An
Instagram model on vacation in Bali has been forced to quit the
social media website after receiving backlash
over a single bikini post.
An Instagram model, who posted a photograph standing in a bikini whereas travelling in Bali, has been forced to quit social
media due to the harsh criticism.
Natalie Schlater, from Stockholm, was slammed online after she uploaded a photograph of herself in a white bikini overlooking a rice field
in Canggu, Bali.
However it was the caption that sparked the outrage.
“Thinking about how completely different my life is
from the person picking in the rice field every morning,” she wrote alongside the post.
Ms. Schlater, who had around 12k followers before quitting the social media
platform, angered her
followers, who said the post was “insensitive”,
“narcissistic” and a “humble brag”.
“It is
the epitome of the social media generation,” one person wrote on
the post.
“The rice farmer is perhaps more content
with their life though and
not the status chasing like the rest of us,” another added.
“This is one of the worst I’ve ever seen,” another commented.
Ms. Schlater addressed her post before quitting Instagram, saying she had been “misunderstood”
by the post.
“I am very aware of my
privileges and how grateful I’m for all that I have in my life and I was recognizing how hardworking and unbelievably kind the
Indonesian people are
and never meant to come off disrespectful,” she
wrote.
“That being said I’m so sorry if I hurt anyone’s
feelings which were never ever my intention.
“Please be kinder to one another and spread kindness and not hate.”
Ms. Schlater said she was “heartbroken” by the reaction on social media.
“It breaks my heart to see this photo turned into a different light than it was originally meant to be,”
she told Bored Panda.
“I have always loved the
Indonesian folks and their culture and overall attitude towards life and
the people who come to visit their country.
“I worked very hard to save up enough cash to go on that trip
as I don’t come from wealth as it might seem like from
social media.
“I completely understand that my caption can be taken wrong due to the social climate we live in nowadays and
if I might go back in time I wish I’d have just worded
it differently.”
Indonesia is the third-largest producer of rice in the world, with the average Indonesian consuming the staple three times every day.
According to Bored Panda, rice farming is the supply of livelihood for
up to 20 million
households or about 100 million people.