“Gender stereotypes- though they seem old in thought, are, unfortunately, very much still a part of society, even today! There are specific expectations placed on everyone right from birth and rarely are they ever inclusive or sparing of those who are different.

And I can vouch for this as an outlier, who’s been finally happy after being through the beats of this for years! In my case what triggered people was my dressing sense and feminine demeanor, though, they weren’t conscious choices I took to make a point but just what I naturally was drawn towards.

Nevertheless, the backlash I faced everywhere, right from school was intense with peers bullying me brutally, hurling insults, and casually calling me all kinds of names. Teachers again were no different. I still have vivid memories of a particular ‘biology’ teacher calling me out separately and asking me what was ‘wrong’, since I didn’t fit into the familiar template of a boy!

And as one would expect, all this definitely put me into a shell with massive insecurities stemming up within, alongside a ton of self-hate. The tipping point was college, where I was enrolled in an even stricter environment that was completely conservative. It felt suffocating, to say the least, especially since I was asked to go there for reasons like job security, forgoing a potential career in fashion management.

Now at this low point, when I desperately needed an outlet to express my creative self, I finally was able to spot a savior in the form of YouTube. The leap of faith I took, to put my Fashion and lifestyle content on the platform has, in hindsight, been one of my best decisions ever!

It helped me slowly but surely to own my personality confidently, raking in a lot of views and love. So many youngsters going through similar situations started messaging me narrating how my videos had helped them in establishing their identity. Of course, there was no dearth of trolling, especially as an online medium but the overwhelming positives to it are what kept me going!

The process, in addition to making me happy also made me a much healthier person! With my mind finally, at the right place, my previous coping mechanism to get over anxiety through overeating, reduced significantly, aiding me to shed almost around 25 kgs at one point.
In the end I guess it’s all about your choices and the vigor to stand up for your truth regardless of the situation at stake. After all, everyone has life to make themselves proud and I wanna use mine fearlessly, to explore the depths of my creativity!”