The glitz and glamor of a job as an influencer may not be all it seems – with hordes of wannabe creators being forced to pick up ‘real’ jobs to make ends meet.
High-flying content creators who have been in the game for years may be able to command six-figure sums for a single sponsored post – but novices trying to follow in their footsteps are often short-changed with just free products or clothing.
While many normal 9-to-5 workers have slammed tone-deaf influencers for complaining about their careers, those trying to break into the content industry say their lives are as tough as everyone else’s – if not harder.
From maxing out credit cards, couch surfing and unpaid labor, young social upstarts have revealed they’re tinkering on the edge of ditching their dreams because of the creative ‘burn out.’
Despite the so-called negatives, Gen-Z is desperate to become content creators – with a new survey saying 57 percent of young people want to be influencers.
One woman, Chloe Barbour, 21, has built up her Instagram feed to consist of lavish tropical vacations, trendy outfits and luxury vehicles.
But far from jet-setting fulltime, she actually works a direct support professional at Optimae Life Services in Ames, Iowa, where she makes $16 an hour for 80 hours a week just to make ends meet.
‘I’ve reached burnout a few times, and have had to take months off at a time to focus on my mental health,’ she said.
Barbour told DailyMail.com that she was lulled into a false sense of reality, believing that auditions and photo shoots would quickly catapult her career.
But the influencer was instead forced to take up a normal 9-to-5 in the mental health field to keep herself afloat, amid the free modeling gigs that tanked her credit score.
She also said that the pressure to present her life as idyllic online, faking her happiness, was insurmountable.
‘Yes, I get to go do all these fun modeling things, but they don’t realize that, I can’t pay my utility bill the next week because I want to go to this opportunity,’ she said.
‘Or I can’t go out with my friends to dinner, because my money is going all to something that’s not paying me out.’
The balancing act that the micro-influencer is forced to endure also takes its toll, she said. All of Barbour’s gigs require her to travel, but it’s challenging to get enough time off from her current job.
Additionally, casting calls for modeling opportunities often come with only two weeks’ notice, and she typically needs a month’s notice to request time off.
This year, Barbour walked in New York Fashion week – but instead of making a profit, she left the catwalk worse of that when she started because of the hidden expenses she had to fork out.
Barbour said she understands her location does not afford her the influencer and modeling opportunities that New York or Los Angeles does. However, she said she cannot afford to live in these big cities to begin with.
She told DailyMail.com: ‘It would be too taxing on my budget. I need to be more financially stable before I can move.’
Barbour said she recently had to withdraw from a luxury modeling retreat and photo shoot in New York after the organizer attempted to bribe other male models or older, wealthy men with the promise of sexual encounters with the female models.
‘Had the photographer of the shoot not sounded the whistle to the models, we would have never known,’ she said.
Now, she’s left with a $400 non-refundable ticket to New York City and is scrambling to find new opportunities in the city to make up for it.
After four years of networking and self-funding her career, she finally landed her first paid gig, which is set for November. The payout is $1,000 for three days.
Another aspiring influencer, Zay Jeffrar, 19, is currently working as a health home aide in Staten Island, New York, and also studying full-time. He has nearly 2,200 Instagram followers.
But Jeffrar’s real goal is to become a successful online personality and model – however with a lack of opportunities, the teen is forced to stick to his day job.
Ironically, his Instagram biography reads, ‘New York City Socialite.’
He told DailyMail.com: ‘I live three different lives, it’s exhausting, but I refuse to let my dream die.’
Jeffrar, originally from Trenton, New Jersey, chose to attend the College of Staten Island because of its proximity to Manhattan. This allowed him to easily travel back and forth for modeling auditions and casting calls, bringing him one step closer to success.
He landed a runway show at New York Fashion week, but as a full-time student with two different jobs who pays for college on his own, his time is precious.
The content creator hopeful said he can’t afford to not get cast as he lives paycheck to paycheck.
‘I’ll travel to a casting call, wait for hours, only for my name not to get called,’ he said. ‘It’s a huge risk for me, because during that time, I could be making money.’
‘The last audition I went to that I didn’t get, I had to miss work. Sometimes, I’ll come back from a casting for an unpaid gig and I’ll be late to class – a class that I’m paying for.’
Jeffrar has also landed some brand deals with well-known companies, only to get paid in clothes and products. He said he understands that brands will take advantage of micro-influencers for free labor in exchange for exposure.
‘Bigger names get paid. I’m not a big name yet,’ he said. ‘I’ll get featured on the company’s Instagram for the collaboration or I’ll receive some products, but that’s the most I’ve been “paid.”‘
Meanwhile, Alix Earle, best known for her ‘Get Ready With Me’ videos, can make a year’s annual salary with one sponsored post.
The high-profile influencer, who currently has 10.8 million followers across Instagram and TikTok, reportedly gets paid between $40,000 and $70,000 for brand partnerships.
But Earle is an anomaly. In reality, 48 percent of content creators earned less than $15,000 in 2023, according to an industry report from NeoReach.
The average salary of a TikTok influencer is stated to be $131,874 – far more than the average salary for an American in 2024, which is $63,795.
But wanna-be influencers argue that this figure is distorted by social media behemoths like Charli D’Amelio.
With a massive TikTok audience of 155.7 million, her sponsorships are estimated to earn her six figures per post, significantly skewing the average.
Van Phan, a 24-year-old seasoned model and lifestyle and beauty influencer with nearly 11,800 followers across TikTok and Instagram, co-founded Luxe Modeling Agency.
Having experienced the exploitation of models firsthand, she wanted to create a more ethical and supportive environment for aspiring models.
Phan is one of the luckier influencers and was able to leave her full-time job to become a content creator.
‘When I first got involved in the industry, I had no idea where to start. Now I do this full-time,’ she said.
During fashion week, every available square footage of her apartment is filled with sleeping bags and air mattresses, providing temporary shelter for other micro-influencers who are rushing between castings.
While the road to get to where she is was challenging, Phan said she was hooked after her first booking.
‘When things work out, it’s an adrenaline rush you get that nothing can compare. It makes all your hard work and rejection worth it, and I’ve carried myself through all the negativities to make it,’ she said.
Lakeasha Jackson, 28, works as a financial advisor and coach to support her acting and modeling dreams – as well as her 13-year-son – based in Orlando, Florida, as a single mother. She has 11,500 followers across Facebook and Instagram.
On her social media, Jackson adorns luxury handbags, struts down the runway and is currently promoting the movie Sinners, where she co-starred alongside Michael B. Jordan and Hailee Steinfeld.
But despite her rather large follower count and budding acting career, Jackson has had her fair share of setbacks.
Even Jackson, who recently worked alongside Tyra Banks at this year’s Victoria Fashion Show, has surfed her fair share of couches for unpaid gigs.
‘It’s not glamorous, but it’s a necessary part of the journey in the entertainment industry,’ she said.
This year during NYFW, Jackson was forced to give up her spot in a Nike campaign the day of filming and flew back to Florida, utterly exhausted and unable to continue working due to the lack of sleep and homelessness.
She revealed: ‘Normally, I’m known for being the lead coordinator gathering together other models to lodge together in luxurious accommodations, splitting costs between us and using these expenses as tax write-offs later.
‘That strategy has not only kept things affordable each season but also allowed us to stay focused and well-rested.
‘This time around, models started canceling their flights or accommodations last minute, which left the remaining options either unaffordable or completely unavailable.
‘Things fell apart, and it was a hard reality check on how quickly things can go wrong during fashion week.’
Jackson, however, remains resolute and plans to try again next year. She said she viewed this experience as a valuable lesson rather than a career-ending setback.
‘I plan to come back better prepared for future shows,’ she said. ‘This nightmare has not and will not halt my dreams and aspirations.’