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Social media users engaged by blogger's sponsored Instagram post

Scarlett London was slammed for posting this image. Source: Instagram
Scarlett London was slammed for posting this image. Source: Instagram

An Instagram star says she has been inundated with abuse and malicious death threats after a sponsored post with a mouthwash brand sparked a social media storm.

Scarlett Dixon, who blogs under the name ‘Scarlett London’, took to Instagram on Friday to share a glimpse of her “morning routine”.

Surrounded by a stack of pancakes, love-heart shaped balloons and a unsubtly placed bottle of Listerine, Ms Dixon stares off into the distance while holding an empty mug.

“The best of days start with a smile and positive thoughts. And pancakes. And strawberries. And bottomless tea,” the post read.

While she’s far from the first to stage an Instagram photo, enraged social media users quickly began picking apart a series of flaws in the image, slamming the 24-year-old for contributing to a culture that puts pressure on young girls to live an unrealistic lifestyle.

“F**k off this is anybody’s normal morning. Instagram is a ridiculous lie factory made to make us all feel inadequate,” read one tweet which subsequently saw the post whip up a social media frenzy.

A closer look at the stack of pancakes folded on her perfectly-made bed raised further questions.

“Either that’s a plate of tortilla wraps or some dry as pancakes,” Christian Whelan added.

Others were quick to point out that their “bottomless” mug of tea didn’t actually appear to have any tea in it.

One said on Twitter the pancakes looked like tortilla wraps. Source: Twitter
One said on Twitter the pancakes looked like tortilla wraps. Source: Twitter

The blogger, who has more than 47,000 followers, said she initially found the comments quite amusing but as the abuse flooded in, it quickly started to take its toll.

“Each time I refresh my page, hundreds of new nasty messages pour onto my Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, some of which have contained malicious death threats,” Ms Dixon wrote in a follow-up post.

“There are now hundreds of thousands of tweets circling the internet, shaming me.”

Ms Dixon insisted she only did paid partnerships with brands she personally uses, adding that she never intended to create an unrealistic standard of beauty for young girls who look up to her.

“I personally don’t think my content is harmful to young girls but I do agree Instagram can present a false expectation for people to live up to,” she continued.

“Please remember at the centre of every viral storm is a human being.”

In the last 48 hours, grown men & women, MP’s, women’s equality representatives, journalists, actresses and broadcasters have discovered my Instagram feed and decided to pick it apart online, in front of thousands. Each time I refresh my page, hundreds of new nasty messages pour onto my Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, some of which have contained malicious death threats. There are now hundreds of thousands of tweets circling the internet, shaming me. I implore those mindlessly sharing this content to research who I am as a person, before they further drag my name and image through the mud. Yes, I do adverts on here, but only with brands I genuinely use and would spend money on myself. My feed isn’t a place of reality (let’s talk about Exhibit A – above – I mean who spends their time in such a beautiful city, perched on a ledge, ice-cream in hand and smile permanently affixed to her face, it’s staged guys). Sometimes my photos are whimsical and OTT and a little too pink, but I’m not presenting this as an ‘idealistic’ version of life that young girls should aspire to. Those who follow me will know my reality. I try to raise awareness for the digestive condition I suffer from, the same condition that years ago threatened me graduating from university. My Instagram has been an outlet to show you can be positive and have fun with life, despite this condition. I personally don’t think my content is harmful to young girls but I do agree Instagram can present a false expectation for people to live up to. And I am wholeheartedly sorry if I’ve ever made anyone feel inadequate through my content. My life mission is quite the opposite. I am a strong 24-year-old woman who has experienced bullying in the past. I am and will be okay after this hideous experience. But another young girl or guy as the subject of a targeted hate campaign might not be okay. Please remember at the centre of of every viral storm is a human being. ❤️

A post shared by Scarlett London (@scarlettlondon) on Sep 2, 2018 at 12:58am PDT

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