In this day in age, people are doing unbelievable things to try and score some Internet fame. They do ridiculous challenges, some of them causing serious injury or even death. They play horrible pranks on people, like slapping people across the face and running. And some people even put themselves into an incredible amount of financial debt, just so they can be considered “popular” on Instagram. Keep reading to find out how one woman wanted Instagram fame so bad that she almost ruined her life for it.She was going out to brunch with friends, going on shopping sprees, and she was doing it all in the name of Instagram. Lissette would post her entire life to her 12,000 followers. “I wanted to tell my story about this young millennial living in New York,” she said.
But the life she was showing, was nothing more than a facade. All of the money spent on clothes, dining out, and vacations was putting Lissette into debt. Accumulating over $10,000 in debt, Lissette said, “I was living above my means.”
So she had to move back in with her parents in Miami. While living with her parents, she continued showing her followers her “glamorous” life. Most of her money went to vacations, clothes, and dinners, just to look cool online.
She didn’t want to be seen wearing the same thing twice, so she would take herself on $200 shopping sprees every month. She would also splurge once a month to show her followers her brand new Louis Vuitton bag, or the new Kate Spade accessory. “I was living a lie. Debt was looming over my head,” said Lissette.
She would rack up the dollars heading to a new location every month. “Snapchat had these [geo-]filters [like digital passport stamps] and I wanted to collect at least 12,” said Lissette. She began to realize how much money she was truly spending for the sake of Instagram stardom.
“I knew that moving to New York, I had to get my act together or I wasn’t going to survive,” she said. Lissette made some pretty big changes. She began to slow her role on Instagram, and began to isolate herself a bit more.
She also gave herself a $35 weekly food budget. No more eating out for her. After fourteen months, and some assistance from a financial coach, Lissette was able to pay off her debts.
“Nobody talks about [his or her] finances on Instagram. It worries me how much I see girls care about image. I had a lot of opportunities to save. I could’ve invested that money in something,” reflected Lissette.
