Right off the bat, I’m just going to quickly introduce this story by saying that my own dad works in the trades and I know for a fact he has mocked Instagram users before. Maybe not “influencers” per say, but I’ve definitely been on the receiving end of one or two of his jabs aimed at those who have to get the perfect snap for their followers.
That being said, he’s also the first person to volunteer for a photo op, and he’s never been one to shy away from the camera, so I’d say he’s just about as hypocritical as they come. Give that man his own Instagram account and there’s no telling where his photo fancy would take him.
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Twitter user Barbara L’s own dad also works in trades and was also once confused by “Instagram influencers.”
In a tweet to her followers, she said her construction worker father once asked her to explain what exactly an “influencer” is.
After filling him in on the world of Instagram and the people who dominate it, her dad Omar simply responded, “Pshh, I could do that.”
Yeah, as if it’s so easy…or wait, is it?
Accompanying her brief explanation was a screenshot of Omar’s Instagram account, boasting 75 followers.
Not so bad for a guy who only literally just started his account, but it turns out this was only the beginning of Omar’s climb to fame.
After his daughter tweeted about his Instagram account, @justaconstructionguy , he soon got that viral “influencer” status he once said he could achieve.
Since his first photo was posted on May 4, Omar has amassed nearly 400,000 followers.
So he’s definitely got the followers. But what exactly is he posting to interest so many people?
Well, since he works in construction, and he spends most of his time on construction sites, what better content to post than tongue-in-cheek snaps of his life as a tradesman?
This photo of him lighting a “stogie” with a blow torch earned him over 25,000 likes.
You have to admit, the photo quality here is pretty great, and he’s perfectly centered in the photo, perfectly posed, and perfectly uncaring as his picture is snapped. That’s all an “influencer” really needs to be.
Well this one looks a little familiar.
You’re lying if you haven’t seen at least a million of these types of photos on your own Instagram feed. Usually it’s a couple doing this sort of “where you go I go”-type of post, but two construction dudes works, too.
Construction may have coffee breaks, but there’s no taking time off from being an “influencer.”
Even while sipping the cutest little cup of coffee, Omar still recognized a photo opportunity when he saw one and made sure to pop that pinky nice and high for his followers. This photo almost has 30,000 likes and he earned every single one of those with that pose.
This is just straight up art now.
I mean, look at that still-shot. The perfect angle of the splash, still on an upward slope, not quite yet cascading down to the ground yet. Look at the contrast between the mocha color of the coffee and the mint-green wood behind his thermos. Perfection .
Okay, now he’s just showing off.
Snapped in mid-laugh, Omar captioned this one, “The boys were giving me crap cause I’m a model/influencer now.” I’m sure they shut right up after they saw how photogenic their co-worker is when he managed to snag the perfect pose in a candid. I know I would have.
A quick glance at his comments proves that Omar has quite the variety of fans on his page.
There are the ones who say they wish he was their own dad, simply because he’s just so cool. Then there are the ones who say he’s the only influencer they’ve ever felt the need to follow on Instagram before. That one I relate to 100 percent.
Omar also has other fans who might not be so focused on the quality of his photography, if you know what I mean.
Because of course there will always be people out there who have to turn everything sexual. These are the people who flock to the comments to make their…personal feelings towards Omar known. I’m not going to explain that one too much, but I will leave one user’s comment here as an example:
“Today dad learned about thirst traps.”
Oof. And that’s enough internet for me today, thanks.
