Via Instagram @coletteleclair_Life & Culture / NewsLife & Culture / NewsAn influencer got called out for using the US wildfires as a photo oppObviouslyShareLink copied ✔️September 15, 2020September 15, 2020TextBrit Dawson Since early August, wildfires have devastated California, Oregon, and Washington, burning millions of acres of land, destroying thousands of homes, and killing over 30 people. So, obviously, these locations are now the perfect backdrop for your next Instagram photo opp. According to one influencer, anyway. Colette LeClair, a blogger based in California, has shared two images on her Instagram which see her posing on a beach with San Francisco’s wildfire smoke all around her. According to PAPER, in the original caption, LeClair told her followers it was her last day in the city before moving to LA, before attempting to sell them the dress she’s wearing in the photo. The post, with the initial caption, was shared to Twitter, where it went viral. LeClair has since edited the caption, which now reads: “My last day here! Wanted to say goodbye to the ocean and beach and do something I used to enjoy so much here for years – TRIPOD PHOTOS.” Instead of trying to sell the dress, LeClair said she’s now “gathering a lot of clothes to donate”, adding that the item she’s wearing won’t “make it with me to LA, but there might be someone here who will adore it”. She concluded: “To clarify – I drove to the beach on my last night in town and took photos, I love taking photos. I hve taken photos for the last three years in this city. I love this city. There have been fires going on for weeks in California. It is devastating. Prayers for people dealing with the fires. SENDING YOU ALL LOVE.” LeClair isn’t the first influencer to use tragedy or urgent activism for Instagram likes. In June, as the Black Lives Matter movement took off, white Instagram influencers began posing at protests for clout, while others started doing blackface to ‘show solidarity’ with BLM. Last year, Dazed unpacked the rise of the tragedy selfie, which saw influencers pose at sites of disaster, including Chernobyl and Grenfell Tower. Escape the algorithm! Get The DropEmail address SIGN UP Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday. Privacy policy Thank you. You have been subscribed Privacy policy Expand your creative community and connect with 15,000 creatives from around the world.READ MOREThis doc follows 6 Palestinian comics risking their lives on tourFigure skater Laine Dubin wants you to go outside and get a hobbyGucci AW26: Everything you missed at Demna’s blockbuster runway debutSay hàlo to the young Scots behind the Gaelic revival9 books to read if you loved Wuthering Heights (the novel, not the film)The fight against the Palestine Action ban isn’t overWhy is the US government coming for young climate activists?Could singles wrestling be an alternative to dating apps?‘I could have a piece of him come back’: The murky ethics of pet cloningGone Norf: The Manchester collective uplifting Northern creatives‘It’s good for the gods’: Inside Taiwan’s booming temple rave sceneWhy are we still so obsessed with love languages?Escape the algorithm! Get The DropEmail address SIGN UP Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday. Privacy policy Thank you. You have been subscribed Privacy policy