68 Influencer Posts So Obnoxious They Left People Wondering What Planet They Live On

In September 2026, Aurélien Defer, writing for French newspaper Le Monde, reported on backlash against French influencers whose lavish lifestyles appeared increasingly disconnected from their followers’ realities. The article, titled “Are influencers out of touch? Their followers are starting to think so,” described one example that involved a group of creators invited on an all-expenses-paid trip to the Seychelles by cosmetics brand Erborian.

The images prompted angry reactions from social media users, including one student who felt the influencers were out of touch with ordinary people’s lives. “When I saw how out of touch they were, it made me so angry,” she told Le Monde.

The incident, Defer wrote, “perfectly encapsulates the exasperation expressed on social media” over influencers’ “lavish lifestyles” and the perceived gap between their realities and those of their fans. And it’s not difficult to see why. When most of us are worrying about everything from AI-driven layoffs and shrinkflation to climate change and rising living costs, watching creators lounge on a luxury getaway can feel particularly grating. And it’s not just envy speaking, either.

As Myriam Roche, founder of the French media outlet Les Gens d’Internet, explained to Le Monde, it can seem as if influencers and their audiences are “no longer in the same world.”

That disconnect is especially interesting given how influencers often build their audiences in the first place. Many of today’s influencers came of age alongside social media, with audiences watching and following them as they grew—both in age and following. By documenting personal milestones, daily routines, and intimate details, creators can foster a sense of familiarity that goes beyond simply enjoying someone’s content.

This can lead to what psychologists call parasocial relationships: one-sided bonds in which people develop “a strong sense of connection, intimacy, or familiarity with someone they don’t know,” according to Psychology Today. Unlike admiring a celebrity for their work, an influencer can begin to feel less like a distant star and more like a friend or peer.

But that perceived closeness can be tested when a creator’s increasingly privileged lifestyle no longer matches the image their followers have come to know. Lana Careja, a doctoral candidate researching influencer success narratives, told Le Monde that “the parasocial relationship is beginning to show signs of disappointment, disintegration and disillusionment.”

And once that connection begins to deteriorate, walking away isn’t always as simple as pressing “unfollow.” French YouTuber Lapeint, discussing creators she had followed since childhood, told Le Monde: “It’s hard to remove all these influencers from our subscriptions because we’re attached to these people; it’s a kind of mourning.”