While the life of an influencer looks enjoyable, I can imagine that it gets old pretty quickly. Not only are you under constant pressure to update your followers on your every movement, whether it be going to the gym, having your dinner or literally doing your grocery shopping; but you also need to look good doing it. No wearing trackies and no make-up, no looking like a hot-mess in the morning, and absolutely no Instagram Stories of your friend dribbling food down themselves at 3am on a Saturday.
But, being an influencer doesn't only mean being under intense pressure 24/7 - it also means opening yourself up to the world of online trolls. Honestly, I don't get it. I don't get what makes someone bother commenting on something they don't like. On social media, it's easier to scroll past an image that you're not a fan of than it is to comment on it. Why take the time out of your day to compose a hateful message to someone you don't know, especially when they're simply trying to make a career for themselves?
While I don't have the answer to that question, I do have a prime example of how ridiculous this hatred can become.
This is Gabrielle Epstein, an Instagram model who has over 1.7 million followers on the social media platform. The Australian model is known for her good looks and racy Instagram photos, with her regularly uploading pictures of herself wearing a bikini.
The 24-year-old, who has a degree in biomedical science, became a full-time influencer a few years ago and now makes more money off of one post than she did when she was working as a model.
Epstein lives on the Gold Coast of Australia but spends a lot of her time travelling the world and working with different brands who give her money and freebies in exchange for her social reach.
However, while the majority of her uploads draw in thousands of likes and envious comments about her slender frame and envious looks, one of the models recent bikini pictures received a lot of negativity.
Taking to her account to upload an image of herself in a barely-there bikini, Epstein captured the image: "If you look closely you can see my scar on the top of my left leg."
Epstein's right, if you look really closely, you can indeed see a tiny scar at the top of her left leg. However, the trolls weren't happy with the message behind the image and called Epstein out for being "ridiculous."
The model has seemingly deleted a lot of the comments - which were getting seriously abusive - and has changed the caption to simply read "Morning."
While Epstein was trying to point out that not everyone is perfect, it's fair to say that her "flaw" is undoubtedly minuscule compared to most peoples. However, although her post may have missed the mark, it doesn't give trolls the right to comment and abuse her.
Seriously, people, just keep scrolling and keep your negativity to yourself. It really isn't that difficult.