/ Boss Babe: Abigail Ratchford Is The New Instagram Icon

by Tessa Johnson

Boss Babe: Abigail Ratchford Is The New Instagram Icon

Nov 10, 2017

At first glance Abigail Ratchford is a pretty face who has capitalized on her good looks. But behind her sexy and sultry look lies a social media maven and a savvy business woman. We tell you why Abigail Ratchford is the new Instagram icon.

Social media platforms are creating social media entrepreneurs. Gone are the days of traditional marketing and promotion, the unconventional is what works today. Ratchford to date has amassed over 8.1 million followers on Instagram and 4.3 million on Facebook. Not bad for a small-town girl with big city dreams.

Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Ratchford had aspirations to make it big. At the age of 18, she entered the Miss Pennsylvania pageant and though she was not a winner, she knew she had what it takes to make it as a model. “I’ve always liked the limelight.” she laughs, “Ever since I was little I would put on my mom’s lipstick, get a broom and pretend to be singing in front of my family and all my cousins. I just wanted to be a star.”

**Abigail Ratchford Is The New Instagram Icon**. Photo Credit: Benjo Arwas.

Her tenacious hustle had her working three jobs; as a paralegal, a secretary and an owner of a bartending service, which she started in 2011, called Perfect 10-ders. The business was a success, but Ratchford had other plans, “At the time I knew I was meant for bigger things, I had to get out of my small town and go somewhere big where people had bigger dreams and 9-5s weren’t the norm.” she says.

It would be a photographer friend who displayed his portfolio on his Facebook page featuring the curvy model that would be the catalyst to kickstart her modeling career. The images caught the attention of men lifestyle magazine sites such as Maxim and Sports Illustrated. Recognizing the opportunity, Ratchford opened up her own Instagram account and started to post an array of glamour shots in lingerie and bikinis.

**Abigail Ratchford Is The New Instagram Icon.** Photo Credit: Abigail Ratchford Twitter

Within seven months, she had accumulated over 100,000 followers, which would later reach one million. “When I reached a million followers, I began to learn the pay scale on IG,” says Ratchford. Instagram allows each member to charge $1,000 to $1,500 once you attain a million followers with the option to increase the price as your fanbase continues to grow. This also provides Instagram users the opportunity to be more selective with whom they wish to partner with. “I learned to finesse it by being super selective with brands and what I post.” She explained. “If two different girls have 2 million followers, but one is more selective about what she posts, and the other one takes every paid post that comes her way, the selective one usually can demand more money. [It’s] weird how it works.”

Since moving to the west coast in 2014, Ratchford, has graced the covers of Zoo Weekly, FHM Indonesia and U.K magazine Sixty 6 and was featured in Esquire and Playboy. But the dark-haired beauty would like to expand her brand and cross over into the beauty and fashion market. When we asked how she would make the transition with a predominately male fan base, she replied, “I definitely have to transition into that organically.” She says. “I remember last year I tried to totally change my page and did all beauty headshots and abandoned the sexy stuff, and my likes plummeted from about 120k to 40k. It was so bad.” She laughs. “So, I’ve found a way to still do the sexy stuff, but also grow my female audience that way, everyone stays happy.”

**Abigail Ratchford Is The New Instagram Icon.** Photo Credit: Abigail Ratchford Twitter

Ratchford, has been approached by online retailers and beauty brands Lilly Lashes, Leyla Milani Hair, Fashion Nova and Want My Look and has shot for celebrity eveningwear designer Stello. She currently features beauty tips and tricks on her Snapchat and is working on her highly anticipated YouTube channel with hopes of building an empire.

Main Image Photo Credit: Benjo Arwas

Tessa Johnson

Author

Tessa (@tessajstyle) holds a diploma in Fashion Business Management from George Brown College and has Fashion Coordination and Styling certification from Ryerson University. She has been ANOKHI Magazine’s Fashion Editor for the last four years covering the runways from Toronto to India. Her love...