Australian model Steph Claire Smith, 23, has earned a staggering 1.2 million followers for her stunning snaps and fitness tips online.
And while her career has skyrocketed in recent months, the Bras n Things model has opened up about the downside of her growing public profile.
Speaking to The New Daily, Steph said that although she does block rude and ‘inappropriate sexual comments’ from people ‘pretty instantly’, she struggles mostly with fans who pretend she doesn’t exist.
Australian model Steph Claire Smith, 23, has earned a staggering 1.2 million followers for her stunning snaps and fitness tips online
And while her career has skyrocketed in recent months, the Bras n Things model has opened up about the downside of a growing public profile
‘A girl might tag her friend in the photo and speak as if I’m not there and sometimes I do write to them and say, “I don’t mind what your opinion is of me but you could have screenshotted this and sent it to your friend privately”,’ Steph said.
‘I do read through my comments because I have to filter out the negative stuff. Do they think I’m a robot?’
Steph, who runs health blog Keep It Cleaner with her pal Laura Henshaw and has worked for the likes of Adidas, Clinique and Bondi Sands, said she has experienced somewhat of a ‘public uproar’ for her racy lingerie photos.
Steph said that although she does block rude and ‘inappropriate sexual comments’ from people ‘pretty instantly’, she struggles mostly with fans who pretend she doesn’t exist
‘I do read through my comments because I have to filter out the negative stuff. Do they think I’m a robot?’ She said
‘If I ever put a lingerie shot on my Instagram it’s professional, it’s not a photo I’ve taken in the bathroom to send to my boyfriend – I don’t want to promote that young girls do that,’ Steph said.
Gaining the confidence to pose in bikinis and lingerie has been a long process for Steph, who recently opened up about her struggles with binge eating and body image.
To do so, she shared a ‘different kind of before and after’ photo to show how her body has changed since she first started modelling.
Taking to her Instagram page, Steph posted two snaps – the first a photo from when she was 18 and the second of her currently.
Steph, who has worked for the likes of Adidas, Clinique and Bondi Sands, said she has experienced somewhat of a ‘public uproar’ for her racy lingerie photos
‘If I ever put a lingerie shot on my Instagram it’s professional, it’s not a photo I’ve taken in the bathroom to send to my boyfriend,’ she said
‘I decided to do one of these because a few of you have either followed me since then, or had scrolled down far enough to see that I was quite tiny back in the day,’ Steph wrote.
‘I’d like to clarify a few things for you. Firstly, no I didn’t have an eating disorder (although back in the day I continuously got told to “eat more” on social media).
‘I had an incredibly fast metabolism. I was still in my “childlike body” and I was a late bloomer.’
Steph said she didn’t get ‘hips, boobs and a bum’ until she was 19 – the age where she had to ‘actually think about what I was eating and how I was exercising’.
Gaining the confidence to pose in bikinis and lingerie has been a long process for Steph, who recently opened up about her struggles with binge eating and body image (pictured when she first started modelling on left and right, now)
Steph said she didn’t get ‘hips, boobs and a bum’ until she was 19 – the age where she had to ‘actually think about what I was eating and how I was exercising’
‘In the left photo I was eating cr*p everyday, and lots of it. I was a sporty kid, but didn’t do much physical activity at 18, so that was my body naturally,’ she continued.
‘Believe it or not, I thought I had chubby thighs. It was scary for me (as it is to a lot of girls and guys) when true puberty hit and I suppose I was growing into my “more womanly figure” and I was putting on weight.’
Steph said she now works hard for the body she has.
‘I may be 10kgs heavier than I was but that’s life… our bodies change over time and we have to accept that and love and work with the body you’ve got!’ she said.
‘I may be 10kgs heavier than I was but that’s life… our bodies change over time and we have to accept that and love and work with the body you’ve got!’ she said
‘You have to focus on what you LOVE about yourself and your body, and try your best to ignore the “bad” stuff,’ she said
‘That’s not to say I don’t have off days where I question the way I look… we all do. EVERYBODY HAS INSECURITIES! And I mean EVERYBODY!
‘You have to focus on what you LOVE about yourself and your body, and try your best to ignore the “bad” stuff. We all have transformations, whether they are through training, or eating or just getting older… you’re going to change.’
Steph concluded by encouraging all young girls to just ‘go with it’.
‘Don’t be too shattered when you start seeing lumps and bumps appear, and DON’T WEIGH YOURSELF in the process, or ever really,’ she wrote.
‘It can be the most damaging thing mentally for you! Just eat well, enjoy life and keep active.’