These days, practically everyone wants to become an influencer to gain legions of fans, and possibly some extra perks. Among Pinoy riders, many have turned to motovlogging in the hopes of earning a living from likes and shares of their videos.
The same thought went through a 50-year old Japanese rider named ‘Zonggu,’ who wanted to share his experiences riding his motorcycles. Unfortunately, he thought age (and some would say looks) weren’t on his side. Zonggu believed no one wanted to see an old 'uncle' riding.
To gain a large following, he turned to Faceapp to turn himself into a young, attractive female rider in photos that he posted on the Twitter account, @azusagakuyuki.
Posing as ‘Yuki,’ Zonggu managed to gain a respectable following of almost 18,000 people. In the account, he’d post pictures as a female dressed in motorcycle gear with Yamaha motorcycles.
Unfortunately, it wouldn’t last as some of his followers suspected something was amiss. A few eagle-eyed lurkers pointed out reflections of an old man in the motorcycle mirror. Others say his 'masculine-looking hairy arm' gave him away.
A Japanese entertainment TV show managed to track down the lady rider and uncover the truth. In one of the show’s segments, ‘Yuki’ finally unmasked herself and revealed her true identity. The veteran rider then showed the tricks he used to edit his photos.
To his surprise, rather than outrage, the trick has possibly gained him even more fans. Many viewers complemented him on his editing skills while others joked they’d willingly fall for the catfish trap.
Despite the tricks, it seems that Zonggu finally got his wish and is now an internet celebrity in his own right.