So let’s say that you wake up on a charming Sunday morning, ready to take on the world and full of smiles as you step out of your lovey pastel colored house located in the posh Notting Hill London, step outside and meet the world. What you were not expecting was three social media influencers striking yoga poses directly on your porch. To make matters worse, you also presumably have a mini clothes rack, a ring light, and are being yelled at by your assistant “Wait, one more shot!”
If you were a local, you would have had it by now.
Ranting Influencers
Spanning Notting Hill used to appeal to be a charming little pocket of London right up there with the rest of the famous landmarks. Tourists together with photographers adored it along with vloggers and publicly wannabe stars. Unlike anything else, this is where the word love got a little too obsessive.
It seems like not only did people come down to get their picture taken, but others had completely thrown the space into chaos. Collapsed fences, scattered litter, prop dragging, and annoying as heck flagging were just some of the things added to the street. One woman from the neighborhood jovially remarked that the steps of her porch had experienced more outfit swaps than models on a fashion runway.
and the Paintbrushes
To paint the best picture, what am I missing to must have to do? Not, phoning the cops was nowhere on their agenda. What kicked off the fun was picking up paint cans.
In a striking change, one resident transformed her Instagrammable pink-and-blue house into a somber matte black. Her reasoning was that, “Black doesn’t look cute on the ‘Gram.’”
A peaceful protest started right after this. More houses followed. Blackout aesthetic replaced pastel dreams. Kind of Goth Notting Hill.
It’s Not That We Dislike Our Tourists…
Forget the truth: locals love their precise street, no doubt, it pretty but the disruption of footfalls and constant claustrophobic noise is unbearable… Not to add the mini photoshoots that occur at every “doorstep” causing extreme exhaustion.
“It’s a no go zone,” some folks decorated their doors with chains and ropes. “Please respect our home” is what others use to adorn the house. (Feedback appears lots of people in the world do not read the signs these days).
One resident aptly put it – “This isn’t Disneyland.”
Every 30 seconds one group comes and another goes through the vicious repetitive cycle. Coffee shops become the ultimate bust stops for all photos and selfies. The locals end up getting kicked out of the frame enabling them to enjoy a cup of coffee peacefully or becoming the unwilling clean up crew cleaning everyone’s garbage.
Some suggest that the phrase “overtourism gone rogue” captures it best as it depicts a neighborhood which inadvertently transforms into a tourist hub purely because it is photogenic on social media.
Instagrammers around the world is still a point of discussion, whether or not they will be stopped by the dark paint that will be the new black but one thing is certain, the residents of Notting Hill are regaining control over what one dark house at a time. “Anti-Instagram” tourism. You’re first hearing it here.