Naved Qureshi isn’t your run-of-the-mill digital influencer. He has been a Marketing Strategist for over two decades. Being a marketer, he was one of those early birds across all kinds of social media platforms before it even became a trend. Qureshi decided to become a digital content creator by taking a deeper dive into curating good and meaningful content that is of some value to his followers. He feels, in a sense, his digital influencer career is as old as the social media and digital platforms in the country!
Qureshi is Bangalore-based, and has a growing base followers (77k and counting) on IG. Apart from the luxury lifestyle space, the influencer says his content philosophy revolves around—fashion, fitness and fatherhood. He strives hard to make the content relatable and says, “It was never meant to be nor will ever be a projection of lifestyle. I try to make it as relatable as possible. Every piece of content that I create, be it in the fitness, wellness, mindfulness and parenthood space—I make sure to engage with my followers as a problem solver/solution giver. I’d like to make some sort of a difference in their lives.”
View this post on Instagram
Motherhood is celebrated, and rightfully so, but Qureshi felt that a father or fatherhood wasn’t discussed or talked about enough. That’s when he started to share his experience of being a young father and creating content around it. “Yes, it’s a personal thing, but I wanted to give fathers a safe space where they could feel and express their struggles or successes. While the lines are blurring, I think both parents need to be equally present in a child’s life and also SHARE roles and responsibilities. This is integral to the child’s balance and for him or her to be both physically and mentally fit to receive all the opportunities and love. A father is sometimes restricted to just being the provider. I’m trying to communicate that a father is much more than being just a money-making machine. Fathers matter too!”
Apart from styling tips, Qureshi also gives out grooming advice. He even advocates make-up for men. “No matter what gender we conform to—getting a new haircut, choosing a hair colour or even our person style is a way of expressing our uniqueness. In a way, that’s make up or making up too!” He feels like he doesn’t know why men shudder from the idea of wearing cosmetics. “If I’ve stayed up all-night preparing a PPT for a next day meeting, I don’t want to look tired while I’m presenting. I will use and have used under-eye makeup and concealers. Same on shoot days.” According to him your masculinity isn’t tied to the skin creams, beard oil and other grooming products you use. “The same applies to make-up/cosmetics! It’s as simple as that.”
View this post on Instagram
Qureshi is of the opinion that Indian men are more open now thanks to digital media and accessibility to fashion. “While we still have a long way to go, it’s still a welcome start. I think that comes from the fact that we are exposed to different people and their varied sensibilities.”
Trolls are nothing new to him, but he has come up with a special formula to deal with those who shoot off from the hips, hiding behind the veil of anonymity: He goes after them! “I don’t in an aggressive way. I just establish a one-on-one communication with him or her. Most of the time, they come around and become a follower! When I started out, trolling used to bother me and I used to sit with that for days and even try and fit my content to their narrative. Not anymore.” What about the ones that don’t quit, you ask? “They’re blocked with a click of a button, that’s the only time I have to spare for them.”
Naved Qureshi