An American Instagram model has raised more than $100,000 for Australian bushfire victims by encouraging her followers to donate in exchange for naked selfies.
Kaylen Ward offered to send a nude photo of herself to any person who donated at least $10 to an organisation assisting with battling the devastating blazes.
She said in the past she has sent photos for money and was hoping her regular customers would be interested in donating to a good cause.
Within minutes, her private messages on Instagram and Twitter were bombarded by hundreds of people sending in their receipts to prove they had donated.
The Texan model, who now lives in Los Angeles, has spent almost every minute since responding to the more than 20,000 messages she received with individualised naked photos.
Ms Ward said she was motivated to use her following to contribute to the cause after photos surfaced of the catastrophic conditions.
‘It’s devastating and any normal person would be concerned and want to help,’ she said.
She asked her followers to donate directly to a list of charities she suggested, which included NSW Rural Fire Service, Victorian Country Fire Service, Red Cross and certain koala hospitals across the nation.
Ms Ward hoped her post would attract ‘a few thousand dollars’.
Within one day, she had about 20,000 messages in her inbox with receipts.
She now estimates she has raised over AUD$100,000 and still has thousands of messages to work through.
‘Someone sent me $5,000, so I’m sending 50 pics and videos,’ she said.
Despite her efforts, Ms Ward said some people have chosen to offer her pictures to people who haven’t donated for free.
‘People that have donated are offering my nudes for free to those who haven’t. Honestly, y’all are so sick and you’re about to ruin it for everyone,’ she posted on Twitter on Sunday morning.
Ms Ward’s Instagram was deactivated after her post went viral, and she has since started a new account while she works on reinstating her original account.
‘My IG got deactivated, my family disowned me, and the guy I like won’t talk to me all because of that tweet. But f*ck it, save the koalas,’ she said.
Ms Ward said now some of her other friends in the industry have followed suit, and together they’re all continuing to raise money for the cause.
‘When I first started I was nervous, super anxious. But five minutes later, my inbox was flooded and those thoughts went out the window,’ she said.
She will now consider doing the same for future natural disasters.
