In Defense of Komal Pandey & Being a Fashion Influencer in India
The whole thing was, for the lack of a better term: a monumental mess, and she won’t give a damn, ’cause she is just that above us normies now.
Whether you are reading this as a supporter or a hater, you can’t deny what Komal Pandey did was no less than a major career shift, and certainly had to start building her reputation from scratch.
Looking back, I sit here to jot down every bit and piece of the story from multiple aspects. To summarize for the ones who are clueless, Komal Pandey is a Fashion Influencer from India, who got pulled under the scrutiny with her now revamped personality in terms of her physical appearance, fashion sense and most importantly, her connection with her audience.
The Turning Point & Consequent Repercussions
With Pandey’s first venture being a blog called ‘College Couture’, she built an audience who came across her videos while searching for styling tips, and started looking up to her effortless attire.
The viewers originally came from a largely young female demographic of India, wanting to dress themselves better while being in the constraints of money and the mindset of society.
Her current content mainly focuses on conceptualization of editorial shoots and videography of the same, fit to be in the monthly issue of your generic fashion magazine. With studio set-ups, luxury items and near to professional photoshoots, she has removed her (as the netizens mention) relatability to pursue her career goals.
Thus, her content turning from the aura of a sister giving you fashion advice to a Kardashian-level photoshoot definitely did not help your average Indian girl struggling within the daily patriarchal hierarchy of her small neighborhood, in-turn turning the fan to criticize her content.
Was the hate too much? Absolutely. This transition being a unique glow-up (or down) story coming from an Indian influencer was unheard by the Indian audience. The uncalled for abuse came as the news spread like wildfire amongst netizens. With people who barely watched her previous videos commenting ‘Nobody will wear this in India’ to outright ‘Sl*t’, the praise that she got seemed next to nothing.
However, the now empowered Fashion Influencer did not stay in the true good books either. With Pandey preaching body positivity and then going for obvious lip (and probably face) enhancements, along with deleting negative comments from her social media, she came in the target list of hypocrites-in-power quite fairly.
Although she has had her moments of mistakes in fashion too (referring to the Haute Couture Garbage Bag Dress which indirectly was a disrespect to the whole idea of Haute Couture), it is better to see it on a worldwide scale of how the jarring amount of influencers spread misinformation but ultimately get it pushed under the rug.
In no way should the above statement be a justification for her actions, but it is time we stop and look forward to the statements she is making currently, in both her fashion and ideals of life.
Transitioning and Fame
Taking a risk to leave a booming lifestyle company (Pop XO, for which she was the unofficial ambassador) to being their competitor couldn’t be a decision made out of spite.
“Self Love…what I am trying to achieve is to love myself everyday, no matter how I feel, no matter how I am doing in my relationship.” said Komal in an interview with Beer Biceps (Ranveer Allahbadia) two years back.
Had she been relatable with her audience on her own channel, she would’ve pulled herself into an inevitable failure in any case. With the ever-increasing view count and wealth, it would’ve been impossible for the influencer to stay relatable for long. Thus, the decision of sudden change (although not devoid of opposition) was probably something she was already expecting.
Current Fashion Aesthetics
Accoladed with Cosmopolitan Best Fashion Influencer & Vlogger 20–21, Komal’s Indian ethnic looks are definitely refreshing and even awestruck and new to be influenced by.
Giving Bohemian twists to the traditional clothing of India, she is breaking the boundaries secured within the vast cultures. Her love for the 80s also caters to overseas audiences, all the while slowly building her rapport with them.
On top of it all, she is currently milking the y2k trend, single-handedly representing us at par with our American counterparts, thus creating an idol for many budding influencers in India.
Although her procedures may be a slave to the Euro-centric beauty standards, she is still bridging the gap between the value Indian influencers get in front of overseas ones, bringing us one step closer to the fashion capitals we considerably admire.
Thus if you really wish to compare her to the wealthy celebs of the west, do it with Kris Jenner of the whole group you know very-well.
It may be a downright sin to compare fashion designers with influencers, but this reminds me of what one of my teachers mentioned about Sabyasachi: that he is doing nothing new, which your girl-next-door turned Kardashian has aced so far.
The New Tribe
With her recent video garnering praise after what seemed like a heck of a year for Komal, it’s best to assume her newfound audience is a step above the middle-class youth seen before. In the lamest way I can put it, I can’t afford an air-conditioned Uber everyday to work, thus I can’t wear heels and layers in the hot weather of India. To those who can adopt her style, props to them.
Yet, someone in the fashion industry (like me) would definitely give her a second look with the exquisite quality of never-before-seen fashion reels and color-blocked clothing, which gives her two pools of worthy audiences.
Somewhere between her midriff flosses and frequent show of the tanned Jacquemus chiquito, I feel she is not afraid to show her wealth. Who would be if they made it to that position all by themselves, right?
Thus, she feels grey, just like any other influencer with a social media handle is. And as much as I want to have the same freedom she does in wearing anything she wants, I need to fight my own battles of insecurity and scrutiny to make it work, just like she did.
Will I wear the clothes she wears? No, mostly because of my own above-mentioned reasons. Will I look forward to her fashion content though? Yes, certainly.
Bottom line: Is she influential?
Yes, but take it with a grain of salt.
Is the new influencer Pandey someone who is normalizing plastic procedures? Is she someone who has lost all her ‘sanskaar’ and turned to (as the YouTube comments say), Komal Kardashian? Or is she someone who challenges the orthodox notions of drapery and clothing, turning them to pieces of art while staying true to her roots?
Well, let’s not forget that it is her job to influence. An influencer’s lifestyle IS being in front of the camera and creating content. Challenging the norms and inspiring is their job, in which sense she is kicking some a**.
And if at all you still feel the urge to go to her profile to say “Nobody will wear this outside”, remember that most of the times, she isn’t doing that either.
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Phew, writing this felt like treading over a minefield. Nevertheless, let me know if you have any thoughts on the matter. Feel free to take any information for your own use on credit.
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