Influencer caught 'faking' first class flight photoshoot: 'Not the type to show her money'

An Instagram influencer has been caught faking her way to the top, with her first-class flight photoshoot exposed as having a more economical reality.

During a flight to Monaco, French model Oceane El Himer shared a photo with her 884,000 Instagram followers, showing her posing in the exclusive section of the plane.

But a post from a fellow passenger revealed El Himer was seated beside them in economy class for the duration of the flight.

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In the glamorous photo, the model stands in front of the aircraft's first class seats, sporting a cropped hoodie and sweatpants, prior to departing from Dubai.

"Next Stop - Monaco Je fly toute la night," she captioned the picture.

The Boohoo model is pictured brushing her hair out of her face, with a Dior designer bag slung over her shoulder.

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A passenger on the flight, however, recognised El Himer, and shared a picture of her sitting in an economy seat when the plane took off.

The model was criticised on social media, with users accusing her of misleading people to believe she was travelling first class.

She hit back on Snapchat, writing she has "no shame in traveling in eco class."

"I took several flights to arrive in the south, including one in eco class," she continued.

"I fully assume the fact of travelling in eco class, I'm not the type of girl who likes to show her money (…) Yes I traveled in eco and in business. And so?

"Where is the problem, I do not understand? Much more serious things are happening in life."

While El Himer has a point, the "fake wealth" trend is nothing new to the influencer world.

In January 2020, a now-deleted tweet captured influencers hiring a Los Angeles photo studio staged to resemble a private jet.

Social media stars could pay $64 ($AUD 82) an hour to pretend they hired, or even chartered, the aircraft.

The second-hand online marketplace platform Depop also revealed "empty box" or "empty bag" listings had been made for influencers to purchase the packaging a designer bag or garment would usually came in, to suggest they'd purchased a high-end, expensive outfit.

It goes to show, not everything is as it seems - but Instagram has made it easier to pretend...