KARINA URGES FOLLOWERS TO BE CONFIDENTLY UNFILTERED
KARINA Irby loves taking Insta-worthy pictures but hates editing out her imperfections.
“Everyone loves a filter and I get it,” the Gold Coast bikini designer said.
“But the more we do this the more we brainwash ourselves and others.
“Let’s just post what we really look like at the beach – let’s not pretend.”
The owner of Moana Bikini, a Gold Coast swimwear brand, inspires more than 1.1 million Instagram followers with her “real and raw” photos. Her pictures and videos often highlight her “crazy wild side” and show off her bloated stomach, cellulite dimples and inflamed eczema.
But Ms Irby said breaking away from the norm was not easy.
“I get ridiculed a lot for what I post. When you put yourself out there online you’re bound to get some nasty people.
“That’s fine. Nasty, bullying behaviour doesn’t impact me personally anymore, but it upsets me to think these people are probably also giving others a hard time.”
The Palm Beach woman started her cheeky-cut swimwear brand in 2011 and uses social media to connect with her customers – “The Moana Army”.
“I like to encourage my tribe to not care what other people think and be confident in who they are.
“I love who I am and I am not changing for anyone or anything,” she said.
Ms Irby’s top tips for a healthy social media account is to follow accounts that genuinely inspire you, embrace who you are and post that on social media, have fun and don’t listen to haters.