Karen Elson: Don’t diss Kendall Jenner and Cara Delevingne … they work so hard

Catwalk stars such as Cara Delevingne seem to be endlessly posting selfies on social media but they “work really hard”, insists model and musician Karen Elson.

The current generation of “Instamodels”, such as Kendall Jenner, 20, and 24-year-old Delevingne — who has 32.9 million followers on Instagram — can make thousands of pounds promoting brands to fans online.

Elson, 37, said in an interview in tomorrow’s ES Magazine to mark her becoming the latest Mytheresa.com Woman: “People diss them because they’re rising up through social media but that is just part of their generation — and they work really hard.”

When she started out more than 20 years ago, Elson said: “We didn’t have Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat… Our lives weren’t as documented.”

Now, models with more than 10 million followers are said to be able to charge companies around £70,000 for posting a single shot promoting their product.

The most entrepreneurial levy a popularity charge with a set fee for a number of “likes”, meaning posts that go viral generate huge income.

Oldham-born Elson lives in Nashville near her ex-husband, rock star Jack White.

They divorced in 2011, and she said the separation was amicable. They have two children — Scarlett Teresa, 10, and Henry Lee, eight.

She said: “My life has changed massively after becoming a mother. My kids put me in my place all the time. When I get off the plane and come home to Nashville, I feel like me.”

Elson joins the likes of Alexa Chung, a previous Mytheresa.com Woman, in working with online fashion retailer. Each season they name a new woman as their face as part of the MyTheresa.com Women series, celebrating strong women.

She combines modelling with music and her debut album, The Ghost Who Walks, won rave reviews for its folk and country-influenced rock. A second album is on the way.

However, she still finds performing terrifying: “It’s one thing twirling around and having a great time on a photoshoot but it’s another getting on stage and singing because it means baring my actual self.”