“Why don’t you become a fashion influencer?”
It’s a question that is thrown at me very often. I like to think that I’m fashionable. It’s a belief that is often echoed by the people around me, which only serves to strengthen it. But we live in very “social” times, and if you happen to be a fashionable person with no blog extensively detailing each outfit you choose to put on your body, you, my friend, are wasting your talents.
It’s not that I have specifically taken a stand not to be an influencer. I don’t take a lot of pictures. I think I’m not very photogenic. I also hesitate in putting stuff on social media for everyone to see and judge, which is strange when you consider the fact that I work in social media for a living. It literally pays my bills.
But when my editor commissioned this story to me, which required me to photograph myself (in OOTD poses every day for 7 days straight), I didn’t say no, even though my internal organs were collectively screaming the word. But sometimes you have to force yourself to get out of your comfort zone. And fashion blogger or not, whatever field you may be in a good social media following, whether it’s on Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn, is always a plus.
And thus began my 7 Day #DressLikeAnInfluencer Challenge. The rules were simple. I had to dress how I think a fashion influencer dresses, every day, for 7 days straight.
DAY 1
For Day 1, I chose something simple – a white tee-shirt and blue jeans but gave it a fashion influencer spin, to stand out just the right amount. I was extremely self-conscious. Hence, the looking down pose.
DAY 2
Some days when I’m lucky, I get to leave the office and spend all day outside! YAY! It also means no heels. I wouldn’t trust anything but my Superstars for walking around all day in. I wore a new dress I had just bought from Shein and threw them on. But then someone commented on how dirty my shoes were. Can’t ignore these things, wanna-be Influencer!
DAY 3
Here’s something you didn’t know. I have put on some weight and those pants are hella tight. I second guessed wearing them, but is there a more worthy time than an Instagram challenge to pull them out of the closet? We found this brick wall shot there forever! Also, my Starbucks cup was empty by the time we managed to get this shot.
DAY 4
Being a fashion influencer goes much beyond picking nice clothes to wear – It’s about establishing an aesthetic – which includes a good backdrop and a really good camera. Luckily, I work in Hauz Khas, the Mecca of fashion blogger posing. There are cute stores with tiny, colourful doors, graffiti’d walls, and a park and a lake in case you’re feeling the nature backdrop. Unfortunately, all of that goes for a toss on the weekend. I wanted to do one night look for our followers, which meant actually taking the picture at night. That night I realized the importance of lighting in picking a place to go out to when you’re a #FashionInfluencer. I ended up taking a lot of bathroom selfies, but of course, I couldn’t upload a bathroom selfie on @popxofashion. THINK, KRITI, THINK! Thankfully, my boyfriend is amazing and he drove me to a hotel lobby at the end of the night so I could get a usable shot.
DAY 5
I’ll say it. By this day, I was really tired. I had an extremely busy weekend, and the last thing I wanted to do was to dress up and take a picture for Instagram. I did what anyone would do – wear a basic outfit and put on the most extra sunglasses. I got lucky ‘coz I was wearing blue and it happened to be a #MondayBlues day, which meant that the hashtag was trending. Yay me!
DAY 6
By Day 6, I was almost comfortable with posing. I didn’t mind the stares from the people that passed by, including an aunty that muttered “SERIOUSLY?!” to her husband and daughter and rolled her eyes, after I was nice enough to interrupt our shoot and let her pass. Haters gonna hate! Anyway, I chose my favourite dress for this day. It’s so beautiful that I decided that it NEEDS to be on Instagram.
DAY 7
My last day I turned to something that never lets me down – floral prints and exaggerated silhouettes. Also, my photographer, our very talented Social Media Coordinator, Surabhi Pandey, remarked: “You pose really well!”
Mission Accomplished!
Mic Drop. Legit wore pyjamas and chappals to work the next day, and no, I did not take a picture.
