These influencers are opening up about the ‘nightmare’ of having to get part-time jobs
Apparently posting pictures on Instagram doesn’t always pay the bills
Several social media influencers have spoken out about the hardship of having to get part-time jobs to pay their bills.
Apparently it turns out that it’s really difficult to make a living from posting pictures of yourself on Instagram. Who’d have thought?
Lakeasha Jackson is a model and influencer with 11,000 followers on Instagram. She opened up to the Daily Mail about how the logistics of getting to modelling gigs can be a “nightmare” for wannabe influencers. Lakeasha was so tired during New York Fashion Week this year that she had to fly home early.
She said, “Normally, I’m known for being the lead coordinator gathering together other models to lodge together in luxurious accommodations, splitting costs between us and using these expenses as tax write-offs later.
“This time around, models started canceling their flights or accommodations last minute, which left the remaining options either unaffordable or completely unavailable.
Lakeasha has had to take up two other jobs as a financial advisor and a life coach in order to pay her bills. She also seems to have worked as a Disney Primncess impersonator at children’s birthday parties?
The most successful influencers are raking in millions each year. Funnily enough, not everyone can be Charli and Dixie D’Amelio.
21-year-old Chloe Barbour dreamed of becoming a model and an Instagram influencer. She complained to the Daily Mail that social media led her to believe that her career would take off once she’d booked a few modelling gigs. She’s had to work for free to gain exposure, and will only be doing her first paid influencing gig in November.
She has to work up to 80 hours a week at a healthcare company in Iowa called Optimae Life Services in order to fund her influencer-esque lifestyle.
She currently has 3,280 followers and is following 3,245 people.
Apparently travelling to photo shoots is really expensive, and she’s not famous enough yet for brands to cover her expenses. She got booked for New York Fashion Week, but travelling there cost her more than she earned.
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She said, “I’ve reached burnout a few times, and have had to take months off at a time to focus on my mental health.
“Yes, I get to go do all these fun modeling things, but they don’t realize that, I can’t pay my utility bill the next week because I want to go to this opportunity,’ she said.
“Or I can’t go out with my friends to dinner, because my money is going all to something that’s not paying me out.”
19-year-old Zay Jeffrar is one of the many social media influencers who has had to resort to getting part-time jobs. He’s a full-time student and has had to take up two part-time jobs to cover the expenses of being an influencer. He believes it’s unfair that less successful influencers only get free clothes when they post pics to advertise products, instead of being paid by the brands.
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He spoke to the Daily Mail about his struggles. “The last audition I went to that I didn’t get, I had to miss work. Sometimes, I’ll come back from a casting for an unpaid gig and I’ll be late to class.
“I live three different lives, it’s exhausting, but I refuse to let my dream die.”
He has 2,180 Instagram followers.
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