#SocialMediaIsNotRealLife- Former Instagram model, Essena shows the ugly truth behind Instagram photos

Internet model Essena O’Neill’s may have started a powerful revolution against social media by showing  it's dangers to society

When it came to Instagram celebrities, there were very few models who had a higher amount of social currency than the 18-year-old model from Australia.

Her Instagram account, which featured a standard mix of scenic and seemingly candid photos one can expect from someone who makes her money looking good next to waterfalls, boasted close to 580,000 followers. She had another 260,000 subscribers on her YouTube account and 60,000 on Snapchat.

That was before her Will McAvoy-esque breakdown — a breakdown that led her to delete over 2,000 photos and go inactive on her YouTube and Snapchat accounts in an attempt to expose the fabricated reality behind social media modeling.

She re-captioned the posts she left up on Instagram to reveal the lengths she went through to make certain shots look perfect, yet spur-of-the-moment.

NOT REAL LIFE - I didn't pay for the dress, took countless photos trying to look hot for Instagram, the formal made me feel incredibly alone. 
BEHIND THE IMAGE COMING SOON - www.letsbegamechangers.com 

I had acne here, this is a lot of makeup. I was smiling because I thought I looked good. Happiness based on aesthetics will suffocate your potential here on earth.

Was paid $400 to post a dress. That's when I had maybe 150k followers, with half a million followers, I know of many online brands (with big budgets) that pay up to $2000 per post. Nothing is wrong with accepting brand deals. I just think it should be known. This photo had no substance, it was not of ethical manufacturing (I was uneducated at the time). SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT REAL is my point. Be aware what people promote, ask yourself, what's their intention behind the photo?

NOT REAL LIFE - took over 100 in similar poses trying to make my stomach look good. Would have hardly eaten that day. Would have yelled at my little sister to keep taking them until I was somewhat proud of this. Yep so totally #goals

The only thing that made me feel good that day was this photo. How deeply depressing. Having a toned body is not all we as human beings are capable of

Maybe I should cover up my blemishes so people will like my appearance. Maybe I should straighten and redye my hair so I'll get more likes. Maybe I should stuff my bra so I appear more sexualized. Maybe I should pay more attention to my clothes so they appeal to mass media... Maybe I should spend hours and dollars on perfecting myself so you will like me.. Yes maybe that's what life's about (Not directed at any individual, actually that's directed to myself... Why do we do the things we? Edit: Fear and delusion. Our youth is obsessed with a 2D world. It's consuming us

Edit real caption: This is what I like to call a perfectly contrived candid shot. Nothing is candid about this. While yes going for a morning jog and ocean swim before school was fun, I felt the strong desire to pose with my thighs just apart#thighgap boobs pushed up #vsdoublepaddingtop and face away because obviously my body is my most likeable asset. Like this photo for my efforts to convince you that I'm really really hot#celebrityconstruct 

"PLEASE VALIDATE MY EFFORTS TO LOOK SEXY WITH MY BUM BEING THE POINT OF THIS PHOTO." I wish someone would have shook me and said "You have so much more in you than your sexuality" at 16. That was all I thought others wanted, that's what got likes, that's what I thought was cool. There is nothing cool about this. This is a photo taken for the sake of trying to get people to like a photo. There is nothing inspiring about that. Social media is an illusion. #celebrityconstruct #behindtheimage 

 "Please like this photo, I put on makeup, curled my hair, tight dress, big uncomfortable jewellery... Took over 50 shots until I got one I thought you might like, then I edited this one selfie for ages on several apps- just so I could feel some social approval from you." THERE IS NOTHING REAL ABOUT THIS. #celebrityconstruct 

O’Neill appropriately renamed her account “Social Media Is Not Real Life.”This change all seems to be in line with O’Neill’s new website, Let’s Be Game Changers, which so far consists of some personal blog posts, a lengthy info section, a community forum and a series of supplemental anti-modeling vlogs giving you a look into what exactly is going on in her mind as she aggressively steps away from the career she built.

The last video she uploaded to the site was a 17-minute and 40-second diatribe explaining the business of social media, what it’s like to work as a model in the field and what changes she made to get her to the point where she felt quitting was nothing short of mandatory to her wellbeing.In the website’s description, Essena spoke more about reasons she specifically quit modeling on social media.

She wrote,

I was miserable. Stuck. Uninspired. Angry. I didn’t enjoy the act of creating art, writing or any forms of self expression like I once did as a child. When no one judged it, I created without limitation or filters. When it was for no one else but myself, I fell in love with it. And it loved me right back. It made me feel alive. It was like capturing and expressing real life, real feeling, real beauty — it gave me this joy that I still can’t explain. You know that feeling of inspiration, passion and purpose you get when you do something you just love? That’s why I do what I do. I don’t want approval anymore, it traps me into thinking I need more and more and more. I don’t want to be liked or judged either. I want a place where I can give with no expectations or outcome. I don’t want followers anymore. I want a world of individual beings.

Elsewhere on the site, she pleaded with the greater online community,writing,

PLEASE CAN SOMEONE MAKE A SOCIAL SHARING PLATFORM NOT BASED ON VALIDATION IN VIEWS/FOLLOWERS/LIKES BUT SHARED FOR REAL VALUE AND LOVE. THANK YOU. PLEASE HURRY UP.