Instagram Model Compares Her Life To Rice Workers, Gets Called Out For Being Insensitive In 19 Replies

Instagram influencer Natalie Schlater has 12K followers and 652 posts under her belt, but this particular one caused a lot of heat online. At first glance, this Instagram photo of Schlater in a bikini in front of a rice farm looks a lot like her other uploads. But it’s the caption that stands out. “Thinking about how different my life is from the man picking in the rice field every morning,” it read. People immediately thought that this Instagram celebrity came across as a shallow, privileged person, but the woman herself said it the whole thing was a big misunderstanding.

More info: Instagram

Image credits: natalie_schlater

Indonesia is the third-largest producer of rice in the world (the first is India and the second is China), so it’s pretty clear that rice production is an important part of the country’s economy. In fact, rice is a staple food in Indonesia as people routinely eat it. The average Indonesian can eat rice three times a day. In fact, some Indonesians don’t consider it’s eating if there’s no rice in their meal. It is the main dish for every meal, accounting for more than half of the calories in the average diet. Rice is the source of livelihood for up to 20 million households or about 100 million people.

To maintain the productivity of rice land, the supply and control of water are crucial. That means Indonesia is perfect for it as the country has a really wet climate. As the country’s population continues to grow (implying more mouths that need to be fed in the future), the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) as well as several big Indonesian companies have recently initiated partnership programs with smallholder rice farmers with the aim of increasing rice production, mainly through the use of new technologies and innovative financing programs.

People immediately started reacting to Natalie’s post

Instagram Model Compares Her Life To Rice Workers, Gets Called Out For Being Insensitive In 19 Replies

Natalie was heartbroken to see this photo turned into a different light then it was originally meant to be

Instagram Model Compares Her Life To Rice Workers, Gets Called Out For Being Insensitive In 19 Replies

Image credits: natalie_schlater

“It really breaks my heart to see this photo turned into a different light of cultural appropriation and entitlement than it was originally meant to be,” Natalie told Bored Panda. “I have always loved the Indonesian people and their culture and overall attitude towards life and the people who come to visit their country.”

“I worked extremely hard (at my normal everyday job) to save up enough money to go on that trip as I do not come from wealth as it may look like from social media (I know everything on this app is not as it seems and it’s full of unrealistic expectations). People are always entitled to their own opinions and I don’t want anyone to think that I want to be pitied, but my honest original caption really did mean that the man has worked so hard his whole life for so little and I wanted to acknowledge how we really take the things we have for granted on social media and in life.”

“I completely understand that my caption can be taken wrong because of the social climate we live in today and if I could go back in time I wish I would have just worded it differently.”

I'm a visual editor at Bored Panda. I kickstart my day with a mug of coffee bigger than my head, ready to tackle Photoshop. I navigate through the digital jungle with finesse, fueled by bamboo breaks and caffeine kicks. When the workday winds down, you might catch me devouring bamboo snacks while binging on the latest TV show, gaming or I could be out in nature, soaking up the tranquility and communing with my inner panda.

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What do you think ?

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Hans 5 years ago

I was not aware of it, but this semi-nude posing on Instagram seems to be a trend. Do not get me wrong; I do not object nudity, but the mere purpose here seems to be publicity, also at the costs of others, if need be.

38points

Luis Milian 5 years ago

live the life you want however you want it, if you want to show it off its your body. Just don't go to places where this is totally disrespectful.

28points

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Godspeed 5 years ago (edited)

It's a simple fact that a sexy body gets views and comments. Nothing wrong with that. I love looking at a nice body. But what gets me is when people try to say it's for something else other than getting attention, or trying to seem virtuous when all they really want are likes so they can get sponsorship. That part gets my goad.

5points

Martha Meyer 5 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

-1point

Martha Meyer 5 years ago

That man is probably wondering why there's a woman in her underwear randomly standing beside his rice paddy.

29points

Linda Something 5 years ago (edited)

He might be thinking about how different life he has from the girl who needs to show off her a*s to get people to notice her.

4points

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Carol Emory 5 years ago (edited)

The apology would be totally believable if it weren't for the fact that she's sticking her bare butt out to the camera. She doesn't care about deep thought or anyone else's feelings. She's saying "Look at my a*s..don't I have a beautiful a*s." Not when it's attached to someone as tacky as this girl. She's a Kardashian wannabe. Thinks showing off her body makes her a good person and acting privileged makes her a good person. No..it's what you do and how you treat people that makes you a good person..and I think she failed miserably.

16points