The friendship took a turn in Rome. Charlotte*, 23, was studying there when Melissa*, 22, flew out for a visit. The plan was that the two of them would do some sightseeing and soak up the Italian atmosphere while also taking the odd photograph for Melissa’s Instagram, which, with 13,000 followers, was her primary source of income.
“She wanted to make it look like she was constantly on holiday,” recalls Charlotte. “So she would walk around with a backpack filled with various clothes and accessories to make the pictures look like they were taken on separate days.” Instead of going to the tourist spots they’d planned, Melissa was more concerned with finding photogenic locations she’d seen on other influencer’s Instagram feeds.
