Social media isn't the real world, although it can be hard to remember that at times. One Instagrammer who most certainly does see social media as her whole world has had a rough couple days...and her story keeps getting more epic.
Social media isn't the real world, although it can be hard to remember that at times. One Instagrammer who most certainly does see social media as her whole world has had a rough couple days...and her story keeps getting more epic.
Social media drama is weird. It flares up without warning, can go viral in an instant, and usually involves people you've literally never heard of. In this case, said person is Jessy Taylor.
You can find her @duhitsjessy, where she only has 16,800 followers. That's really not much for someone who cares about Insta as much as she does. But there's more to her story.
It turns out @duhitsjessy is Jessy's new account. Her old account, @jessytaylorduh, has 115,000 followers on only 19 posts. That's actually pretty impressive. But why does Jessy have two accounts?
That explains why she had to open up a second Instagram account. Apparently her followers kept reporting her to the Instagram police. Eventually enough was enough and her account was shut down.
In an emotional video, Jessy says she relies on Instagram to make money. "I was a prostitute," she said. "I used to strip every single day. I don't do that anymore because I make all my money online. I don't want to go back to that life."
She called herself "worthless", saying she was "nothing" without her followers. While this might seem like a case of someone taking social media too far, it's important to remember that she'd essentially just lost her job.
That was her big fear after the original account was shut down, but it seems she's going to continue trying the Instagram thing. Hopefully the trolls don't shut her down this time. It may seem like this story's over, but it's really just beginning.
Considering she's made a career out of what is essentially attention seeking, and she's in a rough spot right now, it's hard to imagine any interviews possibly going well.
In the interview with Insider, Jessy compared her account getting shut down to straight-up murder. "I felt like it was a homicide," she said. "Like somebody murdered and then went online to say, 'I murdered this girl'."
Surely no one would see this situation as 911-worthy, but Jessy clearly did. "I called the police, actually, and told them about this," she explained in her interview.
How did the police respond to Jessy's plea? Let's let her tell us: "They said, 'You can't compare a murder to this', and I was like, 'No, that's exactly what it felt like'."
Jessy doesn't really do much to flesh the story out, but it's a safe bet that the police chose not to respond to her report of Instagram banishment kinda-sorta being like murder.
While it's easy to feel some sympathy for Jessy's situation, consider this: she made half a million dollars from Instagram, according to her interview. For what it's worth, she said the cash didn't go too far.
Social media, hyperbole, and rich online celebs you've never heard of? It's 2019. Might as well buckle up and just get used to it. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!
We wish her the best!