Coconut Kitty

The online persona of artist Diana Deets, who died in February 2023 at the age of 24.

Coconut Kitty was the online persona of Diana Deets, a creator who became one of the most talked-about accounts on Instagram, and one of the most harassed. She died in February 2023, at the age of 24.

Who she was

Diana Deets was a painter before she was an influencer. She first tried to make a living selling her artwork, then turned to digital content. She created the Coconut Kitty character partly to avoid being recognised in her everyday life, and described it as inspired by Japanese anime and Disney characters such as Ariel or Princess Jasmine.

A heavily edited persona

The Coconut Kitty photos were openly and heavily edited: very large eyes, freckles, extremely long hair, and a face that looked much younger than hers. The account grew to around three million followers on Instagram. Deets said she deliberately left some unedited photos on her feed so people could see what she really looked like.

The 2021 controversy

In June 2021, a TikTok video criticising the account went viral. Critics accused her of editing herself to look underage, and the accusations spread quickly across social media. Deets strongly denied them, telling Vice that it was “the worst thing to be accused of” and “the opposite of who I am”. She also said in interviews that she did not think she was doing anything very different from the many influencers who heavily edit their pictures. The backlash included a flood of hostile messages and threats.

Her death

In February 2023, her death was announced in a post on her accounts. The people close to her said she had died by suicide, after falling into depression linked to the backlash she had faced in her line of work. They also said that the persona seen online was very different from the person her family and friends knew.

Her story is often cited in discussions about online harassment and about the pressure of edited images on social media.

If you are struggling or having thoughts of suicide, please reach out: in the US you can call or text 988, in the UK and Ireland call Samaritans on 116 123, and in France call 3114. Help is available, free and confidential.