Meet Jen Selter: The Girl Behind The 1.4 Million Follower Ass

If you told me five years ago I would be interviewing a girl I have known all my life, a girl I consider a part of my family, I would have laughed. Well, with a markedly rapid increase in traffic to her social media channels, I find myself doing just that. Jen Selter is a girl most people only revere as "an ass," but in reality, this 20-year-old female has much more to offer.

A wholesome girl from Roslyn, Long Island, Selter has done more than just establish a presence and a name for herself on social media. A fitness guru herself, Selter is the healthy mind behind @motivationforfitness, an Instagram account that has generated a following of over 300,000 users looking for an extra push to get to the gym. Her first personal Instagram account, @JenSelter, has garnered such a wide following that she had to create a backup account, @JenLSelter, and copyright mark @JenSelter, which she attaches to each photo in order to prevent outside parties from stealing her images.

Jen Selter has become an Internet sensation by showcasing her passion for fitness, thus, most people only know her as such. We got to sit down with the girl behind the ass and learn more about her world.

Of course, the first question anyone would ask the young sensation would be for her to explain her immense following, to which she responded:

"I've always had a passion for social media: Facebook, Twitter and especially Instagram. Fitness has always been a huge part of my life and the combination of both my passions worked to my benefit. Despite my parents and friends' frustration with how time consuming this all can be, I always keep my focus and carry on. This is what I do best, and motivating people to work out and be healthy is what I love most. I never thought my numbers on social media, especially on Instagram, would blow up and increase as high as they did, and it makes me very happy knowing that so many people are inspired by my workout techniques and healthy lifestyle. If you're good at something and it's where your heart is, the success will follow naturally. I really am thankful for those who support me.”

Selter's main goal is simply to inspire and motivate people to reach their full potential. If she has to "selter" around or post a "belfie" (a butt selfie) to do so, then that is what she is going to do. Jen is more than humble and grateful for her following and supporters; she strives to work to the best of her ability to inspire them.

Another question likely to be on everyone's mind is how Selter ignited her goals and turned them into reality. Jen told Elite Daily that it was through her love of social media that her personal brand expanded:

“Everyone has a 'thing' that they enjoy and are natural at. It may sound silly, but my 'thing' has always been social media. As social media began to take off, I saw an opportunity to showcase my admiration for fitness and photography. It was exciting and fun for me to be able to instantaneously post images and get feedback from so many different people. I would go home and see what was trending or who was cool to follow – from fashion bloggers to celebrities. I paid really close attention to what made a picture stand out and what it took to get 'likes.' I figured if he or she could do it, then why can't I? I knew what people liked and looked for in a 'fitspiration' page, and I tried my best to give followers what they were looking for. Surfing social media sites was my niche, and just like any other job, I dedicated my time, worked hard and considered all the important details.”

Jen Selter is basically the frontrunner for fitness motivation among Gen-Y. Of course, fitness accounts have been around for quite some time but none of the magnitude of Selter's. When asked if she ever thought her fitness accounts would be so widely regarded, Selter told us:

"Never. When I first posted pictures of myself, I would purposely crop my face out because I wanted my body and hard work to be an inspiration to others. I hoped to get a 'like' here and there, but then people started reposting my pictures and surprisingly my number of followers grew quickly. People kept reposting my fitness photos, which was cool, but they were not giving me any photo credit. I reached out and asked for credit, which made the numbers grow even more. I wanted the credit because I wanted to show my followers and the world that I am just your average girl who devotes her time to working out and making her body the best it can be. I hate it when I hear people say, 'I am so fat… OMG I am a whale… I need to stop eating,' so I made it a goal to inspire people with my words and healthy routine and workouts. Let's be real: There are always going to be people who are more fit than you are, prettier than you are, or have nicer hair than you have, but that's not the point. The point really is just to be healthy and to have fun doing it!”

For those people who thought Jen wanted credit for her images in order to boost her own following, they could not have been more wrong. While this may have been a byproduct of requiring her images to be credited, Selter's main drive was simply to show her following that she is a girl like any other, who can accomplish whatever goal she sets her mind to. One message Selter seeks to instill in her followers is the importance of feeling healthy.

No matter what you do in life, you're going to generate a following of "haters," especially if you are successful. This is something Jen encounters on a daily basis; however, she doesn't allow the negativity to drag her down, basically just laughing off the hateful criticism:

"I do not have anyone to impress but myself. I am satisfied with how far I've come along and I am grateful for my healthy life. You are your own worst critic, and confidence is key! If someone doesn't like something, they don't have to look at it. Haters just make me stronger and give me a goal to work towards. No one is perfect; I have flaws and I am totally okay with it. Haters are always going to hate but you just got to look past it! Haha.”

And to all of those people who think Jen Selter is nothing more than a nice ass:

“Despite all my 'belfies,' a picture does not speak for who I am; it does not speak for my personality, morals or personal beliefs. I post my pictures to motivate others and if people see it differently, so be it. Whenever I see a rude remark on any of my photos, I just look past it. Whoever is not a fan of me or my photos doesn't have to follow me! All I have to say is, you don't know who I am if you're solely judging me based on the size of my butt.”

Every Gen-Yer knows Selter's name and more than likely follows her on some form of social media. What does this say about our generation as a whole? Well, according to Jen:

"My story definitely confirms that our generation really is defined by social media. In my opinion, it's awesome how someone can share their talents this way and can be discovered by millions. Some people, especially the older generations, think social media is corrupt; however, social media has opened the doors for so many to succeed and achieve their goals. I would NOT be where I am today without it!

When Elite referred to Selter as "The Ass of Generation-Y," she laughed and said:

“I don't think there has been an 'ass' in any other generation and I definitely do not see myself falling under that category. Yeah, most people now know me as the girl with the butt, but I wouldn't call myself The Ass of Generation-Y!”

To learn more about the girl behind the butt, follow Jen Selter on Instagram @JenSelter, @JenLSelter and/or @motivationforfitness and on Twitter @JenSelter.

Photo Credit: Sincere NewNYer