Instagram Models (NOT models & their Instagrams)
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How annoying. I'm so tired of people claiming social media is fake, and blah, blah, blah attention and validation. Just because you used it in such a way doesn't mean the rest of the world does. On some of my SM accounts, I have less than a hundred followers, and that doesn't bother me. I post pictures for my friends or myself. If I don't get a single like or comment, who cares?
I agree, she is just a spoiled rich brat who's changing one falsity wuth another for the sake of attention. She simply got the hint that being against "fake" social media and "extreme" body standards is the new cool.
Ugh reading about this Essena O'Neill stuff today really struck an annoying cord with me! I have what some people would consider to be a decent online following - it isn't like what she makes it out to be, not for me anyway! Sure, you can work with companies and get lots of emails offering things like that, but you don't have to accept them... no one pressured her to do these things she is apparently so horrified with! 
Personally, I'm selective with collaborations and things like that, I only will work with labels I already love or ones that really appeal to me (plus, it has to be something I think my followers will be interested in and want to see ). The whole 'beware of what people promote' thing is definitely not true in all cases. People I'm acquainted with and friends with online are all genuine in their promotional and brand collaboration activities, only promoting things they truly like (and not selling out!)! Maybe that is more-so not the case with the 'fitness' side of Instagram that Essena was a part of.
She clearly has a great deal of her self worth invested in her online activities, and is making the sweeping generalizations that anyone who is active with blogging and social media is just like her and that it is all 'fake' - no at all true. I just be myself with my blogging/Instagramming because it's fun, why bother putting up this fake front that she seems to think everyone does? Ain't nobody got time for that!!
And for me being involved in fashion, social media is a great thing to have! As with any creative field its a great way to share your work, spread the word about events and get involved with things. I don't get what she's harping on about how she *could* have pursued writing or something artistic had it not been for Instagram... It's not like you can't do fun creative things while enjoying posting on social media, haha! Why not do both?
Basically I was reading through articles about this all over Facebook with this facial expression -
Haha
Personally, I'm selective with collaborations and things like that, I only will work with labels I already love or ones that really appeal to me (plus, it has to be something I think my followers will be interested in and want to see ). The whole 'beware of what people promote' thing is definitely not true in all cases. People I'm acquainted with and friends with online are all genuine in their promotional and brand collaboration activities, only promoting things they truly like (and not selling out!)! Maybe that is more-so not the case with the 'fitness' side of Instagram that Essena was a part of.She clearly has a great deal of her self worth invested in her online activities, and is making the sweeping generalizations that anyone who is active with blogging and social media is just like her and that it is all 'fake' - no at all true. I just be myself with my blogging/Instagramming because it's fun, why bother putting up this fake front that she seems to think everyone does? Ain't nobody got time for that!!
And for me being involved in fashion, social media is a great thing to have! As with any creative field its a great way to share your work, spread the word about events and get involved with things. I don't get what she's harping on about how she *could* have pursued writing or something artistic had it not been for Instagram... It's not like you can't do fun creative things while enjoying posting on social media, haha! Why not do both?
Basically I was reading through articles about this all over Facebook with this facial expression -
Haha
I really enjoyed your rant!Ugh reading about this Essena O'Neill stuff today really struck an annoying cord with me! I have what some people would consider to be a decent online following - it isn't like what she makes it out to be, not for me anyway! Sure, you can work with companies and get lots of emails offering things like that, but you don't have to accept them... no one pressured her to do these things she is apparently so horrified with!
She clearly has a great deal of her self worth invested in her online activities, and is making the sweeping generalizations that anyone who is active with blogging and social media is just like her and that it is all 'fake' - no at all true. I just be myself with my blogging/Instagramming because it's fun, why bother putting up this fake front that she seems to think everyone does? Ain't nobody got time for that!!
And for me being involved in fashion, social media is a great thing to have! As with any creative field its a great way to share your work, spread the word about events and get involved with things. I don't get what she's harping on about how she *could* have pursued writing or something artistic had it not been for Instagram... It's not like you can't do fun creative things while enjoying posting on social media, haha! Why not do both?
Basically I was reading through articles about this all over Facebook with this facial expression -
Haha
People go to greath lenghts these days to justify and give heroic appereance to their weaknesses.
They are so braaave for calling out on the fashion industry, or social media of whatever thing they suck at!
She had a very public emotional outburst. If your work makes you feel empty and unfulfilled, you should seek out a more meaningful occupation if you have the means to. Many, many people work jobs that they hate and that definitely don't fulfill them. I'm sure they'd love to get paid $1000 for posing in a bikini instead of scrubbing toilets for $8 an hour, but they don't get to do that. It's good that she realized that what she was doing made her feel so unhappy so she can change it, but it was unnecessary to broadcast this "revelation" the way that she did. She's young, she has both the time and resources to pursue what ever she wants and she could have just announced that in a reasonable manner to her followers and moved on. Instead she decided to go crazy and claim social media is "evil" and "brainwashing" people.
I really enjoyed your rant!
People go to greath lenghts these days to justify and give heroic appereance to their weaknesses.
They are so braaave for calling out on the fashion industry, or social media of whatever thing they suck at!
Hehe I'm glad you enjoyed reading my ranting!
I don't usually ever get bothered by anything enough to rant, but this totally got on my nerves, haha!
Poor little rich kid. Let's all pity her and talk about it.
She's just another annoying brat
She's just another annoying brat
I'm so sick of people like her telling everyone how social media is and why it's wrong when it's just their own skewed approach to it that was unhealthy.
A lot of people I follow take photos of places they visit and I love seeing stuff like this. It's an amazing thing that social media allows you to see images from friends around the world. Not everybody spends two years ruining every good time they should have had by posing hard all day, most people take a few snaps and then get back to what they were doing, much as they would have done with an ordinary camera. This Esenna is an idiot.
A lot of people I follow take photos of places they visit and I love seeing stuff like this. It's an amazing thing that social media allows you to see images from friends around the world. Not everybody spends two years ruining every good time they should have had by posing hard all day, most people take a few snaps and then get back to what they were doing, much as they would have done with an ordinary camera. This Esenna is an idiot.
As a [real] model, SM really freaks me out. Our Instagram handles are attached to our page on our agency's site. At castings, they will ask for our handle--more followers, more [free] advertising. I'm terrible at it. I feel like a weird narcissist taking selfies at the gym. I went through handfull of model's instagrams and found that, on average, a successful model-SM posted about 9 photos a week with about 80% of the content being pictures of themselves (some were as high as 90%, but not many lower than 65%).
When you go on model's instagram, what kind of content do you like? Everyone here seems sensitive to how narcissistic it can be but that particular method is by far the most successful. I post a lot of books that I am reading and cats and it really hurts me as a model and I know I need to change---but this change would be very artificial. I don't think people want to see my 'real' life.
Thoughts?
You two are so smart!Ugh reading about this Essena O'Neill stuff today really struck an annoying cord with me! I have what some people would consider to be a decent online following - it isn't like what she makes it out to be, not for me anyway! Sure, you can work with companies and get lots of emails offering things like that, but you don't have to accept them... no one pressured her to do these things she is apparently so horrified with!
She clearly has a great deal of her self worth invested in her online activities, and is making the sweeping generalizations that anyone who is active with blogging and social media is just like her and that it is all 'fake' - no at all true. I just be myself with my blogging/Instagramming because it's fun, why bother putting up this fake front that she seems to think everyone does? Ain't nobody got time for that!!
And for me being involved in fashion, social media is a great thing to have! As with any creative field its a great way to share your work, spread the word about events and get involved with things. I don't get what she's harping on about how she *could* have pursued writing or something artistic had it not been for Instagram... It's not like you can't do fun creative things while enjoying posting on social media, haha! Why not do both?
Basically I was reading through articles about this all over Facebook with this facial expression -
Haha
When you go on model's instagram, what kind of content do you like? Everyone here seems sensitive to how narcissistic it can be but that particular method is by far the most successful. I post a lot of books that I am reading and cats and it really hurts me as a model and I know I need to change---but this change would be very artificial. I don't think people want to see my 'real' life.
Thoughts?
this is also something thats been bothering me lately. theres a girl in my agency that started modelling around the same time as me this year. while she already had a huge sm following (10k+ on instagram) to begin with, because she posts several photos of herself every day (whether theyre selfies, test shoots, jobs, etc.) her popularity has exploded (almost 40k on instagram, and constantly getting offers for jobs, test shoots, etc. through instagram). on the other had, i began with 200-300? followers and now still only have slightly over 1000, because similarly to you i prefer to post pics ... that dont constantly include my face. personally i also prefer to follow people on instagram that post photos other than just their selfies, so even thoguh i initially anticipated my friend's endless stream of photos now im just bored.
so i have a dilemma: completely exploit myself and get more work/popular/followers, but go against my beliefs and interests? or continue doing what i do and pray to the model industry gods that there is someone out there who understands me and will take me under their wing??
I'm sympathetic to professional models putting images of themselves on instagram because being photographed is such a key part of their work. It's the same as me taking photos of my drawings and posting them. Most people don't tend to call you narcissistic for photographing stuff you've drawn or painted but it sort of is, really. I think also, it is clear that agencies must be insisting on a social media presence. Again, design agencies insist you promote yourselves so I have always assumed model agencies put pressure on models to update their profiles.
I like it when models take a mixture of shots that give some hints about their life and which are mixed in with images of themselves which aren't always selfies but often shots from shoots or with friends. I think Zhenya has a very nice instagram; she doesn't seem vain or self obsessed, but you see from the shots exactly why she is a model and it provides an intriguing look at little snippets of her life. I think she has found a nice balance between promoting herself and showing a more personal side. https://instagram.com/zhenyakatava/?hl=en
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I enjoy a good mix of their work/backstage/print/outtakes, style/skinnispiration, general lifestyle (books/home-spa type stuff is always fun, landscape/nature stuff, some very minimal food), and silly/endearing things they are doing or identify with (dubsmash, gifs, quotes).
I think if it's always just the model in selfie after selfie, it's really annoying. But if it's the model's work and style and gym time for part of it, mixed in with a healthy dose of "here is my actual personality" then I find I'm more engaged. Maybe, in addition to posting books, you could post quotes that you like, or pictures that remind you of something you were reading? From what I see around SG, you are interesting and intelligent, and people will want to see that. And while the whole selfies/posting pictures of your work/backstage/outakes, might feel artificial, it's about compromise. Also, don't underestimate the power of feeling shy (if that is what it is), because that can be captivating in itself if it come across on film.
Anyway, I know first hand how uncomfortable it is to do things that feel so unnatural. Good luck! Because you seem to work very hard and you deserve the success.
I am ashamed to say that I used to be an "instagram model" of sorts.... Companies sent me shit and payed me to post pictures of it to share with my many followers. I deleted my instagram account a few months ago when I realized just how stupid it all was. There are so so so many of these types of instagram "models" here in hawaii. It is completely the norm for high school and college girls here to have thousands of followers and post pictures of their asses on the beach 24/7. To be completely honest, it was nice getting free clothing/swimwear/beauty products and getting paid to pose and post with them, but eventually it just gets ridiculous. It feels like you're living some sort of fake double life... you get obsessed with making everything into a posed photo-op rather than just enjoying the moment.
This reminds me of a girl in my class. How misleading pictures are I mean.
On instagram she looks so fun and happy and enjoying her life. However, when I speak to her the conversations are about
- a) how lonely and unhappy she is (do they show on her pictures????)
- b) getting a boyfriend (to take pictures with)
- c) her bad grades (which distract her from getting better pictures)
Do you remember when that video came out of Ian Somerhalder to his fans and how the girl cared more about getting a picture with him than enjoying the fact he was right in front of her. It was like that with her.