I know the fashion influencer is more than a pretty face. They’re savvy enough to earn a living from flogging just about every visible body part. Hair, eyebrows, eyes, mouth, ears, neck, skin, boobs, butt … and those nails – they look mean enough to dismantle the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
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All these body bits, of course, are attached to sponsors who pay top dollar to make their person not just look great but mention their name up front or en passant. “Where is this ring from?” a follower asks the pink influencer. “Do you have extensions?” “Someone tell me where the jacket’s from. I know she said it like five thousand times but I still can’t find it [crying emoji].”
I understand why people become influencers – money and free lippy and adoration of the masses, for starters – but I’m wondering what it’s like to live as an influencer because you’re not just a model anymore. You’re a walking, talking commodity, constantly feeding little bits of yourself to the public.
Do influencers lie on the couch (supplied by x) at the end of the day, against cushions (supplied by y) in PJs (supplied by z) and just yearn for a no-brand cup of tea from Woolies? Would they secretly kill for a chocolate bar from NQR (Not Quite Right) because they can’t stand to utter one more freaking endorsement – even if it did come in a pink wrapper with gold trim?
Clearly, it can’t be a totally bad gig because an awful lot of people want to do it. According to the Influencer Intelligence website, there were more than 56,000 influencers in Australia last year. On Instagram they’re categorised into nano, micro, mid-tier, macro and mega influencers. A mega influencer, estimates Joe Hitchcock for Shopify, has more than 500,000 followers and can earn as much as $10,000 per post.
I might have a rethink. Seems a small price to pay for loving yourself loopy.
Jo Stubbings is a freelance writer and reviewer.
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