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    1. Culture

    Reality TV star Louise Thompson has had her Instagram secrets outed by her brother

    And it’s making us feel a lot better about our Instagram feeds.

    Jenny Proudfoot's avatar
    By Jenny Proudfoot
    Published 11 January 2017 In Features

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    And it’s making us feel a lot better about our Instagram feeds.

    Reality stars and bloggers have become some of the most powerful social media presences out there, racking up millions of followers with their aesthetically perfect shots and Instagram beauty. We’re talking avocado brunches, unreal holiday snaps in enviable five star destinations and ‘candid’ photos of luxurious products – all beautifully arranged with flawless lighting of course.

    Made In Chelsea’s Louise Thompson (boasting 936K followers BTW) is known for her gorgeous Instagram feed, frequently posting pictures of her and her personal trainer boyfriend, Ryan Libbey, showing off their perfectly toned gym bodies and travelling the world together.

    A photo posted by on

    There were questions as to how her photos were being taken when followers started to notice that a lot of her shots were taken from far away and some speculated that she was getting professional help.

    Her brother, Sam Thompson, revealed her secrets yesterday, uploading a photo to his Instagram story that shows her posts aren’t as candid as they seem.

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    Louise Thompson

    Instagram/@samthompsonuk

    The picture shows Louise and Ryan in a swimming pool posing for an Instagram photo… taken by a professional photographer and lighting technician. Yes, it turns out they have a professional team to photograph them, and we have to be honest – it makes us feel a lot better about our photos being substandard by comparison.

    A photo posted by on

    Instagram stars have spoken out before about celebrity social media and the effort, time and money that it takes to get the perfect snap.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

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    Australian Instagram star, Essena O’Neill, quit the site over a year ago after explaining how she was able to make an income for herself from marketing products to her half a million followers. Speaking about her previous online presence, Essena explained ‘See how relatable my captions were – stomach sucked in, strategic pose, pushed up boobs. I just want younger girls to know this isn’t candid life, or cool or inspirational. It’s contrived perfection.’ She continued: 'This was the reason why I quit social media: for me, personally, it consumed me. I wasn’t living in a 3D world.’

    Despite being ‘outed’ by her brother, Louise hasn’t slowed down her online activity, uploading a series of stunning swimwear shots from her holidays in Sri Lanka just this morning.

    Jenny Proudfoot
    Jenny Proudfoot
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    Contributing Features Editor

    Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. After working at Marie Claire UK for seven years - rising from intern to Features Editor - she is now a freelance contributor to the News and Features section.

    In 2021, Jenny was named as a winner on the PPA's '30 under 30' list, and was also listed as a rising star in journalism.

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