By Ana van Gelderen

"I had to break with a lot of prejudices. I come from a conservative, closed and very classic environment," says Martina Saravia (25) –alias Tupi–, one of the first influencers –clearly instagramer– in our country. She is the daughter and granddaughter of two Chalchaleros: Facundo (58) and Juan Carlos (88), respectively.

A week after the dialogue with Infobae, he travels from Fez to Chefchaouen, in Morocco to show his followers the benefits of the destination. All while a host of brands – "with which I create a long-term relationship and who identify me" – pay him to do it. Always with an unappealable aesthetic, among a feed that shows her dynamic, fun and sensual. And stories that desecrate it. That is @tupisaravia for its 267,289 followers.

–What prejudices are you referring to?

–I went against a lot of what had been instilled in me. I was educated in a convent school, Michael Ham, by Vicente López. At first my friends didn't understand. "Wow, the influencer!" They ironized. Also, until I started college, I had never been with boys in a class. My dad always told me: "I want you to study for a degree." That's why I advertised. There I opened my head. Many judged me for showing myself, but I never stopped at criticism.

–And you will have attracted attention with the sexy photos in exotic places…

–Luckily my dad doesn't have Instagram! But out there the daughter of his current wife sends him a photo of me in a bikini. Or friends bully him. Or what happened to him on TV… (In Podemos Hablar, Andy Kusnetzoff surprised him with a photo of Tupi in her underwear). He hadn't seen them and that's why he was uncomfortable. My brother, Facundo (29) also tells me that his friends tell him things. But hey, I represent a brand of bikinis. I try not to upload so much... And they are careful photos.

–Would you say that showing yourself in the networks in a bikini and underwear has to do with the empowerment that today's women are achieving?

–Yes, I think that today we are much more planted, much safer and stronger. We are always in search of freedom of expression. And now we women realize that we can show ourselves how we want. My work has a bit of that. That's why I had to go against so many prejudices.

–The contrast is interesting: from folklore and traditions, to Instagram and the instantaneous.

–Yes, they are two very different realities… I am a fan of Salta. I was born in Buenos Aires but all my life I spent the summer in Chicoana. I accompanied my dad to a thousand recitals throughout Argentina. But neither my grandfather, nor my father, as well as many people, understand what I do. It is logical. I simplify: "I manage the social networks of various brands." And luckily my family includes Felicitas Pizarro, the daughter of my aunt Carolina, who is a chef and works at El Trece. They do understand her work!

How to approach your success

When she finished her degree in advertising, Tupi took courses in fashion production, image consulting, and photography. She opened an Instagram when few had one, she experimented and grew. "I uploaded well-edited and fashionable photos. I put hashtags and played with the algorithms. That's how I reached a thousand followers, which five years ago was a lot," he reveals about his amateur beginnings, while having a coffee in a bar on the Plaza Vicente López, in Recoleta, a few meters from his house.

"Cranberry Chic landed in Argentina and I was contacted by a mutual friend. It is a Chilean application focused on fashion, which labels brands and generates online shops. They looked for actresses, singers, models and also real girls, like me. That's how I started contacting important brands and every time they tagged me, my Instagram grew. It gave me a huge flow of followers. I was a pioneer among the non-famous ones. But it was a whole process," says Tupi.

–When and how did you start traveling? Anyone's dream.

–Three years ago I clicked. I began to take more care of the quality of the content. I read everything. I met with photographers. I bought myself a camera. And I got together with Barbie Pérez, a friend who did the same. I reached 10 thousand followers. Then it occurred to us to travel with the brands. We proposed to do campaigns abroad and posts. Some closed the door on us. Others bet on us. So we went to Costa Rica, with the support of five firms – they had nothing to do with each other – and a photographer.

–And you met almost everyone.

–In 2017 I traveled to 25 countries. I got to know a lot, but I still have places to go. I learned to upload material while enjoying the ride. It's an exercise. Because I have cameras, but everything is edited with the phone and it takes me fifteen minutes. I have agreements with airlines, hotels, clothing. But to succeed on Instagram you have to be genuine, maintain an identity and take great care of quality. I show the places with a young look. And although many brands contact me, I look for many others. To many I say no, because I am not a kiosk.

–Do you live on this?

–Yes, I live on social media. I've been paying for my things for four years. In the passport I put "student" because I do not stop taking courses. But I am an influencer, because it says so in the contracts. Although I don't know if I believe it. And my old man once told me: "If Instagram closes, what do you do? Don't put all your eggs in one basket." So with my boyfriend and my brother-in-law we are giving workshops. I reported them and they were oversold in ten minutes!

–What is the B side of being an Instagrammer?

–Generating content all the time is tiring. In social networks everything is for yesterday. You always have to show the statistics to the brand. Sometimes I travel alone, sometimes with my boyfriend or friends. I'm not complaining, but maybe you're in Norway, it's minus ten degrees and you have to take photos to upload at that moment. In Indonesia I got stranded because my passport got wet. Also, we always travel with a lot of cameras and computers. The drone is a theme. They stopped us at the Jordanian border. In Cuba they didn't let us fly it and in Russia we almost went to jail! The setting is not always ideal. And there are also many mercenaries who from time to time want to take advantage of one. The important thing that among Instagramers we are connected. I once corresponded with @Doyoutravel, who has almost 3 million followers, and his girlfriend, @gypsea_lust, who are the pioneers of this. Big emotion!

Be seen 24 x 24

Tupi has been dating for a year and a half with the photographer and filmmaker, Rodolfo Pirovano. They met through a brand. And since then, in addition to traveling together, they give workshops together with Aquiles, Rodo's twin brother. "I show a lot but I don't upload everything to my Instagram. Exposure implies criticism. And I'm too sensitive. I'm clear that the feed is super aspirational and that's why I interact in the stories, make humor and generate a more personal bond. 70 follow me percent women and 30 percent men. Most of them are between 18 and 24 years old. It's strong when they recognize me on the street," says Tupi, adding that the other day a girl almost stepped on a car at the exit of a school for crossing the street without looking to go say hello.

–Would you like to be in Dancing? Like other influencers did.

–No. I don't like massive. I even get anxious when an international account adds 10 thousand followers in one day. It happened to me. I feel heat throughout my body. The TV exposure is too much and besides, I don't manage it. It is true that I have the stage essence of my dad, but I am more embarrassing than when I was a girl. When my father was a jury of Operación Triunfo, I always went to TV. I studied acting and I play the piano. I was in a casting for Casi Ángeles, but I had to leave school and they didn't let me.

–What did you learn from your dad?

–He filled stadiums in Russia with Los Chalchaleros. He played with Mercedes Sosa and Fito Paez, to name a few. When they retired, in 2002, I was 8 years old. I didn't realize what was happening. Today I take dimension of what they were. I like when a follower tells me: 'I'm a fan of folklore or Los Chalchaleros'. He was always a humble guy and true to himself. He refused to make music for political campaigns. From him I learned unbreakable codes and values.

Travel experiences, by Tupi Saravia

The solstice festival in Iceland. I heard musicians play during the longest day of the year, in summer and without the sun going down. It is expensive, but fascinating. Icelanders are so far away from it all that they didn't even get through World War II. And they are so few that they have an application, like Tinder, to see that they are not dating a relative.

Sleep in the desert of Petra, in Jordan. I spent a night in a tent, with the Bedouins. Pure history! It is very expensive, but it is a few days and it is worth it.

Ballooning in Cappadocia, Türkiye. I wanted to stay and live there. It is an environment that is made for social networks. It's like being inside a wallpaper.

Walking Colombia, from Cartagena to the islands. It freaked me out. It is the ideal country to enjoy the essence of the Caribbean. Whether on a honeymoon, with friends, with family or alone. Because of the colors, the music and the vibe.

Go into Thailand. It was my first trip to Southeast Asia and where I experienced the biggest culture shock of my life. He continued with Indonesia. I spent three months among Buddhists, beaches, exotic foods and temples. It's very cheap.

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