This Indian Fashion Blogger Asking For ‘Nominal Fees’ Of Rs1500 For A Session Of Talking And Positive Vibes Has Netizens Irate
A few years ago, if someone were to come up to me and explain the current model of digital and social media influencing and they would’ve called it a legit earning stream, I’d look at them quite suspiciously. Like they were pulling my leg or something. You see, years ago the idea of people being able to earn by showcasing their unique sense and style of fashion on Instagram or other mediums would seem a little too good to be true. But today, it’s almost as if every direction you look in, you have a budding blogger trying to grow from the ground up.
And while all talent is encouraged, there have been a select few in this social media influencing industry that might have paved the way. Santoshi Shetty, who started her work under the name of ‘The Style Edge’, is one of them. The young and talented fashion blogger garnered a large following with some out-of-the-box content. And while she has been quite a maestro in the making in the field of fashion, seems like her recent initiative to step into the field of mental health did not go down as well with the netizens. Quite the opposite, in fact.
In light of the passing of Sushant Singh Rajput, as the entire world suddenly became too aware of their own and each other’s mental health, a lot of people on social media offered support and were lend a ear to anyone who feels the need to talk.
The conversation around mental health has taken centre stage and rightfully so. Of course, the prices of therapists would cause most people who were struggling to perhaps not consider it but a lot of people put up posts with numbers of people who would help for free or for a nominal cost. Expensive or not, you got access to people trained to help out someone struggling with mental health issues. Given that the person is likely fragile and in need of a professional, you’d think that people would be more mindful for this. Turns out, not really.
Santoshi Shetty might have hit a blindspot or didn’t have the right people to advise her because she had netizens irate when she offered to spread positive vibes to people in need, get this, for a nominal fee of Rs. 1500.
This is the second time in less than 7 days that an Indian influencer has displayed irresponsible behavior on social media. They need to be held accountable for their actions like their western counterparts so that they don’t spew BS in the name of content. #SantoshiShetty https://t.co/dcLeBwpzFC
— Pallavika Ghising (@Pallavika18) July 6, 2020
Santoshi Shetty has taken down the video. Hopefully she doesn't proceed with this irresponsible "venture" & I hope she understood our point & didn't remove the video because she couldn't handle the disagreement. #santoshishetty #Mentalhealth
— Yamz (@videshicow) July 7, 2020
I can’t believe an educated influencer with a massive fan following can act so dumb to take up the role of a therapist. This year is full of shit #SantoshiShetty @TheStyledge #Instagram #Instagraminfluencer
— lamlamlam (@lamhitaalalwani) July 6, 2020
Seeing Influenzaaaa becoming therapist #santoshishetty pic.twitter.com/43CcH0sCCg
— Bold n Beautiful (@trushnaparekh) July 7, 2020
#SantoshiShetty Aunty is an #Architect student but she can counsel people for #mentalillness and charge money.
In that case I a #psychology student can also sell some house, etc. designs and charge for it.#mentalhealthisimportant #MentalHealthMatters #MentalHealthAwareness— Mudit Singh (@RSMudit) July 7, 2020
Also Read : ‘Don’t Celebrate Men As The Stronger Sex Needing To Protect Women,’ Says Actress Khushboo. It Makes Us Miss The Signs Of Mental Health Issues
Now at this point, it’s pretty clear where we’re going with this. The ‘nominal’ fee or as many professional therapists would just call their ‘fees’, was probably enough to spark a tirade against the blogger, for trying to make money off of other’s mental health problems. Being called a ‘phony’, among a lot of other mean names, netizens were far from lenient with her, and no matter how cringing her business idea was, it did not have to be met with such distaste.
While many people called her out for not being a professional in the field of therapy and being irresponsible to ask for money from troubled people for un-professional and unwarranted advice, others were quick to milk the situation to make a meme-fest out of it. One user wrote, “Santoshi Shetty has taken down the video. Hopefully she doesn’t proceed with this irresponsible “venture” & I hope she understood our point & didn’t remove the video because she couldn’t handle the disagreement,” while another one wrote, “I can’t believe an educated influencer with a massive fan following can act so dumb to take up the role of a therapist. This year is full of shit.”
The video that she had earlier posted as an IGTV has now been taken down after it was flooded with hate comments. And while we agree about her being rather insensitive to ask for money to spread positive vibes, especially since she isn’t trained to lend counsel to people who might need actual help, we need to realise that by dropping harsh and hate comments on her platform is equally insensitive and uncalled for. These are the impulses we need to keep in check to move towards a more compassionate world. And meanwhile, it’s best to stick to what we know best and save those positive vibes for ourselves!
