Australian Instagram model Essena O'Neill went viral last week after calling social media "fake" and saying it made her "miserable."
"I spent hours watching perfect girls online, wishing I was them,"she explained in a YouTube video. "Then, when I was 'one of them,' I still wasn't happy, content, or at peace with myself. Social media is not real life."
O'Neill tried proving her point by breaking down one of the most popular photos she had posted on Instagram: a photo of herself at the beach.
While it may have looked like a simple snap captured by a friend, O'Neill explained that "there were probably 100 pictures, and this one was my favorite," adding that she edited it to make herself look "effortless."
Story by Aly Weisman, editing by Stephen Parkhurst
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