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Style Blogger Freddie Harrel Shows The Difference Between Instagram And Reality

"I cried the entire morning before the shoot."

Welcome to our new series that allows influencers to tell the real story of what goes on behind the scenes of their Instagram feeds. We’re puncturing the notion of Instagram perfection and giving the individuals behind some of our favorite Insta accounts a chance to talk about what’s going on behind the camera.

Style blogger Freddie Harrel is one of our favorite people to follow on Instagram.

The Paris-born Londoner has great style ― showcased by her enviable wardrobe choices ― but her positivity and confidence really got us hooked on her account. With 172,000 Instagram followers (and counting), it’s clear we’re not the only ones enamored with her.

Another thing we love about Harrel is her honesty. Sure, her account may seem perfectly styled on the surface, but when it comes to her captions, Harrel isn’t afraid to get real about things like changing dirty diapers, the anxiety that comes along with a social media-based job or self-love.

We asked Harrel to choose one photo on her feed that had a surprising story behind it. She sent the seemingly no-drama photo below, along with a surprising explanation of what happened while trying to get the shot.

In her words, here’s what went down the day of the photo shoot:

It was shot in August, and I was having one of the worst stomach attacks (I would get them a lot, turned out I had a virus). I actually had to go to the hospital after that shoot, [because] it was too late to cancel. I cried the entire morning before the shoot, took myself there and shot several outfits, and then cried my way to the hospital! Awful ... it was also my wedding anniversary, I spent the rest of the week in bed.

Harrel said she kept telling herself it was “just for a few hours” and that she’d be able to “curl up in [her] bed very soon.”

She noted that the people involved in the shoot were aware she wasn’t feeling well, but she said they didn’t seem to care “one bit.” Seeing the final photo took her “back to that horrid day, and to the little compassion I was given.”

Harrel said the experience taught her to be more picky “and to own [her] feelings.”

“My health should always come first, and I shouldn’t work with people who don’t care about how I feel, yet book me to promote empowerment and confidence,” she said. “It wasn’t about the brand, you can’t judge a brand by just the couple of people you interact with there, but on that day and given how they were with me, I feel they definitely let their brand down.”

You’d never know what happened at the shoot just by looking at Harrel’s photo. It just goes to show that being an influencer isn’t all sunshine, rainbows and pretty clothes.

This story has been updated to include additional quotes from Harrel.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.