6 Social Media Creators who inspire us to embrace our authentic selves

 

Over the past few years, the world has gone through a paradigm shift in viewing the ever-evolving standards of beauty and acceptance in society. Showing off your authentic self and knowing your worth is what truly matters in this day and age. Beauty goes beyond the colour of your skin, your physical capabilities or your perceived flaws, and shines through one’s resilience and strength of character. And while there is still a long way to go for us in India, the change in perception towards beauty ideals is a breath of fresh air.

Amongst these change catalysts are social media influencers, who are working towards bringing inclusivity and diversity. From witnessing increasing engagement for hashtags such as #selflove and #bodypositivity garnering 115.4 million and 19.3 million views respectively on Josh, India’s leading short video app, to campaigns like #Realhai #EkNumber #IAmABlueWarrior that urge users to be confident in their true selves, social media platforms are playing an integral role in cultivating a safe space for people from diverse backgrounds to express and exchange their emotions freely.

If you need some more inspiration to embrace yourself, here are six social media creators across platforms, who are breaking the stereotypes of perceived beauty:

Aayushi Vora (261K Josh Followers)  –

With over 1.1M fans, Aayushi is a popular creator on India’s leading short-video platform, Josh. She is a promising dancer, gymnast and an aspiring interior designer whose creativity and passion shines through her videos. Despite losing her arm to a medical condition, Aayushi has never lost faith in herself and her abilities – pursuing her passion and inspiring her fans with her cheerful videos. Aayushi has changed the perception of strength, by embracing her authentic self and having the courage to follow her dreams without letting her condition define her. Garnering over 3.1 M hearts, her videos resonate with her followers and reminds them to keep pushing against the odds.

 

 

 

Sakshi Sindwani (508K Followers)

An influencer who firmly believes that fashion and beauty space should be accessible to all sizes, Sakshi is one of the leading fashion influencers on Instagram. With her top-tier recommendations, styling tips and creative visuals, Sakshi has garnered a following of over 500K on the platform. From collaborations with some of the biggest fashion brands to runway appearances for multiple Indian designers, Sakshi has surely helped her followers become self-confident and showcase the best version of themselves to the world.

 

 

 

 

Steeve Joseph (2.7M Josh Followers)

Shattering the very conventional idea of beauty, Steeve’s content is sure to help his followers shed their inhibitions and accept their true selves. With a variety of content that ranges from lip sync videos to excursions on his bike, Steeve is one of the top creators on Josh. Although left with a prominent scar due to an accident, Steeve did not give up on his passion and instead used the power of social media platforms like Josh to break the labels surrounding beauty. With a strong support system of over 2.5M fans on the platform and more than 19M hearts, Steeve’s content is a step towards bringing inclusivity and diversity on social media.

 

 

 

 

Ankita Chaturvedi (332K Followers)

Letting go of self-limiting beliefs is what Ankita has promoted ever since she started sharing her self-love journey with her followers. An OG beauty youtuber, Ankita has always kept it real with her followers and built a loving and supportive community that related to her struggles with self-confidence. Garnering over 332K followers on Instagram by showcasing her talent with makeup and product recommendations, she is unafraid to be herself and flaunt her style and love her body as it is.

 

 

 

Prarthana Jagan (12.2K Followers)

Challenging society’s ideals of beauty, Prarthana is a popular beauty influencer who celebrates her bare skin. After being diagnosed with a skin condition known as Vitilgo, Prarthana kept her spirits up and became an advocate for self-love. She pursued a career in modeling and speaks candidly about her initial struggles with self-esteem. She has inspired her community to break free from the shackles of unattainable beauty standards and love themselves for who they are.

 

 

 

Dolly Singh (1.4M Followers)

Fashion blogger Dolly Singh has charmed us all with her sweet persona and incredible comedic timing. Hailing from a small town, she has had to face her fair share of trials and tribulations along her journey, with skin shaming. Never letting these comments hold her back, Dolly rose above the judgment and gained a massive following of over a million on Instagram. Advocating for inner beauty and self-acceptance, she has grown to be one of the most loved creators on Instagram.