This Writer Has No Feet, Loves Shoes, and Is the Funniest Person on Twitter
Sophie Helf is determined to luxuriate, to take pleasure in the simple beauty of life. This might not sound like such a radical proposition until you consider that Helf—in addition to being a writer, a computer programmer, and one of the sharpest wits on Twitter—is also a double amputee. Though she lost both of her legs in an accident about two years ago, 27-year-old Helf says she has gained a “cyborg body” and now walks with a pair of prosthetic legs. “Being disabled can be really frustrating and weird and boring,” she says. “It can be hard to find the beauty in life when your body hurts.”
Helf’s writing, both in the form of tweets and as a budding essayist, perfectly encapsulates her ability to find both beauty and humor in some of the toughest parts of life. Helf got serious about Twitter while she was healing up from her accident at her father’s house in the Bay Area. The result has been a ton of jokes, ranging from fashion (Helf wrote a column in Garage about wearing designer shoes when you do not have feet) to poignantly making light of personal struggles with mental illness to extremely good observations of people she sees out and about on the street. Take this recent one: “Other girls’ clear designer see-thru [sic] tote bags: sunglasses, book, tangerine, gingham scrunchie, copy of Vogue. My clear designer see-thru [sic] tote bag: tampons, dialectical behavioral therapy workbook (used), old receipts from a bodega, a dollar that’s ripped in half.”
Her exploration of Twitter has led to a writing career. Over the past year, Helf has written stories about her experiences as a disabled person with the same incredibly dark sense of humor for places like the Outline. She also has a Substack newsletter, which is more candid; there, she discusses topics ranging from visiting your childhood home to sobriety. Her success online has also made Helf rethink life offline, which explains her desire to pamper herself and indulge in what life has to offer. “I’ve dealt with depression. If I leave it unchecked, I can go for a week of not getting out of bed or getting dressed. I’ve learned that [luxuriating] is a good way to [force myself] to get dressed, clean, and do my skin care. It gives me a little nudge to get ready and go.”
On one of the first cold days in October, I meet Helf at a little coffee shop in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, not far from where she lives. She’s wearing a tweed blazer and a pair of wide-leg jeans. Her style has changed a fair amount in the past year. She tells me that lately she’s been into wearing big, chunky earrings, and likes to browse the online boutique Lisa Says Gah. Earlier this year was a different story: Helf wore a lot of Dickies and track pants. Regardless of what iteration of personal style she’s exploring, getting dressed is a fundamental part of Helf’s life; that was just as true before her accident as it is today.
Photo: Courtesy of Sophie Helf
Photo: Courtesy of Sophie Helf
She shares with me that in the months after her accident, when she was in a wheelchair, any opportunity she had to go out in the world, she’d try to wear a good outfit. “I was wearing some really fabulous stuff in the wheelchair. I had this big, faux fur green short coat. It was great. My dad would tell me to just wear sweats, and I’d say, ‘I want to look really nice while we go for a wheel around the park—I am not wearing sweats,’” she explains.
This has remained constant two years later. Fashion is and always will be something very joyful and exciting for Helf, but she also feels that her outfits are a part of the day-to-day maintenance she has to do for her health. “I like to feel really good before I leave the house. It really affects me,” she says. “The part of me that really likes to get dressed up hasn’t gone anywhere. People who I knew before the accident, they’re like, ‘You’re still you!’”
Helf’s certainly honed a voice that feels authentic, and obviously hilarious. Just take this recent and already iconic Helf tweet: “Imo [sic]….the fact throughout my 27 years I’ve not only grappled with several severe mental illnesses and suffered various emotional traumas but also survived a freak accident that is many people’s worst nightmare??? Just proof that God fucks over his sexiest angels the most!”
Originally Appeared on Vogue
