Instagram influencer Tiffany Mitchell accused of 'staging' her motorcycle accident and sharing sensational photos for more 'likes'
A Nashville-based Instagram influencer, Tiffany Mitchell, reportedly got into an accident three weeks ago, after which she posted a series of photographs on Instagram, showing her lying by the side of the road in an apparently injured state. Although Mitchell claimed that the pictures were taken by her professional photographer friend who was riding with her, critics on social media have slammed her for "glamourizing" the accident.
Multiple Instagram users also accused the influencer of staging the motorcycle crash for "likes" on the photo-sharing app, while some have accused her of product placement after seeing a strategically placed bottle of water with the labels clearly visible in the photo kept in front of her.
Mitchell, ever since she posted the pictures on July 31, has archived her post after receiving heavy criticism. The influencer, on Wednesday, addressed the issue in a new Instagram post, denying all the allegations against her.
"I've been accused of staging the accident to get attention, using it as a product placement opportunity with a water company, and other things I can't even wrap my head around," wrote Tiffany.
"Accusing someone of faking or exploiting an accident is extremely serious-because what if you're wrong? It really happened to me, and I was scared. I really was injured and had to recover," she said.
The influencer also defended her decision to share her accident pictures on the social media site, saying: "When I found out my professional photographer friend who I'd been shooting with earlier took photos of everything, I was completely moved. I shared this on my feed with humans who have been on a journey with me for years because I knew they would understand what it meant to me..."
Meanwhile, Smartwater, the firm's whose water bottle can be seen in one of the accident pictures posted by Mitchell, told BuzzFeed News that they were not in partnership with the influencer.
Mitchell's response comes days after a Florida-based Instagram influencer was called out by her own sister for faking a hiking picture on social media.