An aspiring Instagram influencer has come under fire for declaring she would prefer to 'die looking hot than live ugly' after she defended promoting controversial diet teas.
Social media personality Ava Louise made the comments on American talk show Dr. Phil, where she proclaimed herself a 'skinny legend' and said: "I'd rather die hot than live ugly."
She has since spoken out about the reasons behind her comments. In a recent interview with Gen, she said: "When Kylie Jenner did her whole face, I was like, 'Holy shit, why am I missing out on that?'
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"Every single procedure I've done, I found [out] about through Instagram."
Ava, who has an Insta following of 118k, has revealed she makes around $3,000 (£2,400) per month promoting products such as Flat Tummy Co., whose products include 'detox' teas, some of which contain laxatives, and appetite suppressant lollipops.
Aimed mainly at young girls, the products have caused controversy after being promoted by the likes of Kim Kardashian, with critics saying they could encourage vulnerable people to develop an unhealthy relationship with food.
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Dr Liam Hackett, the founder and CEO of equality and anti-bullying charity Ditch the Label, tweeted about the dangers of someone in such a powerful position promoting this sort of product.
Ava told Gen about the pressure her own desire for Insta success has placed on her body image.
She said: "You don't realise until you are on the platform and growing, but the better looking you are, the more money you make, and you get treated differently when you look like a Bratz doll.
"I'm hyper-aware of social media and what these celebrities have done cosmetically and I just have this need to look better."
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She continued: "I could say that social media puts a lot of pressure on me, but I'm thankful for that. I wonder if Instagram didn't exist, what I would look like at this point?"
Ava Louise is set to appear on Dr Phil again on 12 September.
Topics: Instagram, Celebrity, News
