Vivid and vivacious; MALIHA RAO

  • 16 Nov - 22 Nov, 2019
  • Attiya Abbass
  • Interview

There is something inexplicably comforting in ambling into the congested Zamzama alley housing the city’s finest coffee brews – where Maliha and I decided to meet. Now she sits across from me, channeling a persona equally vivacious as her vivid green hair which coordinates with her Khaadi kurta. Long before social ‘agents’ like Facebook, Instagram could enter our lives to perturb the true essence of what blogging entails, we owed it to people like Maliha to create and disseminate refreshing, relevant and relatable content via blogs for readers with an insatiable literary hunger. Needless to say, she has been influencing the masses way before ‘influencer’ became a badge now pinned on by so many. From being Karachi’s oldest bloggers, a plus-sized influencer, Reiki healer and the force behind the holistic brand Maahrani, Maliha is not just here to influence, but also nurture her followers. Read on excerpts from my late-noon conversation with Maliha as we sipped into our ice teas.


Who is Maliha Rao?

She is compassionate and also very curious. A lot of people call her nerdy because she has a knack for finding out things. I once ate frog legs out of curiosity! [Turns out they taste like chicken.] I also consider myself a multitalented person. I can cook, I am good with makeup, I’ve done theater, I have even stitched ghararas with my maternal grandmother. At one point, I have even perused photography professionally.

What was your first job?

I worked as an art director with Saqib Malik. I was in productions, design and management for the longest time. I started in 2004 and I continued that till 2011. Soon, my curiosity and thrill for working on digital forums led me to join a website company as a creative head in business development. That taught me a lot! By this time I had just begun to explore the blogging territory and I owe it to my friends for pushing me to get things started.

Which year did you sit down and decide to create a blog?

In 2011, around the time I started, people were very dedicated about what they were doing. Not every Tom, Dick and Harry would come up and say, oh I am also a blogger. You see, not every person is equipped with the talent or knowledge to become a blogger. Today, any person would upload a picture with captions and a few hashtags and behold; they are an influencer! Let’s put this out there, Instagram account was never about the blog. I think my first Instagram was about me having thaali with my family. Blogging has nothing to do with social accounts. I would never consider Instagram as a sole blogging portal. When I started, Instagram and Facebook weren’t restricted.

Has full-time blogging gradually progressed into an actual profession?

It is becoming a profession and it should be. But people should be wary of what they should call a professional and who they shouldn’t. Sadly, there isn’t any criteria to judge a person’s credibility. Platforms like TikTok and many ‘influencer’ accounts on Instagram have created a sense of insecurity. Some very silly yet particular standards of beauty and vanity are being entrenched into the young mindsets, creating a lot of negative competition and emotions of jealousy. Most bloggers aren’t cautious at all while making posts and they don’t seem to get it – there is a lot of responsibility in creating content which will administer some sort of impact on the masses following you.

Do you feel this sudden influx of ‘influencers’ is a good thing?

I am not against it at all. It’s a circle of life and new talent is going to come out, I mentor a lot of them and encourage them. There are a few influencers who are producing amazing work which even I have never done. I just want them to be noticed more than the ones who aren’t as credible.

Is it true that ‘pretty face, pretty clothes’ really have become standards to becoming a noted ‘influencer’ with large following?

I don’t agree with it but that’s what the world wants. Sadly, that sells. A lot of people who don’t see the bigger picture may think that way. In Pakistan people still go for the looks that a girl should be slim, tall and fair. We have to break that and a lot of people are doing that. I want brands to be aware of such influencers.

Do you think there is an absence of plus-sized influencers?

I do. I’m all for body neutrality and that’s what my brand, Mahaarani, encourages. We need to be aware of the clear distinction between body positivity and body neutrality – while body positivity is all about embracing our bigger, curvy bodies but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t take care of it. And body neutrality means that no matter whatever shape and size I am, I need to take care of it. Body neutrality is not just about size, it’s about colour, height, diversity, culture everything. There are not many people who are pro body positivity and everyone wants to be a size zero and that is what society is accepting. I don’t think there are a lot of body positive influencers.… I want people to be comfortable with what they are. They shouldn’t be insecure by the number of followers. Brands and agencies are your biggest pressure. They don’t look at the impact and impressions but the number of followers. And I don’t believe the same, I think the impact, the impression, and the quality matters more.

How do you go offline, put flight mode to the realm of the internet and chill with yourself? How do you unwind?

I take time off from socials – both online and offline – very seriously. I have even said no to paid content. Because people need to understand and that is what I promote too – self-love is very necessary. A lot of people need to understand that this form of love helps you come to terms with who you truly are; your body, soul and mind. Everyone in this world has some form of anxiety and they need to acknowledge, address and cope with it. So, self love for me is the core of that. I do feel that you should not engulf yourself completely in making content; you should also give yourself some time, alone.

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