A new type of influencer has stepped into the Instagram beauty-sphere; and while their perfect bone structures and plump pouts are entirely fake, beauty brands are eating it up.
To explain, a new crop of CGI influencers — models who have been created digitally for the sole purpose of amassing social followings – are emerging to the fanfare of beauty brands.
Last week Fenty Beauty by Rihanna reposted a photo of an Instagram model wearing its latest lipstick. With bright orange lips and matching nails posed against a colourful background, the model could have easily been mistaken for any other high-fashion-esque beauty blogger. However, the model in question was actually Shudu Gram – self described as “[the] World’s First Digital Supermodel”.
Shudu Gram has upwards of 36,000 Instagram followers, and is the creation of London-based photographer Cameron-James Wilson. Speaking with BAZAAR.com, Wilson noted that: "She is not a real model unfortunately, but she represents a lot of the real models of today. There’s a big kind of movement with dark skin models, so she represents them and is inspired by them."
Shudu isn’t the only CGI model gaining traction on Instagram. Recently, Pat McGrath announced that her latest ’McGrath Muse’ was CGI Instagram model Miquela – posting a photo of her to Instagram ‘wearing’ new Pat McGrath products.
@lilmiquela has half a million Instagram followers, and has worked with the likes of Diesel, Chanel, and Proenza Schouler, as well as having appeared in Paper Magazine. Her followers often describe her “Like a Sim that got famous”.
While many online are divided on whether brands should be endorsing CGI models, Wilson says their presence isn’t harming anyone; he’s simply bringing fantasy to reality:
"We live in such a filtered world now, where real is becoming fake. I wanted to create something that is fantasy toward becoming more real, and bringing it completely the other way."
