Not-So Rich & Famous

She has over six million Instagram followers and Reese Witherspoon on speed dial. But who is Celeste Barber? Tiffany Dunk meets the social media star to find out.

A glamorous woman reclines against the kitchen bench in a skin-tight designer dress as shiny and bright as the jewels that drip from her fingers. Preparing a festive meal for the household, she pouts for our cameras before languidly reaching for a packet of crisps, holding them elegantly aloft … and pouring the lot decadently into her open mouth.

Delicately picking stray crisps from her heaving cleavage she furtively pops them into her mouth, chewing frantically before breaking into a raucous chuckle and yelling “Christmas!” delightedly.

Welcome to the world of Celeste Barber, where fashion meets physical comedy in the social media age.

Less than five years ago, Celeste was an under the radar Aussie actor and comedian who had appeared in series including All Saints and Home and Away. Today, however, the 37-year-old mum of two and stepmother to two more is fast becoming as world famous as the women she parodies on her Instagram account.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Cindy Crawford, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and, of course, the entire Kardashian clan are just a few A-listers who have seen their high-glamour posts and videos hilariously recreated by Celeste in a far less picture perfect style. Those comical snaps launched her into sell-out US tours, a televised comedy special, a collaboration with fashion designer Tom Ford for his 2019 Spring/Summer show, a best-selling autobiography and now a children’s book.

“In short, I take inappropriate half-naked photos of myself and put them online,” she simply sums up the job which has now become so intensive she’s hired a full-time assistant.

“It’s a bit of a dig at celebrity culture. I do parodies of quite famous photos. I like taking the mickey out of myself so I always thought it would be funny to see what it looked like when a normal person did fancy people things.”