The Women Defining Influence On Their Own Terms

There was a time, not long ago, when being influential in India meant belonging to a specific postcode. The metro cities were the gatekeepers, English was the language of aspiration, and a perfectly contoured aesthetic was the standard. But the country's digital reality has changed, and with it, so has the idea of influence. Today, it’s less about gloss and more about gravity. Less about going viral, more about being visible—on your own terms.

In this recalibrated landscape, Glow & Lovely’s Apni Roshni Baahar La campaign finds its footing. Rooted in the belief that every woman has a story—and the right to tell it—it signals a shift from visibility to voice. The initiative doesn't just nod to empowerment as a buzzword; it attempts to create a structure around it, especially for young women from underrepresented backgrounds who often lack access to the creator economy’s fast-moving machinery.

Building Infrastructure for Influence

At the heart of the campaign is The Glow Up Academy, an upskilling platform with a clear goal: to train at least one woman digital creator across each of India’s 19,101 PIN codes. Through mentorship, modular learning, and hands-on guidance, the Academy reframes influence not as a byproduct of privilege but as a practice in self-expression. It positions storytelling—online and off—as both a creative skill and an act of ownership.

It’s an ambitious proposition, especially at a time when the creator economy in India is set to explode. But it’s also necessary. Many of the most promising voices across the country remain underheard, not because they lack talent, but because they’ve lacked tools.

Beyond the Grid, Into the Conversation

In a culture where visibility can still be gatekept by geography, language, or algorithm, the three women fronting this campaign are anything but predictable choices. Together, they signal a new aesthetic of influence—one that isn’t engineered for mass appeal, but built on lived experience, linguistic fluidity, and cultural nuance.

Nabha Natesh, a rising voice in South Indian cinema, is no stranger to transformation. Her presence carries the polish of film stardom but sidesteps performance in favour of presence. She represents a growing wave of regional actors who are refusing to play small for a national spotlight, choosing instead to let their audience come to them, in their own language, on their own terms.

Avneet Kaur has grown up in the public eye, transitioning from television to dance, film, and digital entrepreneurship. But what sets her apart isn’t her résumé—it’s her reinvention. In a time where attention spans are short and brand identity is everything, she has evolved into something rare: a creator who builds loyalty not through shock value, but through sustained, multidimensional work.

Jannat Zubair, once known primarily to Gen Z fandom, has quietly become one of India’s most influential digital voices. Her audience is vast, but what makes it powerful is its consistency. She speaks not just to fans, but for them, especially those navigating fame, femininity, and cultural expectations at the same time.

Individually, they represent three distinct routes to relevance. Together, they challenge the idea that influence must be metropolitan, hyper-curated, or neatly labelled. Their glow isn’t uniform—it’s unapologetically theirs.

Reframing What Influence Means

Glow & Lovely’s latest chapter isn’t just a campaign, it’s a recalibration of what the brand stands for. At the centre is the Glow Up Academy, a skill-building platform designed to support the next generation of women creators across India. With an ambitious goal of training at least one digital creator in each of the nation’s 19,101 PIN codes, the initiative offers structured modules, mentorship, and real-world exposure. Its mission is simple: make self-expression a skillset that can be owned, monetised, and amplified.

The programme doesn’t offer a template for success; it creates space for women to write their own versions of it. It’s not about appearing confident. It’s about equipping women with the tools, platforms, and community to be confident on their own terms, especially those who have long been left out of the conversation.

What Happens When She Claims the Mic

Influence, like light, travels. And once a woman owns her story online, she often upgrades her offline life too, negotiating better pay, challenging expectations, and inspiring others to speak.

If Apni Roshni Baahar La succeeds in its aim of lighting up the country, one voice at a time, then the map of Indian influence might finally look like its women do: diverse, determined, and no longer waiting to be discovered.