A new form of advertising comes with the increase in the influencer marketing strategy. This is particularly prevalent in the world of social media, and Instagram in particular. In some cases, this has proved to be a great strategy in some cases, and has helped companies succeed in selling various products. However, the use of influencers has also proven to be problematic. Mostly in the way that most influencers can create unrealistic expectations for women on Instagram regarding what they should strive to look like.

As Olivia Petter explains in her article on the Independent, many of these advertisements exploit women’s insecurities in order to get them to buy various products based in self improvement. Many influencers these days are making thousands of dollars through their Instagram posts alone, however, it is important to question if there is a way to do this without playing on the insecurities of their followers. Also, because Instagram is less regulated than other forms of advertising, there is an anything goes type attitude, which can be beneficial for making profit, but can hurt followers. The promise of a better life fuels these beauty advertisements, which can be seen as sending the wrong message.

Another problem found in influencer marketing, as explained in a Forbes article, is the fact that many of these influencers are inauthentic. This can end up being bad for sales, because consumers might not trust the influencer enough to spend money on the products. Instead of envying what the influencers look like in their advertising, consumers might accuse them of heavily editing themselves to change how they look. There is a fine balance when it comes to influencer marketing and appealing to consumers in an authentic way. It will  be interesting to watch this trend of influencer marketing, and see if improvements are made to appeal to consumers in a better way to result in more sales.