Dr. Sonia Wibisono: The Fashion Doctor

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Mid-morning in a Jakarta mansion. Dr. Sonia Wibisono breezes in, charming and cheerful, hair salon-fresh, makeup flawless, in a white minidress and orange high-heel mules: Dior.

It’s quite funny sometimes. I have to go to the salon like once or twice a week and I think, “When I die this will all just be soil”. But I have to make an effort to be beautiful, because appearance really counts in this world.

Looking good is what Sonia does, for this doctor is not just a doctor: she’s an advertising model, cover girl, TV talk show host, public speaker, health writer, medical consultant, socialite, fashion icon, wife, mother of two – and she’s not yet 31.

I’m already 30 – that’s quite aged, you know. … I’m the kind of person who’s quite afraid of aging … Maybe around 40, if I feel like my face is sagging – I think (plastic surgery) is OK, so long as it’s not too painful, because, you know, I’m quite afraid of pain.

Throw it all together and you have a “celebrity doctor” – if more celebrity than doctor. But this, she says, is because she’s in the business of educating people, rather than of curing them. And indeed, she slips easily into lecturer mode, speaking with sincerity on topics ranging from waste management and sexually transmitted diseases, to women’s empowerment and fashion.

I think being a doctor is quite hard because they have to stay in their clinic a long time, from morning until evening, and I just cannot. I get bored, just being in a 3-by-4-meter room and talking to just one person. … My soul is just not there.

After some modeling success as a teenager, Sonia followed in her parents’ footsteps and studied medicine at the University of Indonesia. Later, a patient who worked in television suggested she audition to be the presenter of a health show. She won the part and the offers rolled in.

Now, she boasts presenter credits for seven shows – four currently running – and often makes guest appearances. Her “doctor” brand boosted her modeling career, mostly for health-related products and magazines. She still practices part-time in a clinic – when her other commitments allow – and conducts Internet research to write magazine articles. She is also in demand for seminars: two recent events were “Be a Man Magnet” and “Super Mom”, topics on which she’s amply qualified to speak.

I think in Indonesia we have a lot of luck, we’re really fortunate to have people that can help us, you know, like nannies. Lots of my friends who live in the U.S. can’t have nannies: They have to take care of the children by themselves, so they don’t really have time to take care of themselves. But here … we can take care of ourselves more. That’s the benefit of living in Indonesia.

This Super Mom’s sons are boisterous little boys who frequently interrupt (in English), showing off their new toys and Disneyland souvenirs, climbing on the furniture, climbing on their mother. Being able to choose her own hours means she can spend a lot of time with them, and the warmth of their relationship shows.

She plans to set up her own business once they start school. Already she is working on a motivational book for charity and has business interests, including one that indulges her first passion – a share in a fashion boutique.

I like fashion a lot. … I like window-shopping … I just like to look at their creativity. I think looking at fashion is the same for me as looking at paintings.

Sonia’s diploma could be in fashion, given the authority with which she discusses it, dispensing advice like a doctor. Names of her favorite designers trip easily off her tongue: Valentino, Biyan, Eddy Betty, Sebastian Gunawan, Gucci.

She maintains her own “unique” style by only following trends she feels suit her, and searches always for something a bit rare, a bit different – more easily accomplished during her frequent trips abroad.

Fashion doesn’t have to be expensive … because nowadays clothes are quite expensive and then we just wear them once or twice and after that we get bored, and people have already seen us in those clothes, so we don’t want to wear them again.

And fashion, of course, is part of the socialite life: seeing and being seen. Well-dressed and well-known, Sonia often graces the social pages, if only, she says, because her friends own the magazines.

I think a lot of socialites have a good heart – maybe not all of them, but some of them have a good heart and do good deeds for charity and have a balanced life. … Socialites are human just the same as anyone. But sometimes they just like to dress up because maybe they have spare money. Because actually fashion is so tempting, we cannot resist buying some beautiful shoes. Especially if we travel and see a lot of good things we haven’t seen before in our country, it’s really tempting if you have some extra money.

Despite its materialistic appearance, she insists the socialite life is ultimately about keeping in touch with friends – an essential part of being human.

I have a friend who is very rich, and I asked her, “Hey, can you live without all of these material things, these designer clothes, designer shoes, big house, no nannies, no help?” And I thought she would say “I cannot”, right? Butshe says, “Hey, yes, I can.” I was so surprised that she really is a simple girl.

It’s very good to have a friend like her that can remind me sometimes that life actually is a simple thing – we don’t have to wear designer clothes all the time, designer shoes, but we can be happy without all that.

Because it’s not all parties and shopping: Sonia is serious at heart. She frequently takes time out to thank God for her happiness and good fortune, knowing she is blessed and that the fashion, manicures, wealth and fame will count for nothing, when all the talking is done.

But could she live without all this?

Umm ... [laughs] ... For me, I think I have to pray a lot, yeah. I think, to, to, for me maybe it’s still difficult because it’s really, it’s really ... I have to pray a lot more to be, to be more spiritual, to be, yeah, I think I just have to be ... give to other people more in some way ... in a charity way. I feel I have to do that more, I think.

 

Dr. Sonia Wibisono’s style tips

It’s about your personal style – if you feel comfortable when you wear something you will feel good. So you don’t need to follow the fashion. You can just follow the color that’s in right now. You can just take a little bit of the trend that works for you: maybe just a touch of earring or a touch of the color in your blouse or something.

The important thing is that you feel good. If you’re wearing very expensive clothes but you don’t feel comfortable, I think people can see that you’re not comfortable.

And in fashion, I think it’s not about clothes and the body, I think it’s about the mind, the mind-set, what you feel, how confident you are in the fashion that you wear. I think fashion is more like a contribution to the person’s body and soul. Not just like when the clothes are hanging on a hanger: I think it’s different if the clothes are being worn by someone who feels comfortable in them.

 

Dr. Sonia Wibisono’s principles for good health and beauty

I use four principles.

The first one is eating – you are what you eat. That’s why I really watch what I eat; I eat a lot of fruit, vegetables, fish. I prefer to eat a lot of fresh things.

The second one is exercise. I have to make an effort to make sure I have enough time to exercise – at least 30 minutes every day.

The third principle – have enough sleep. I need eight hours, if not seven. It absolutely has to be more than six. If not I will not be in a good mood, and I feel my skin is not fresh.

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