This Fashion Blogger Is Coming Clean and Telling Us Why She REALLY Posted Her Photos

By Samantha Netkin
Instagram | essenaoneill
Instagram | essenaoneill

Essena O'Neill is an 18-year-old from Australia with a pretty huge fan base on social media — she has almost 600,000 followers on Instagram alone. After building a successful career posting photos of herself in bikinis and crop tops, Essena has decided to take a stand against the unrealistic pressure that comes with being a blogger in the spotlight.

She's revealing what really goes into capturing the "perfect" photo by replacing her Instagram captions with raw and honest narratives about the need for social acceptance and her experience being paid to post, which is a common practice among brands and bloggers.

Keep scrolling to read how Essena is shedding light on the skewed reality of social media, and then see how Instagram is becoming a place of body positivity, helping to widen the fashion world's industry standards.

"NOT REAL LIFE - paid $ to promote both the jeans and top. More info on how instagramer's make a lot of $ on www.letsbegamechangers.com"

"EDIT REAL CAPTION: paid for this photo. If you find yourself looking at "Instagram girls" and wishing your life was there's... Realise you only see what they want. If they tag a company 99% of the time it's paid. Nothing is wrong with supporting brands you love (for example I proudly would promote Eco sheets or a vegan meal in exchange for money as its business for a purpose to me). BUT this ^^^ this has no purpose. No purpose in a forced smile, tiny clothes and being paid to look pretty. We are a generation told to consume and consume, with no thought of where it all comes from and where it all goes."

"EXAMS ARE OVER! Happy happy gurrrrl - when your caption acts to distract the viewer from a very much posed bikini shot of a paid brand. Totally fooled them. Any girl with a lot of followers promoting a bikini brand is paid, I would say 99% of the time."

"Edit: "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"

"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."

"Serious edit: I was definitely serious about proving my sexuality... Why? For who? Social expectations. Impress people. Live up to society's effed up standards on young women. Don't know what they are? Walk through a shopping mall. Pick up a magazine. Modern media is limiting our view of self."

"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"

"We didn't even go for a jog this night because it started raining. But I upload a photo insinuating we did. It's so easy to make forced photos appear candid. All you see is what they want you to."