Travel blogger calls out copy-cat, but is it all a desperate hoax?
Everyone wants to share a picture-perfect version of their lives online, and we all take inspiration from others – but how far is too far when it comes to copying the perfect picture?
Lauren Bullen, a 23-year-old Australian who runs the travel blog Gypsea Lust, pretty much permanently travels the world with her partner, posing for pictures in far-flung corners of the world.
The wanderluster's Instagram feed features a medley of envy-evoking scenery, blue lagoons, mountain tops, cute couple photos and breathtaking outfit snaps that have garnered her almost 800,000 followers.
Mimicking her lifestyle is completely unattainable and unaffordable, but Bullen recently accused one woman of doing just that.
Last week, Bullen shocked her fans when she posted a blog entitled “Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery”, revealing a series of images by someone named Diana Alexa.
The images eerily mimicked Bullen's original shots, down to the clothing, composition and location. Even some of the captions were copied by the other Instagrammer.
The images were too similar to be coincidental, and Bullen called out the "creepy" way Diana Alexa shadowed her every travel expedition and outfit choice in the since-deleted blog post.
After the blog post went viral, Bullen and the copy-cat were bombarded with hate by people who claim the photos were part of a publicity stunt to gain followers, after both pages grew astronomically.
One online detective even connected the two via an archived Twitter account, in which Bullen's email address and Instagram ID appeared in Diana Alexa's profile.
Some Insta-obsessed fans have even claimed that the two girls are friends or sisters, out looking for five minutes of online fame.
Some speculators believe that Diana Alexa is a friend of Bullen's who travelled with her, and took the same photos to draw attention to the pair's social media feeds.
The Diana Alexa Instagram is now private, and all posts have been deleted.
@Gypsea_lust Oh look, you've now deleted your article on "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" from your blog. Faker and Busted!
— Bob Mortimer (@blablabla1983) November 18, 2016
One online conspiracy theorist even went so far as to accuse the copy-cat of being Bullen in a brunette wig.
Bullen has since denied these rumours, telling Cosmopolitan: "I've heard the speculations, and honestly, it's so disappointing when you share an experience and it goes viral without you ever wanting that, and then it gets turned around and put back in your face."
"I'm seriously so disheartened that people are turning this around and accusing me," she added.
