Instagram model cash strapped after abandoning social media career
Instagram model Essena O'Neill doesn't know how she is going to make money after ditching a social media career she profited from but now deems contrived.
The 19-year-old Australian has conveyed, in a series of videos posted to a newly created personal website, her dislike for social media platforms she has collectively attracted almost one million followers through.
Ms O’Neill has 586,000 followers on Instagram and had 200,000 followers on a now defunct YouTube account. She also had a modelling contract with a major national agency, and companies were paying her to post on social media.
However, she has now revealed the glamour behind each of her photos was laborious work that actually made her miserable and is unsure of the next step forward when it comes to paying the bills.
“What I’m doing scares the absolute f--k out of me,” she said.
“I don’t know where I’m going, I don’t know what’s going to happen next, I have no idea how I’m going to make money.
“I can’t afford rent right now,” she continued.
“I’m embarrassed to admit that I need help ... if you like my videos, or like any of my posts, or you like this website, if this is of value to you, then, yeah, please support me because I can’t afford my own real life."
Ms O'Neill has recently edited the captions of her remaining Instagram photos, debunking the myth that many of her photos were real.
“Everything I was doing was edited and contrived,” she said.
She summed up her sentiments in what she deems her wake-up call, saying, “I had it all and I was miserable because when you let yourself be defined by numbers, you let yourself be defined by something that is not pure, that’s not real, that’s not love.”
Since a 17-minute video in which she explains her story, Ms O'Neill has posted more teary clips on www.letsbegamechangers.com, recognising the global media attention her message has garnered. In each recent update she has appeared very natural in appearance, with make-up and hair simply done in contrast to more made-up pictures once published.
