Content creator, Kavya Karnatac
Image: Amit Verma
Loved how transparent you are with us about all of this. Thank you for not setting unrealistic beauty standards and being vocal about it because all of this could be misleading to the young girls who’re watching you, so kudos to you for that.”
This is a viewer’s comment on fashion and beauty influencer Aanam Chashmawala’s 2021 video showing her experience with getting lip fillers—injections that add volume to the lips. It’s just one among hundreds that praise her for being honest with her followers.
“I wouldn’t ever want anyone to feel insecure based on what they see me with. So, I believe in utmost transparency,” says Chashmawala.
With content creators like her, and others who are now openly discussing many issues—their mental health struggles or rejecting lucrative brand deals that don’t match their ethical values—India’s influencer marketing landscape is undergoing a shift.
“Creators are embracing vulnerability, sharing authentic stories, and redefining influence,” says Apaksh Gupta, founder and CEO, One Impression, an influencer marketplace. “By ditching the facade, they’re building trust, fostering empathy, and normalising mental health discussions.”
Therefore, the trend is sparking essential conversations, promoting diversity, and encouraging responsible practices. “We’ve seen a surge in demand for real, relatable storytelling. It’s a step towards a more empathetic digital ecosystem,” adds Gupta.
Anmol Sachar, a comedy influencer
Out in the Open
Anmol Sachar, 30, a comedy influencer, was diagnosed with clinical anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder when he was in Class 10 and struggled with these for 11 years.
During this phase, he would watch funny sketches, skits, and videos on YouTube and Vines, an app that no longer exists. “These videos gave me momentary respite,” he says. “That feeling in the dark phase of my life was priceless.”
Hence, he picked comedy as a genre for content creation in 2016. It had helped him, and by spreading smiles, he wanted to make a difference in people’s lives.
By 2017, with his medication tapered down, he started to feel fine and felt confident to open up about his struggles in public. It was first made live on an Instagram page documenting people’s life experiences.
“99 percent of the comments I received were positive,” he says. “I was surprised to see the impact it was having on people. It was hard for them to believe that a person who spreads smiles has been in a dark phase himself,” he adds.
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Since then, he’s received messages about people—including those who wanted to take extreme steps—about having hope again, and believing that there will be a better tomorrow. This motivated him to continue speaking on the topic on other platforms such as TED Talks and Josh Talks.
“I believe the more we talk about such issues, the more we normalise it. From when I started speaking about it to now, we’ve come such a long way already,” he says. Additionally, he feels his content will help change the narrative around mental illnesses. “Some people still feel that it’s all in the mind, and one can snap out of it. Nobody who’s going through this wants to hear this. Hence, I try to take a stand against this whenever possible,” he says.
Among other creators who are trying to be honest with their communities is Kavya Karnatac. The 27-year-old culture influencer, who highlights India’s history, rejects 60 percent of brand deals and collaborations that come her way. The reasons include insufficient or no remuneration, or not matching her ethical values.
She’s open about that with her followers. She also believes in being honest about how much she earns as a creator, and the amount of followers she loses on a monthly basis. For instance, in a post made six months ago, she mentioned that 76,048 people unfollowed her.
“I am guilty of only sharing my wins on social media and not the things that go wrong,” she says. “People boast about their achievements on LinkedIn but don’t talk enough about the things that don’t work out. It took me some time but now I have accepted that growth takes time,” she adds.
With this, she hopes to educate people wanting to enter the world of content creation, along with creating a community of like-minded people who are interested in consuming informational content.
Karnatac also does not shy away from revealing how much she earns. “I earned ₹1,49,609 from YouTube last month,” she mentioned in a LinkedIn post. She goes on to explain that there have been months when the platform hasn’t paid well.
“So how do I run a team of 10 people? How do I pay them salaries? How do I run my content business? This is where brand deals play an important role for our sustenance,” she informs.
Her viewers have appreciated her for her frankness with comments such as “These are some amazing tips for someone who wants to start YouTube,” and, “That’s so honest of you, Kavya.”
The majority of audiences is now valuing authenticity, says Ramya Ramachandran, CEO and founder of Whoppl, a content-to-commerce company. “Sharing personal victories and struggles make the influencer’s content more relatable and helps an influencer establish a strong and more engaging community of people,” she says.
Therefore, Chashmawala doesn’t stop stressing on the importance of being honest with her “Internet family”, as she calls it. In 2023, when she experienced a miscarriage, she was brave enough to bring it to light through a vlog on YouTube. “Ever since I opened up about it, I know of at least 15 women in my circle who hadn’t spoken about it before,” she says. “But, I feel like if we talk about these things, other people who go through it won’t feel as alone, and also reinforce the belief that it’s not their fault,” she adds.
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For Better or For Worse
Ramachandran says that reactions to such personal stories can vary widely—some may unfollow if they no longer relate to the influencer, others may empathise if they’ve shared similar experiences, and some may remain indifferent, focusing on the content rather than personal details. “Some may even question the authenticity of the influencer suggesting this is an act of publicity performed to gain more followers,” she says.
But it doesn’t stop influencers from showcasing their true selves and they aren’t fearful of the backlash.
Sachar has received comments questioning his authenticity about his struggle with mental health with jokes about how a comedy influencer can be affected by such serious illnesses. But it doesn’t affect him. “You just have to remind yourself that the person who’s sitting behind the mobile screen lacks empathy and is hurt,” Sachar says.
Is it a concern that personal stories limit business opportunities? “I’ve had one or two brands tell me they want to work with me but can’t because their brand is all about ‘keeping it real’, concerning lip fillers,” says Chashmawala. “I find that hypocritical because the fact that I’m open and honest about this makes me real. I’m okay to take the losses if it means I get to make my own decisions and live honestly,” she adds.
For Sachar, it’s all about making a difference. “Before speaking about it, I didn’t think if it was going to limit my business opportunities for collaborations and brand deals,” he says. “I was speaking about mental health all along with the hope that it’s going to give someone a ray of hope, and strength to come out of the dark place.”
Content creator, Aanam Chashmawala
Balance it Out
Social media has changed the narrative when it comes to breaking the silence or even working around stigma, especially around mental health.
“On the positive side, it creates a space for support and solidarity and that’s empowering,” says Tanuja Babre, a counselling psychologist. However, it’s important to be cognisant of the narrative a creator is putting out, she warns.
“For instance, if someone is talking about their experience of self-harm or suicide, it’s advisable that they talk about how they sought help and coped with it, and give out messages normalising seeking support,” says Babre. “But details about the method of self harm can make the reader feel unsafe.”
Another problem with putting out too much information is the perception it may create among people. Seeing influencers’ stories, and the way they may be represented to show that they had a problem and have overcome them, is also problematic, she informs. “Everyone’s mental health journey is different. They’re not linear,” she says. “Therefore, sharing personal struggles comes with great responsibility because overcoming those is not a straightforward path.”
Therefore, according to her, it’s advisable to see influencers’ experiences as a space to seek a sense of community, and not necessarily as a pathway for recovery.
(This story appears in the 18 October, 2024 issue
of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)