Style queen Tash Sefton admits: I was a part of the Instagram problem

One of the original social media influencers has had a change in heart after taking a step back and realising it was creating feelings of insecurity and inadequacy.

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Style queen Tash Sefton has undergone a transitional phase after realising that she helped create the problems of insecurity and inadequacy perpetuated by Instagram.

The mum of two and co-creator of wildly successful fashion blog They All Hate Us was a fashion buyer 20 years before she became one of the original Instagram influencers.

But it’s a term she now rejects because of the ego that comes with it, and is working to undo some of the problems the platform has created.

Tash Sefton had a change in heart after taking a step back and realising that social media was creating problems. Picture: AAP

“The term influencer doesn’t sit right with me because there is a bit of ego to that word, I feel uncomfortable with it,” she told Confidential.

“It was a fitting term, now it’s morphed into something different.

“I didn’t feel good about what I was doing, social media became a place that was a significant part of my work and it was confusing me.

“I was part of the problem,

“And now I’m reflecting on what I can do to slow down the process and still feel good about myself.”

Sefton says still works with a select few brands that align with her new environmentally sustainable outlook, but she is much more careful now. Picture: AAP

Sefton talks about the changes she has made in depth in an episode of Ledlenser’s After Dark series — a miniseries that shines a light on a range of high-profile Australians and their defining moments, available to view online from today.

One of those changes is doing the opposite of what she used to do — encouraging people to buy new clothes — and instead teaching them how to style their existing wardrobe, for mental health, financial and environment reasons.

“There’s a mentality now where we feel better if we wear something different every time we leave the house, it’s such a waste,” she said.

“I think that that’s because of social media.

“A lot of work now I do is educating women on how to dress and how to style.”

Admittedly, Sefton still works with a select few brands that align with her new environmentally sustainable outlook, but she says she is much more careful now.

“A lot of work now I do is educating women on how to dress and how to style,’’ says Sefton. Picture: AAP

As for the reason she had a change in heart, she says there wasn’t one pivotal moment — it wasn’t a friendship breakdown with former bestie/business partner Elle Ferguson, for those wondering (she says there is no feud) — it was taking a step back and realising that social media was creating problems.

“I had to do all of these things that I wouldn’t necessarily do,” she said.

“I felt like, I’m a bit older in this world, and I felt like I had to be younger.

“Even my family would say to me ‘what are you doing?’.

“And it wasn’t until I had some time off that I thought about what I wanted from my job and business platform, and I shifted.

“I had to figure out all the things that were wrong so I could work on them and fix them.”

To view Sefton’s episode of Ledlenser’s After Dark series visit www.afterdark.ledlenser.com.au