Want to know the hottest trend on social media right now? According to this Instagram influencer, it’s motorcycle accidents.
Nashville-based Instagram influencer Tiffany Mitchell AKA @tifforelie is facing public scrutiny after she posted a series of “candid” Instagram shots from before and after she allegedly got into a motorcycle accident.
In the caption, Mitchell explained the accident: “This is me and my bike about an hour before I got into an accident….On a secluded two-lane stretch, I misjudged a curve, took it too fast and my bike when off the road. It slid through the grass and I hit the pavement.”
Mitchell went on to write that because she was wearing a helmet, her head was fine, “but I was scraped up my left side.” Then she invited her followers to “scroll through the pics to see how much of it Lindsey captured.”
Fans and followers were quick to point out how “staged” Mitchell’s shots look, including a strategically-placed bottle of Smart Water, which makes the photos look like they could have been sponsored.
Responding to the critics, Mitchell told Buzzfeed News that she “would never turn a very important personal story like this into a brand campaign.”
“I’m sad that some people are taking it that way,” she added.
It’s not just Mitchell’s Instagram followers who are questioning the photoshoot, either. Twitter is having a field day with the ‘staged’ accident, while others are calling the Instagram influencer “irresponsible” for her unsafe motorcycle gear.
Mitchell has posted another response to the backlash, telling fans, “it really happened to me, and I was scared. I really was injured and I had to recover.”
Whether you believe her or not, Mitchell’s motorcycle accident has people talking, which means if it is a brand endorsement, she’s well and truly met her quota.