Be it as homemakers or employed persons, women every day everywhere fight against all odds to make spaces for themselves. Be it teaching, aviation, or art, there is no profession that women cannot ace. One such profession invented in the 21st century is that of “content creation” where women are at the forefront. When one thinks of female content creators, one mostly thinks of fashion, as fashion and beauty have stereotypically been the arena of women. However, as stated above, there is no field women can’t ace. They are also exploring and expanding innovative fields of work that haven’t received much attention in the past. This is a celebration of women who create content about fascinating aspects of life with their expertise and tenacity.
We spoke with a few such female content creators who told us about how they create their content and what inspires them to do so.
Ziba Shirin Shaikh (@modestlyziba)- Hijabi Fashion Blogger
Coming from a conservative community, it was very challenging for me to create an identity, because they expect you to get married as soon as you finish college. You shouldn’t work professionally if your husband doesn't want you to. A woman should only take care of her family. As the eldest daughter, I refused to get married and fought to be financially independent. I believe fashion is for everyone. So, I decided to create motivational content on Instagram that girls from conservative families could relate to. It comes for every size, culture, and skin tone. Whether you want to show your skin or not, you can still be fashionable without compromising on trends. I want to inspire people to level up their fashion game even while dressing modestly. It's good to finally see brands in India recognizing hijabi influencers. Now, I get DMs from so many Muslim as well as non-Muslim girls telling me that they feel inspired to be financially independent before getting married. I feel economic independence should be for everyone. Many girls in my family got married due to family pressure. I felt powerless because I couldn't do anything to help them. However, now I have helped my sisters to finish college, be financially independent, and also take care of their parents before they get married. I am not sure how impactful my content is, but I am very proud of myself for standing up for my younger female cousins and supporting them to follow their dreams. I want every woman to stand up for the girls around them. A small push can change the world for many.
Kavya Mukhija (@kavvvyamukhija)- Writer, Disability Rights Advocate
Initially, I just used Instagram as a platform to post my photographs. However, as I became cognisant of my own experiences and nuances of living with a disability, I started documenting them online. I began weaving poetry and short stories out of my lived experiences. Over time, I also began interacting with other people with disabilities, which gave me insight into how I could use my social media presence as a powerful tool to raise awareness about disability. Soon, I began making disability memes and I gave my handle a new identity. I try to ensure that my content is authentic, and original and expresses my values and ethos. I also ensure that it is accessible to people with different disabilities by adding content descriptions for visual content, captions for videos, etc. Since disability is thought to be a serious and sensitive issue, I try to make concepts (such as ableism) easy to understand, often by adding a humourous touch to them.
Disha Joshi (@therandomlifafa)- Founder and Curator, The Random Lifafa
My friends were fed up with me texting them a million paragraphs at 3:00 a.m. about the poem I loved, the movie I just watched, the song that hit the right note, and the podcast whose host I'm in love with. So instead, I just started putting all of that on "The Random Lifafa". When I was 16, I heard someone say, "Understanding poems is not everyone's cup of tea," and I took too much pride in the fact that I could understand almost all the poems I read. But as I started writing more, I realized that it's a writer's job to simplify everything and not complicate it. I ditched big-long-fancy words. I dropped longer-complicated sentences. I stopped forcing complex words into any poems just to fit the rhyme. And best of all, I started reading completely different things. I read somewhere that when the universe opens a door for you, it's your job to open that door to others too. TRL is my attempt to open that door. It's a small try to find good-simplified words for your big-intense feelings and put them out in the world for you to read them. Everyone deserves a hand on their shoulder made of words they need to hear at the right time.
Vijayalaxmi Chhabra (@vijayalaxmichhabra)- Ex-Broadcaster, Content creator
I worked with All India Radio and Doordarshan for 35 years in various capacities and retired as the Director General of Doordarshan. For me, broadcasting was not only for entertainment but also to educate, inform, and influence millions of listeners & viewers. We were committed to bringing social change in an ever-evolving country like India. When I retired in 2015, I discovered social media and felt that it would soon replace traditional media. I had been a communicator all my life. So, this seemed to be the best option. I joined a few saree groups on Facebook and started writing there about Indian handlooms. I was always interested in handloom- handcrafted and handmade. During almost 50 years of my saree journey, I acquired a fair amount of knowledge on various Indian weaves. Later, my children introduced Instagram to me and encouraged me to launch my own account. I aimed to share my knowledge about various weaves from various Indian states. I also share stories from my life as a public broadcaster & about my small-town upbringing. I often talk about women's empowerment through simple stories from everyday life. Saree as a drape is at the forefront, but social change and development are always in the background. My posts are not about pictures but about my everyday thoughts. My page reflects my ideology, beliefs, and the story of a small-town girl making it big. My posts are not targeted towards those who want fashion tips, but towards the young girls who aspire to be successful professionals and wish to be smartly dressed. I wish to convince this target group to view saree as everyday attire. This would help our poor weavers and would save many weaves from extinction. My content is read by young girls as well as women dealing with post-60 syndromes. For some, life comes to an end after 60. I want to tell them that there is a beautiful life beyond 60. I am glad I have embraced the new media meaningfully & continue to be a social communicator.
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Ragini Bhandari (@justpawsible)- Professional Dog Trainer
After I successfully completed the Professional Dog Trainer Course from Canines Can Care in October 2018, I busted the myth that old dogs can't learn new tricks when I trained my 5-year-old golden retriever Buzoo using positive reinforcement. Then I founded Just Pawsible and started my Instagram page in November 2018. I aim to educate pet parents about force-free, science-based dog training and behaviour modification techniques that are gentle, safe, effective, and humane using the rewards and relationship-based approach. I try to stay authentic and build relationships with my followers by interacting with the community and getting to know their queries and interests. I want to establish my page as a valuable and reliable resource.
This article was first published in the Social Ketchup Magazine's January 2023 edition.
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