Story By: John Feng, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report
A blogger selling diet products via Instagram has deleted her account after a “behind-the-scenes” snap revealed she had been Photoshopping her pictures to make herself look skinnier.
Her apparently Photoshopped images were plastered over popular Taiwanese forum PTT Bulletin Board System, commonly referred to as PTT, leading to her reportedly threatening lawsuits against anyone sharing the unflattering secret snap.
Instagrammer Rosa Yin, who used the handle ‘Enrosa_’, reportedly sells dietary products and supplements on e-commerce website Shopee, and used the photo-sharing application to market the goods and their apparent effects.
It all went wrong for her shortly after she shared an image of her posing next to a Mercedes-Benz, before the additional image, which local media have dubbed a “behind-the-scenes image” surfaced anonymously on PTT on 6th April.
In the two snaps showing what appear to be wildly different subjects with incomparable physiques, the woman in the photos is wearing the identical outfits and standing next to the same car.
Eagle-eyed PTT users then began noticing signs that Ms Yin had apparently doctored her latest Instagram photo, pointing out warped lines and apparently unnatural looking limbs.
As more past pictures of Ms Yin surfaced from her friends’ Instagram profiles, it appeared she was not only not as skinny as she had portrayed herself to be, but also that she had been misleading her followers with Photoshopped snaps, according to local media.
Before deleting her Instagram account, Ms Yin threatened to report to the police anyone who was sharing the uncomplimentary bird’s-eye view snap allegedly showing her behind the scenes.
In her Instagram Stories, Ms Yin offered cash rewards of 2,000 TWD (53 GBP) to anyone who was able to provide the phone numbers or other pieces of personal information of those sharing the picture.
She also promised 16,800 TWD (453 GBP) for the identity of the original photographer, who to date remains anonymous.
She said: “If anyone sees someone sharing the secretly taken picture of me, and can provide their phone number or other personal details, I’ll reward you with 2,000 TWD. If you find the person who actually took the secret picture of me, you’ll get 16,800 TWD. Thank you. This is an opportunity to earn some money. If any of your friends share the picture with you, take a screenshot or give me the person’s Instagram handle. You’ll be rewarded as well.”
Before deactivating her account, Ms Yin claimed she had gone to the police, but Taiwanese authorities have yet to announce any ongoing investigations.
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