A quick scroll through any travel influencer's Instagram account is likely to induce some serious envy. After all, who wouldn't want to travel the world completely gratis? However, if a new report by The Times is anything to go by, all is not always as it seems.
This weekend the newspaper wrote a piece titled "Fake views: blogger doctored holiday pics" accusing beauty blogger and Instagram star, Amelia Liana of superimposing images of herself against beautiful backgrounds around the world.
The image that sparked speculation was one Amelia posted back in May of the New York skyline from the Rockefeller Center. However, what some very observant commenter noticed was that the Freedom Tower (built in 2013) was missing from her snap, suggesting she had photoshopped an image of herself onto an old photo. While an expert told The Times the photo was definitely fake, Liana denied all allegations.
'I would never cheat [my fans] by putting myself in a picture where I wasn't at a natural location. I always remain faithful to my followers by taking my pictures in real locations,' the blogger told the newspaper.
Subsequently more photos on her feed have come under fire including a picture of the Taj Mahal minus the crowds and with a suspicious looking shadow, and a shot in Amsterdam where Lina appears transparent.
While no one is suggesting Liana has not visited the places showed on her Instagram, many are angry at the social media star for deceiving them with her shots.
Liana has responded to the controversy with a blog post on her site titled 'My Image Principles'.
'I feel a great bond with you, my followers, and I would never wish to deceive you, and so I have established these principles and shared them with you, so that you understand that I am striving for authenticity as well as giving you imagery that is stylish, progressive and inspiring. I call these “My Image Principles”'.
Liana then set out six principles that she will follow in regards to her images including not editing her photos, and always posting pictures shot in the time and location specified.
This post was written by Elizabeth Bennett. It originally appeared on our sister site, Grazia Daily.
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