There’s a saying which goes: “A picture paints a thousand words“. However, those words aren’t necessarily the truth. After all, what you see isn’t always what is there.
We’re used to seeing a certain lifestyle and standard from internet celebrities. Unfortunately, this does mean that some influencers might go the extra mile to keep up appearances. When that happens, people get upset. For example, this netizen felt so betrayed, they decided to expose a local influencer for her supposed lies.
The netizen revealed their revelation on 小红书 (Xiao Hong Shu), garnering attention and plenty of ire. According to them, this influencer has always seemed very influential and wealthy. She has posted photos of herself in lavish rooms, expensive-looking cars and even a castle! However, they claimed that she has been deceiving her 446K followers all along.
“Pretending you will be more (influential) when you are abroad?” the netizen asked, posting photos of the influencer in a supposed castle. “It turns out these so-called castles are not in foreign countries, nor in Shanghai at all.” The netizen went on to claim that it was actually a resort in Penang. “Are people ashamed of Malaysia?” they added. “Why (do you) keep trying to make it seem as though you are abroad?”
Additionally, they called the influencer out on another photo, in which she was posing beside a pink Cadillac with a grand-looking building looming in the background. “It turns out that the car is rented and the castle is (photoshopped),” they stated. They claimed they had found the car on the Instagram page Malaysia Classic Car Rental and that the castle was actually from the Tuileries Garden, Paris.
This influencer also runs a boutique business which supposedly has a branch in Shanghai. However, the netizen alleged that the photos of her store were faked as well. They claimed it was a buyers store. “Even though it is not (her) shop, she told the fans that the clothes in the background were samples,” the netizen pointed out. “Isn’t this deceiving fans and misleading customers?” They then added that all this had been said by the influencer herself.
The netizen’s exposé certainly caused a stir. Some were equally horrified by the deception. “I just found out today,” one lamented. “I always thought her photos and backgrounds were beautiful.” Another admitted they thought the influencer had actually been staying overseas, thanks to her photos.
However, others pointed out that this was a marketing strategy, although they too felt it wasn’t ethical. “Her editor is good and so is she,” a comment noted. “She speaks via photos. She didn’t say that she was abroad, but the world is big and not everyone will be easily deceived.” Another pointed out that these sort of photos would fool naïve people.
A few netizens did accuse the owner of the posts of being jealous. However, the person clarified that others had urged them to share their findings. They had merely wanted to warn people to be wary of fake personalities on the internet.
Well, the influencer still has fans supporting her, with some telling her to ignore the news. Others are insistent she isn’t the kind of person the netizen claims she is. The influencer herself didn’t seem too bothered by the allegations and is continuing her life as usual.
