Instagram mums are being criticised for shameless 'self-promotion'

'They're businesswomen masquerading as our friends'

Women themselves, financial instutions and everyone in between is failing to take on board the myriad requirements of female life, work and money (Getty)

Exotic holidays, decadent organic meals, product launch parties... it sure is a far cry from the harsh, sleepless realities of motherhood that the rest of us will experience.

Alas, canny Insta-mums somehow manage to make it look like a blissful, Valencia-filtered dreamland, complete with coordinating pyjamas and overnight oats.

However, people are wising up as to the envy-inducing feeds of bloggers such as Mothers of Daughters and Mother Pukka, who have been criticised on Mumsnet for perpetuating a romanticised vision of motherhood.

Hundreds of commenters took to the forum to vent their frustrations.

“I love my son and I post pics of him on my (private) Instagram account. But I can't imagine taking pictures of him wearing things to make money. It doesn't sit well with me. Not to mention holiday pics, all fully hashtagged and geotagged as per the client's request,” wrote one aggravated user.

“It started getting me down they are all so perfect with perfect houses and lives, with every child-related gadget going because they are given it to endorse,” added another.

Some critics argued that these accounts were trying to turn motherhood into a commodity by peddling products under #ad and #spon whilst presenting themselves as “normal” mums.

“They're business women masquerading as our friends, frequently referring to themselves as our 'sisters' - that's what I find most troubling,” one wrote.

Though it's unclear how much money these Instagrammers make from sponsored posts, one user lamented that they couldn't identify with people "on £100k a year in Farrow & Ball houses."

However, others were quick jump to their defence, pointing out that blogging “is a job like any other” and that it was simply a means by which these women were providing for their children.

“Are people really so naive that they think these women are surviving on fresh air? They are self-employed business women, that’s all,” insisted one.

“Let’s face it, the reason they have this ability to attract brands who want to give them things is because of their huge following,” one wrote.

Clemmie Hooper, the midwife and author who runs @mother_of_daughters (355k followers) in her spare time works at one of the busiest labour wards in the UK.

“I love what I do. It’s just like Call the Midwife as half of us are riding around on bikes,” she says. “The only difference is, we’re not nuns,” she told The Telegraph.

Anna Whitehouse (@MotherPukka) isn’t exactly sitting around at home twiddling her thumbs either.

The mother-of-one recently launched a campaign calling for more flexible working hours that would hugely benefit family lives.

It’s not just enraged Mumsnet users who are feeling the brunt of the mummy-bloggers.

Research found that celebrity Instamums – like Miranda Kerr and Myleene Klass – often make women feel as inferior as their own friend’s edited feeds, data from mothers’ meet-up app Mush found in February.

More than 80 per cent claimed that Instagram and Facebook induced pressures to be “the perfect mum.”

“Social media can really play havoc with your mind,” Nadia Tavernier-Gustave told the Evening Standard, “especially when you see these celebrities who had babies two days ago and their bodies are insane. It can be a little bit depressing,” the mother-of-two confessed.