Cassidy McGill, 28, a past Love Island Australia contestant, criticized influencers on her Instagram Stories. She has 372,000 followers. She called out their shady advertising practices. Mainly, she pointed out their failure to clearly label paid ads.
Cassidy McGill’s Impassioned Message
Sharing a close-up photo of herself, Cassidy wrote a “reminder to fellow influencers,” urging them to be transparent about their paid partnerships. She stressed the importance of being proud of their work and clearly disclosing ads.
“Disclose your jobs!” she wrote. “And if you’re disclosing by placing a tiny ‘ad’ in the corner of the screen, it looks shady as f***. A bit like you’re not proud of the job which is yikes. Be proud and disclose your ads clearly or don’t do the job. Simple.”
Regulatory Concerns
Cassidy’s message follows a report by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. It found that 81 percent of influencers had made posts without properly disclosing them as ads.
Cassidy’s Controversial Past
Cassidy McGill, who appeared on the first season of Love Island Australia in 2018 and was eliminated on day 25, is no stranger to controversy.
Last year, she faced backlash for her wardrobe choices during a trip to Milan, Italy. Cassidy posted several photos wearing a skirt and only a bra, including one where she danced outside the historic Duomo di Milano and another inside the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping mall.
The influencer captioned the snaps: “Milan for 40 hours in my glorified bra!!!” This sparked outrage among some followers, with one mistakenly believing she wore the outfit inside the cathedral. It was later clarified that she only wore the ensemble inside the shopping mall.
Cassidy wants clear advertising and her followers agree. They value her honesty. She talks about her experiences and industry problems. This adds to the talk about ethical influencer marketing.
