Instagram bans SA-born influencer who sold bottles of her dirty bathwater

Belle Delphine, the SA-born influencer who recently created a stir for selling bottles of her used bathwater, has been banned from Instagram.

The 19-year-old, who lives in the UK, used the photo-sharing platform to advertise the product called 'Gamer Girl Bath Water', which she sold via her website. It sold out in just three days.

This stunt garnered headlines around the world, bringing Delphine's Instagram account to the attention of many who had not yet heard of the internet star. And, it turns out, not everyone was impressed with what they saw on her feed: photos of the scantily clad Delphine dressed as a Japanese anime character come to life, several of which were NSFW (Not Safe for Work).

The celeb was subsequently banned from Instagram after being reported for nudity or pornography, which is a violation of the platform's community guidelines. When her fans searched for her account, they were told "user not found".

Instagram user athlete_thedog has claimed responsibility for reporting Delphine and the subsequent banning of her account, posting a screenshot as proof. 

Users responded to this post with a host of different reactions, with many calling athlete_thedog a hero. One user wrote “You’ve saved us all, I thank you”, but others felt it was wrong and questioned how Delphine would now make money.

The answer is that Delphine sells merchandise like posters on her website. She also sells access to her personal Snapchat account — which she says is her "naughtiest social media" — via Patreon. Subscriptions, which range from $1 to $2,500 a month, will get you access to varying amounts of lewd content.

It is still unclear if Delphine’s Instagram account — which had more than 4.5-million followers — is banned permanently or if it’s a temporary suspension. In the meantime, the celeb has set up a "backup" account which includes the words "Not for anyone under 18" in the bio.