I began toying with the idea of blogging/vlogging when I was in 6th grade. 2006...Can you believe that?! I was obsessed with makeup and fashion, always looking up tutorials or cutting out ads in magazines. I was trying SO hard to look like these bombshells online. Mid-high school, I slowly started realizing that the women in these industries didn't represent me- my skin color, features, eye color, hair texture, etc. Then I started my search for Indian vloggers, so I could learn how to make my own features pop. And guess what I found? NADA. If I did come across someone, they were much lighter-skinned than I was. Wondering why I keep mentioning skin color? It's because India is obsessed with light skin. Even all the Bollywood actresses are light skinned, racially mixed, or foreigners from Brazil and the like. As an impressionable kid, I started wondering who I was really supposed to look up to or who I could use as make up/fashion inspiration.
That's when little ol' high school me decided to step up to the plate. I started recording make up tutorials and was truly blown away by the positive response I received from other Indians or women-of-color. They had been feeling the exact same way I had! I was so inspired and wanted to keep pursuing this track. Then life happened. I went to college, got a job, found myself engaged and married. So what brought me here? Writing this post right now? Well for starters, I was laid off from my company of almost four years, and I was pregnant, expecting my baby only 6 months later. I tried looking for other jobs, but the application process was taking much longer than I was hoping for. I had a critical decision to make... Do I find a job and work there for 4-5 months and quit before the baby comes, considering I wouldn't get maternity leave? Or do I use this time to rest and recharge, and follow some of my own passions? I had no idea what to do. I actually asked God for a sign for weeks. And one day, I got TWO! These led me to choose the latter - make my dreams tangible, while focusing on caring for my baby and myself. Thus, began my blog! While I'm still a little uncertain about not having a job, I'm deciding to fully trust God on this journey. He ignited a passion in me as a little sixth grader that has only grown. Maybe I needed time to round out before starting this platform? Whatever the reason that brought me back, full circle, I'm ready to dive in fully. I hope that all girls, but specifically Indian girls, can look to me as a source for inspiration when it comes to finding themselves in a world that doesn't reflect their outward appearance, as well as find this blog as a place of motivation to live your best life.
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Jessica KunamallaNewlywed, expectant mom, and twenty-something blogger. Archives
April 2019
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