Shudu Gram is an Instagram model, and people can't tell whether or not she's real. Well, turns out she is not real. FYI: Shudu is a CGI fabrication created by London-based photographer Cameron-James Wilson.
Ever since she made her Instagram debut last year in April, she has been an Instagram sensation. Her Instagram bio, which earlier read ‘who is she?’, has now been updated to ‘World’s First Digital Supermodel.’
So far the beauty has been regularly modelling make-up trends. From Fenty’s vivid orange lip shades to YSL’s eyeliners, Gram has donned traditional African ensembles as well. Shudu was designed to be in her mid-to-late 20s and from South Africa; her name, popular with the Ndebele people of that country, was chosen by an early follower from the area who messaged Wilson to congratulate him on his realistic portrayal. She has 139,000 followers on Instagram, which is quite impressive for an account that only has 31 posts and yes, doesn’t even feature a real person.
We asked Lakme Fashion Week models Candice Pinto, Sonalika Sahay, Pallavi Singh, Alesia Raut, Kanika Dev and Grisha Liliput on whether or not have they heard of Shudu and captured their reaction on video.
While some seem to be quite excited about Shudu coming into the modelling scene, others are clearly apprehensive of similar digital creations that may take over their modelling career. “There will be many more Shudus,” says Sonalika Sahay, a known face in the modelling circuit. Where as Alesia Raut dissed, “At the end of the day its artificial, so we should use it little bit. After all we don’t want them to replace our jobs!”
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