A job called Instagram

A job called Instagram

A young Australian woman who is a self-professed beach bum, animal lover and free spirit, according to her Instagram profile, looks positioned to be a social media star.

Miss Renee Somerfield, 23, boasts more than 440,000 followings gained after posting a mere 425 photos on the site.

With a preference toward posting in bikinis, the Sydney-born model is featured on the cover of this month's Maxim Australia in a "Australia's sexiest social media stars" feature.

The magazine went on to say that she is "Australia's next supermodel".

The other sexy social media stars in the Maxim shoot were Australian model, actress and swimwear designer Sheridyn Fisher, who has more than 560,000 followers on Instagram, and model Ellie Gonsalves, who has more than 220,000 followers, reported Britain's Daily Mail.

Miss Somerfield is one of a growing group who are turning hundreds of thousands of social media followers into a lucrative business and, she hopes, a solid career.

But her snaps posted online are the result of careful planning, rather than the spontaneous photos that casual users might post.

Managing her public image, she is careful not to post any embarrassing or nude photos online, reported Australia's Courier Mail.

"It's all about the content, I share what I'm doing everyday and that's usually in a bikini," she said.

"As I've turned my Instagram and social media into a business, I make sure the content will benefit that."

Miss Somerfield remained tight-lipped about her 2014 plans, but said she had several projects launching and agreed to give a little hint that will no doubt please her followers.

"There will be some swimwear in there," she said.

"I think 2014 is going to be my year."

Miss Somerfield follows in the tradition of US social media star, Miss Jen Selter, 20, whose social media account boasts more than 1.8million followers, including pop star Rihanna.

Ms Selter is famous for her large butt, and regularly posts "body selfies" - photos of her squatting, or in tight-fitting leggings with her bottom centre-frame - which regularly receive more than 70,000 likes.


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