WILLA BELLE

ONG is intentional about building the next blocks of her career

- Karishma Tulsidas

In the span of one year, Willabelle Ong's Myers-Briggs test results have changed from ISTJ (a logistician with Introverted, Observant, Thinking, and Judging traits) to ENTJ (a commander with Extroverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and Judging traits).

The fashion influencer (@willamazing, 448,000 followers on Instagram, and 720,000 on Tiktok) has undergone a period of transformation over the past two years, catalysed by two milestone events: the pandemic, and the birth of her child Ava.

There's also been another event weighing on her mind. This year, Willabelle turns 30, and she's pumped for the next phase of her life: "I've always kind of been running away from [the thought of] turning 30. But as of this year, I've learnt to embrace new opportunities." This includes launching a new home care line with her husband (who prefers not to reveal his name), and venturing into acting.

"Acting feels like a natural progression for me, because I've always loved storytelling. But I have to admit that when I was much younger, I was a little bit more self-conscious," she shares.

Willabelle admits that she has always wanted to act since young, but never quite found the courage to do so.

When she was 14, she moved to Perth and did her schooling there. She was extroverted as a child, but became more introverted as she entered high school.

Still, she always loved dressing up, and would wear her mum's heels and lipsticks. As she grew older, she would post her looks on the now-defunct Lookbook website, where she started to gain a fan base, and started a blog called Pale Division.

At 16, she was featured in the Best-Dressed Reader of the Day section in Teen Vogue, and ended up catching the attention of Hollywood actress Vanessa Hudgens, who gave her a shout-out on her blog. This was the start of Willabelle's rise, as she continued to build her reputation as one of Singapore's most recognisable fashion influencers.