binge watch a television show.” While she loves a sleep in, she reckons there’s no better feeling than getting up with the sun. She used to sleep in ‘till 10 or 11 on her days off, but since moving to Sydney has made the effort to get up early, make breakfast and try to spend her days as productively as she can.
Her fave spot in Syd to illchay is the rocks at Cremorne Point—a really beaut spot overlooking the harbour, where she likes to sit and look at the houses along the harbour, fantasising about living in one of them (“sooo cheesy!”) The best thing growing up for her was camping on the beach with her dad—“My favourite memories are being able to spend that time with him, and I will always hold them close.” Outside of modelling, she likes to spend qual time with her friends and family. The self-proclaimed obsessive dog mum also likes to jet back to Brisbane to put in as much time with her baby Iggy. Admittedly, she also spends “probably a little too much time watching reality TV, Oprah, and Soul Sunday on YouTube”, but counterbalances it by journaling and yoga.
She’s super excited for Christmas and hangs with Iggy, but is mostly “actually really excited to see [her] mum and dad and spend time with them.” Nawwww. Her music taste is very dependent on what mood she’s in. She loves the golden oldies, and has been known to belt Elvis out in the shower, but is also an R&B girl at heart—take, for example, her playlist ‘Feels’ which is chockers with the likes of Khalid, Miguel, Ro James, Kehlani, William Singe, and Isaiah Rashad. Her on-screen soul mate is Zooey Deschanel’s character in New Girl—she has at least 10 awkward moments a day, is funny in a goofy way, and admits she “can be a little weird sometimes.”
Mental health is something she feels very strongly about, saying:
“I hate how there is such a stigma associated with mental illness in today’s society. It’s such a forbidden subject that I feel not enough people speak openly about it, which is funny because mental illness affects so many of us today. Mental illness is the third leading cause of disability in Australia and 1 in 5 people will experience a mental illness at some point in their life. Seeking help does not make you weak—to speak up about our experiences and spread awareness could bring us one step forward instead of sweeping it under the rug and calling it a bad day. I encourage anyone who is going through something to reach out whether it be to a close family or friend or even to a professional, looking after yourself mentally is just as important if not more as looking after yourself physically.”
Zhoe is her happiest when she’s with her little French bulldog Iggy, who she is “obsessed” with. Food and wine also put a smile on her dial. To her, being ‘cool’ is “being happy and comfortable to just be yourself.” Pretty cool!
Words: Maddy Woon Images: Sarah Adamson Fashion: Miguel Urbina Tan
Zhoe is represented by:
Kult SYDNEY
Shot on location around North Sydney, Australia
