As a child, Priyal Tiwari was not a very confident person. But as she has grown up to be an inspiration for many, Priyal aka @priyaltiwari_ says she is learning by taking small steps and is more confident now, A dance and lifestyle influencer, Priyal manages her career alongside her college education.
Like many other influencers and content creators, Priyal also started her journey on Instagram when the pandemic hit. “I started posting videos in 2020 during the lockdown. Evidently, I was very bored and I didn’t have anything to do. So, that is when my friend suggested that I should start posting videos, and I did. I got a great response so that’s how it all started,” she says.
The good, the bad and the ugly
Priyal loves making content for social media but she says there are a lot of negatives also that come with being an influencer. “There is a certain amount of hate that you have to deal with. So, it’s both good and bad at the same time. There are pockets when it is really bad. At one point, when I first started, I would just sit and block people for hours because I just didn’t want that negative energy on my page,” says the Nagpur-based Indian influencer.
The social media blogger adds that she was not particularly nervous about making content on Instagram but she was worried about becoming the target for dank meme pages. “I was a chubby kid since a child and I have always been dancing but when I was young and I would tell people that I am a dancer, no one would believe me because of my weight. They would just say, ‘oh do you really dance?’ and then when I would perform for them, they would get shocked. I used to get hurt by that because it wasn’t something that should shock people. But I got used to it with time. However, when I decided to make content, I was scared about those dank meme pages. Apart from that, I have always been a victim of bullying and negativity even in school because of my weight. So, I was used to it but I was worried about being made fun of in meme pages. I eventually got over that fear though,” she says.
Body positivity — a big factor
The dance influencer says that she was not always this confident as she is today, but her goal with her page is to create a positive environment for everyone who is struggling with body image issues, Like she rightly writes in her bio, “Warriors come in every shape and size,” she truly believes in this saying.
Priyal explains her idea of body positivity and how filters affect one’s mindset. “In school, until 9th standard, I used to wear really baggy clothes and I used to click only selfies and I would never get full pictures clicked because I was very conscious of my weight. But with time, I have gained confidence in myself and I have got better. And it is very important for me to spread the message of body positivity to my followers and everyone who is listening to me. I don’t like the concept of filters because sometimes they are so evidently fake. There was a time when I would use filters so much that it had become impossible for me to click any photo without using a filter. And I realized quickly that it’s not good for our image and mental health. But I try and use them as little as possible,” says the dancer who has 80k followers on Instagram.
The dream
Priyal says her immediate goal is to touch 100k followers on Instagram. “I have been waiting for it a for a long time. It’s my main goal right now. Additionally, I want to make my page a more body positive space and make more body positive content. Whatever videos I have made with regards to body positivity, I have received a lot of love for it and it has done very well so I want to make more,” she says.
Priyal says she has ben thinking about taking up content creation as a full time job after her college. “I want to do it but I am still weighing the pros and cons. I will say though that it has been sometimes difficult to monetize my page because sometimes, brands do not cooperate with you. They also don’t realize the amount of work that goes into making a video. But I have always wanted to do something related to dance and I am hopeful,” she signs off.
Priyal’s thoughts on body positivity and inclusivity have inspired many and we hope that she can bring about the change in society that she really wants to see.
Priyal is managed by Chtrbox Represent which also manages 50+ of the best Indian influencers from across genres like food, beauty, fitness, travel and everything social media.