Oceane El Himer: Influencer caught faking flying in business class after fan spots her in economy
In a “gotcha” moment, an Instagram influencer was reportedly caught in the act after she posed for Instagram photos in the business class section of a plane before allegedly returning to her seat in the economy section for the flight.
This influencer shared a photograph on the social media website posing in one of Emirates' business class cabins travelling reportedly from Dubai to Monaco. "Next Stop - Monaco. Je fly toute la night," she captioned the post. But someone on the flight reportedly recognized her and decided to drag her online.
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Who is Oceane El Himer?
The 27-year-old model and influencer from Bordeaux, France, has since turned off comments on the photo where she reportedly presented herself as flying business class. The photo was shared on May 23.
The fact-checking photo showed Himer in economy class sporting the exact same outfit -- a green and purple Boohoo tracksuit and Dior bag -- as in her photograph in the plane's business class section. On June 2, a post was shared on Twitter, with the caption: "Dubai model exposed by co-passengers after she posed in business class cabin & posted photos online then returned to her seat in economy before takeoff."
A Twitter user shared it, writing, “It’s actually a mental illness.” The tweet had, at the time of writing this, more than 18,000 retweets, around 3,500 quote tweets, and more than 136,000 likes. In comparison, Himer’s original Instagram photo had 102,807 likes at the time of reporting this.
It’s actually a mental illness pic.twitter.com/XYwvZtJ62l
— Kev-Prince Kombi (@KevKombi) June 1, 2021
As per the Daily Mail, Himer, aside from being an Instagram influencer, is also a reality star. She reportedly first found fame starring in the reality TV show ‘Les Princes et les Princesses de l'Amour’ (the Prince and Princess of love) alongside her twin sister Marine El Himer. They both competed for the affection of the same man in the show. She also starred in ‘Les Marseillais’, a show about affluent people who live in Marseilles, and ‘Les Apprentis Aventuriers’, a French reality TV show broadcast on W9 since May 23, 2016.
Himer reportedly defended the photograph in a Snapchat story in which she said there's "no shame in traveling in eco class." She reportedly said, "I took several flights to arrive in the south, including one in eco class. Took a picture and I accepted."
"I fully assume the fact of traveling in eco class, I'm not the type of girl who likes to show her money... Yes I traveled in eco and in business. And so?" she said, adding that there are "much more serious things are happening in life."
Himer, of course, is not the first celebrity or influencer to present an exaggerated look online. In 2017, Rapper Bow Wow bragged to his fans on his Instagram about traveling by private jet on his promotional tour for his reality show ‘Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta’. Unfortunately for him, a passenger spotted him traveling to New York on a regular commercial flight, took a photo and called the recording artist out on Twitter.
A 2021 HBO documentary explores the world of Instagram influencers. ‘Fake Famous’, per HBO, explores the “meaning of fame and influence in the digital age through an innovative social experiment. Following three Los Angeles-based people with relatively small followings, the film explores the attempts made to turn them into famous influencers by purchasing fake followers and bots to ‘engage’ with their social media accounts.”
Journalist Nick Bilton, in the film, conducted an experiment with a casting call in Los Angeles. The young trio he selected then go on to provide viewers with a peek into their experiences as their fake followers grow by the thousands each day.