Meet Brishti Ghosh, a MA History student at Jadavpur University and a fashion blogger/influencer who curates body positivity-related content for her audience.
Brishti might be studying history but her heart beats for fashion, and it is what makes her feel most alive. Even though she was very much sure about her own style since she was a kid, she likes experimenting with different clothing styles and trends. Some may argue that she should have majored in fashion, but unfortunately, the circumstances and lack of support didn’t allow it. Nevertheless, she didn’t let it stand in the way of her love for fashion.
As a kid, she was bullied for her weight gain, which took an immense toll on her mental health. A story most of us relate to, no matter what our body size. Coupling fashion and body positivity together, she wanted to make fashion accessible to people of all sizes. So, in 2016 during her first year of college, she started a blog called “Weight and watch”. She posts on Instagram and occasionally writes on WordPress at missrainfalldrizzles.co.in.
Sharing more about her blog and her journey uptill now, Ghosh says, “I would post fun outfit pictures and write about my experience with fashion, my journey with body-positivity and how I was trying to break out of the shell that I had created for myself as a fat kid. I did a lot of campaigns on Instagram itself like #nomakeupbutstilladiva and urged people to post pictures without any makeup and also posted a lot of first-hand stories of body-shaming of other people on my blog.”
But as her studies took precedence, the blog took a back seat. She revived it in last year’s lockdown, looking at the body image issues festering for many people during the pandemic. She wanted to make them feel more included. She has started creating a lot of content since then, while keeping in mind what her audience likes and resonates with the most. This has also been good for her mental health during these trying times.
Brishti considers getting her story out there through Fuzia an accomplishment in itself. She feels rewarded every single day when a 15-year-old tells her that her content made her feel confident in her body or it brought a smile to their faces. This, for her, is achievement enough.
Ghosh has found her inspiration/mentor in her mother, who is the most body-positive person she knows. She tries to channel her mother’s energy into her, where she stands bright with very little regard for what the world thinks of her. She is also inspired by Vidya Balan and her incredible journey. It gives her hope that dreams do come true if you stay true to your passion.
As a blogger, trolling and hate comments are something Ghosh is no stranger to. She takes in all the constructive criticism and shuts off the noise. She works to better herself every day with utmost dedication. That’s how much her blog and the message it sends out means to her. She is also slowly overcoming her fear of cameras to share her experiences, journey, and ideas with the world.
Brishti is giving it all to creating content that might help people accept themselves as they are, no matter what their body size is. She might be growing slowly, but it’s still growth, and she is determined to make it work. When asked about any advice she would like to give to readers and upcoming bloggers, she says, “I really don’t think I am in a place to give any advice yet, but I think I will highly recommend being your authentic self on social media. People relate to you when you are honest. Of course, I am not asking anyone to put their entire lives on social media just to be authentic, but whatever little bit you put out on your social media, please try to be real. Our audience is extremely smart, and they completely see through if you are trying to be someone else. And the other thing would be to have fun. Your social media is completely your space, and if you can have fun, while you are doing your work well, half the battle is won.”