- Pretend like you're breathing out like,
(breathing out) but with your teeth touching.
- Should I bite my lip?
- Yeah (laughing)
(upbeat music)
- Hi there, I'm Aria and I've always been baffled
by the idea of an Instagram model.
You know, the concept of combining your looks
and harnessing the power of social media
to create a new and very lucrative profession
is a bit astounding to me.
Especially as someone who, if you look at my Instagram page,
let's just say the word, sexy may not come to mind.
But that's why we're here, we're here to learn
more about this unique profession
and perhaps some tips and tricks
along the way by spending the day with an Instagram model.
A car is coming by, heyoo.
I'm meeting with Abigail Ratchford,
a former paralegal turned model
whose pictures began blowing up online
a few years ago and who can now easily charge upwards
of several thousand dollars per sponsored post.
- So, I feel like now social media
is kind of just the currency of things.
So, as where maybe five years ago, a company would pay for a
billboard on Sunset Boulevard that gets 10 million views
they're gonna pay a girl with 10 million followers
to post an ad, so it's kinda just like the more
followers you have, the more money you can request.
- What are the keys to a great selfie?
- Good lighting for sure, know your angles, and eye contact.
You like look down, then look up.
One, two, three, now look up (laughing).
- How many followers do you currently have?
- Instagram, I think is like, 8.3 million
or 8.2 million, I'm not sure.
- Good God.
- I mean to be completely blunt, I think it's, you know,
the whole sex appeal thing that got me here,
but then for me, at least, I've kinda just used
my social media following
as a launching pad for bigger things.
- [Aria] And one of those bigger things is
Instagive, an online campaign Abigail has launched
where she finds people in need,
helping them with anything from a makeover
to paying their medical bills.
And today Diana, a high school senior,
is being given one of those makeovers for her prom tonight.
- [Abigail] Is there somebody named Diana here?
I heard you are the lucky prom winner.
Here we have some flowers.
- Instagive basically is kinda just my way of giving back
to people because I feel like I come from a small town,
I'm the fifth of seven kids, and I've just been so lucky
and so blessed to be where I am in this amount of time.
So, I was just like, I need some kind of way to use
my platform and use my spotlight for good.
Oh my God, you look amazing.
You do (laughing).
- [Aria] While Diana finishes up her transformation,
Abigail decides to assess my Instagram.
- I mean, your stuff's kind of all over the place.
Like, this isn't you, your postings
of other people, other content.
- The atrium right now, I told her
she seems to be doing very well--
This looks pretty interesting.
- Yeah, that was, I spent the day at a porn company.
Nicole Aniston, are you familiar with her work?
- No, I'm not.
I would give your Instagram, on a scale of one to 10,
like, a 5.8 maybe. - 5.8?
- It looks good, I like it, I like it.
- You clearly don't, 5.8, I mean.
Abigail then takes me outside for a quick crash course.
- So, this is, like, called the baby face filter.
- The baby face filter, okay. - Yeah.
You look down and then as soon as you look up, you snap.
- So look down. - So, like, one, two, three.
- Whoa, whoa, that's not a good photo.
- (laughing) Do it again, that was not good.
- [Aria] After giving up on my poor selfie technique,
- Could you get one of those flowers?
- [Aria] Abigail decides
to just get behind the camera herself.
- Hold it a little bit closer to you,
like you're smelling it
and then, yeah, just put your eyes up to me.
One, two, go.
I love it, this is gonna go viral.
Maybe just bite your hand.
- Is this gonna move my Instagram up from a 5.8?
- [Abigail] Yes, yes, nailed it.
- [Aria] Diana's makeover is now complete
to Abigail's delight.
- Oh my God, you look amazing.
- Wow, this is so stunning on you, oh my gosh.
I wish I looked this good at my prom, damn.
- Well you look amazing. - Thank you so much.
- What person are you bring tonight to...
- He's one of my close friends.
- Oh, great, he's a good guy?
- Yes he is.
- Have you put in the right amount
of money for a background check?
- For a background check? (laughing)
- I know a good PI.
- I think I chose him.
- Good, good, good, but if he gives you any trouble,
I recently took up kickboxing.
- Oh, okay.
Honestly, this whole experience feels so, like, magical.
Like, I never thought that I would
experience something like this.
It just doesn't feel real, I feel like a Disney princess.
- I always say Instagram is not real life,
even though I try to share as much of my true life as I can.
Every image that you see has been perfected, altered.
Most girls in my position want their photos to look
the best possible way they can before they put them
in front of eight million people to see.
So, young girls looking at girls like me, just know that,
love yourself, embrace your flaws,
know who are, and just own it.
- [Aria] Taking Abigail's words to heart,
despite feeling uncertain about it,
I decided to try posting my first sincere attempt
at a serious photo later that day,
and as it turns out, in less than a week,
it's already become my most liked photo ever.
While I don't know if this means I'll eventually have
as many followers as Abigail, I've definitely come
outta this with a lot more respect for what she does.
She's aware of the fact that, as she says,
"Instagram is not real life."
And I do think that we have to realize
that while having followers and likes
may give us a fleeting sense of satisfaction,
we ultimately shouldn't allow it
to determine our self worth because it doesn't.
Although, it would be nice to maybe have
as many followers as Michael Buble someday,
just so we have something to talk about.
(bells chiming)
If the guy gives you any trouble,
you take him like this, alright?
And that's, you're gonna, it'll knock him out.
You put enough pressure, he's done.