The Brazilian influencer was admired by many for her beauty and success. Her life was full of designer clothing, expensive parties and influential friends. Then she had to rebrand herself – Kat became a guru, and once again, a role model for many women. They wanted to be like her. Kat quickly realised one thing: these women would do anything for her.
BBC World Service documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozF3l2IxwKs&t=179s
Katiuscia Torres Soares grew up in Brazil, and took part in beauty contests in her childhood, when she gained her first experience of modelling. After moving to the USA, she became famous thanks to a photo with Leonardo DiCaprio. Although the actor denied the rumours of a relationship with Torres, the young Brazilian gained attention as a result. She set up an Instagram profile, and gained numerous followers and likes. After her career as a model was unsuccessful, however, she was forced to reinvent herself, and began producing self-help and wellness content. In return for a subscription, she would give tips on relationships, self-love, spirituality and – most importantly of all – success. But it soon became obvious to the women that the glittering world promised by Kat’s posts did not exist.
After Torres had exploited several women, she was sentenced to eight years in prison. The former influencer found her victims on Instagram, where she had over a million followers. Women would turn to Torres to get help in their relationships, finances and future plans. In exchange for payment, Torres spoke to them, and “The Voice” revealed what the women should do. She shamelessly exploited her success and appearance so she could make empty promises to the women and cut them off from the people who cared for her. The women became increasingly dependent on her, enabling Torres to exploit them for her own purposes. The women were showered with unkept promises. One young woman, “Ana”, was manipulated by the influencer to such an extent that she moved to New York to work as her assistant. In the above-mentioned BBC documentary, Ana reports on her experiences. Kat ensured the women had to work like slaves, for no payment. But the beautiful world Kat showed in her posts didn’t exist.
After her move to Texas, Torres lured more women with empty promises. In 2019, a follower from Germany was invited to Texas by Torres. Desirré Freitas began living with other women in Torres` home. She was forced to work in strip clubs, had to transfer any money they earnt to Torres, and their passports were also kept by the influencer. Had Freitas refused to work, she would have had to repay any costs incurred to Torres. In this way, the women were forced to continually earn more, and do more for the house. A strict atmosphere ruled in the house; women had to get Torres’ permission to do anything, even visit the toilet. With his collection of guns, Torres’ husband ensured the women were even more intimidated, and feared for their safety.
The money Freitas earned at the strip club was not enough, and eventually she was forced into prostitution. After not hearing from them for weeks on end, the women’s relatives raised the alarm. The women were released in December 2022, and Torres had to take responsibility for her acts in court. The documentary shows the influencer during her incarceration. In the interview, she strenuously denies all the accusations. In her world, she is still a beautiful and successful influencer. Her Instagram profile has since been deleted from the platform.
Translated by Tim Lywood
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