What do you want to be when you grow up?

In days of old, children might answer doctor, or lawyer, or singer – cool, you do you.

Where I worry, though, is when I hear that kids these days have a different dream in mind. You might remember this scary bit of info from an ‘Instasham’ story we ran last month:

“People who are famous just for being on Instagram are certainly able to make very successful careers out of it,” says Eleana Overett of Social Circle, which recently launched the UK’s first influencer marketing training academy. More primary school children now want to be social influencers than they do doctors, scientists or artists, according to a survey backed by University College London and the OECD earlier this year.

Please, parents, mould your children into better humans.

This brings us to the ‘influencer’ Halloween costume. Not content with being witches or vampires or sexy nurses, American store Urban Outfitters is offering an “Influencer Halloween Costume Set“.

It will set you back $59, or around R870, and your dignity. Over to the Telegraph:

Consisting of a grey crop top and slate coloured leggings, the white trainers, oversized sunglasses, baseball cap and blonde wig modelled in the photo are sold separately…the product link says it will enable you to “Channel Instagram style in this low key costume set worthy of a superstar influencer.”

It didn’t take long for social media users to point out that the UO model shot was very similar to an outfit Kim Kardashian, the original influencer, was snapped wearing to promote Kanye West’s Yeezy line alongside a string of celebrities including Paris Hilton pretending to be Kim, right down to the long, platinum blonde wig.

Yes, that is a thing that happened:

Celebs, man. If you’re going to beef, do it properly.

The outfit is ridiculous, but I guess Urban Outfitters may as well cash in:

Whilst many are outraged that “dressing as an influencer” is now an actual costume, I say fair play, or maybe more aptly well played to Urban Outfitters.

Influencers have never been more prominent. From breakfast cereals to bath oils, their paid endorsements seem to hold no bounds. So why not dress like a bonafide one for Halloween?

The number one question remains – will it rack up the likes?

[source:telegraph]