'We are showing influencers are far from perfect'

The real life of an influencer is often hidden from public view by glamorous brand deals and glossy Instagram posts.

But a new season of BBC Scotland's The Agency: Unfiltered goes behind the scenes to reveal the real lives of some of the country's top social media stars

Amy Moore and Kirsten Cameron, co-founders of Uddingston-based influencer agency Aquarius Creative, said it was important to show that their clients' lives were far from perfect.

"I think everyone has perceptions of influencers being 'posey' and perfect and they only show the highs, so I think it’s really important to show that influencers are normal people," Amy, 26, told BBC Scotland News.

"They do have feelings, they do have a lot going on behind the scenes like everybody else and just making them more relatable and showing, yeah it isn’t just that these people are perfect," she said.

The women launched the agency from Kirsten's living room in February 2020. About 50% of their work is focused on social media for brands, while the other half is about managing influencers.

They now have 20 influencers on their books - from models to content creators - and last year doubled their turnover to £1m.

Among their clients is Glasgow-based Abbie Blyth, an influencer whose clothing brand, BLY, fell victim to an online scammer.

The business was only saved when Amy and Kirsten, 31, agreed to invest in it," she said.

"I had literally said to my mum and dad a couple of days before that ‘that’s it, we’re done, and I just want everyone to appreciate that and don’t speak to me about it, I’m settled on my decision that BLY is over'," Abbie said.

"I never ever thought the girls would do that. It never crossed my mind that anyone would do that. I would probably say that was my happiest moment last year."

She was hestitant to share the reality of her life at first, but said she was pleased she had agreed to take part.

"I don’t think anyone’s life, no matter how much money you have or what you do for a job, is perfect," the 28-year-old said.

"I would definitely say the last couple of years for me have been far from perfect, especially last year.

"I think it's nice to see other people have gone through the same thing. I definitely think it’s needed in this industry."

Amy and Kirsten feel it's important to emphasise that, away from the cameras, the lives of influencers are relatively normal.

"I think it’s great for their followers, specifically a younger audience who may think everything’s perfect, to be able to see this and relate," Kirsten said.

"All the influencers are just normal people and I think this will really help people see that it’s not just everything on Instagram.

"They are all genuinely just such nice girls."

Their pair also share their own personal problems during the series, with Amy dealing with endometriosis and Kirsten battling post-natal anxiety.

Amy, who was first diagnosed with endometriosis nine years ago, hopes her discussion can help boost awareness of the painful condition.

"Even if there’s someone sitting at home and they’re having those sort of pains and then they understand that’s actually a really common thing, it can maybe get them diagnosed quicker because they will have a better understanding," she said.

Kirsten has received lots of messages of support after speaking about her struggles with post-natal anxiety, after having her baby girl, Acé.

"When I was reading them the other night, it actually made me feel quite emotional because I was like, I’ve probably helped quite a lot of people and I wish when I was going through that, I had someone that was open about it because I was going a bit mad to be honest," she said.