Actor and comedian Celeste Barber shot to international fame three years ago when #celestechallengeaccepted went viral. She cleverly contrasts celebrity images with her real life re-enactments. The parodies started as a joke between the Australian and her sister before she began sharing the photos publicly. Since then she has fallen out of bed, into swimming pools, covered herself in dirt, worn a shopping bag, posed topless, on the toilet and attempted paddle board yoga!
She now has a staggering 4.8 million followers on Instagram, some of which are the celebrities she has parodied. Celeste is quick to point out that being famous on Instagram is like being rich in Monopoly. Despite the laughs, Celeste is a staunch anti-influencer! It seems anyone can get paid to do anything these days, she says.
"These days you can pick some lint from your belly button, blog about it and all of a sudden you've got an office and three staff working for you because you're the highest paid 'belly dissection guru' in the country," she writes.
While she has posted over 1000 #celestechallengeaccepted photos, she has only been paid for 15. Celeste is regularly approached by companies to promote products but always declines with the same response, "I don't promote any products that make women think they need to look a certain way to feel a certain way."
Challenge Accepted is Celeste's entertaining and outspoken guide to life. It is part memoir, part stand up comedy routine and if you follow Celeste online you will enjoy this glimpse behind the scenes.
Reviewer: Andrea Molloy
Harper Collins, RRP $35