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CROWN THE BROWN: SELINA NAIDOO
Crown The Brown shares South African content creator Selina Naidoo‘s Social Media journey! Known for creating relatable content! Selina Naidoo knows how to bring joy and laughter to her audience by being authentic. She is certainly one content creator worth knowing. We have had the pleasure of following her journey for quite some time.
From killer makeup skills, lovable daily motivation, hilarious content, an admirable fashion game and not to mention wifey goals, Selina is certainly an influencer we all love. Here is what Selina shared with us!
Firstly, tell us more about Selina Naidoo, how would you describe yourself and what should people know about you?
I always find it so hard to describe myself because what you see is what you get! I’m just a bit more toned down on the Internet (if you can believe that!). My faith and my family is the most important to me; I’m quirky, candid and real. I’m a person who will always go the extra mile for you but I also know when to draw the line – it’s not good to keep company that makes you feel uncomfortable or negatively impacts your life and mental well-being.
As a content creator, what inspires you the most regarding creating content and what made you tap into the social media industry?
Well I’m actually a social media manager by profession! I’ve worked on some of South Africa’s biggest fast food brands (and won a few social media awards) as well as huge global entertainment brands. I decided to tap into the industry because I had a story to share. I started with a blog and then decided that I prefer to do videos because to me, that’s the best way to express my creativity online.
As a South Asian female, you create so much of relatable content for us girls. What do you think is the biggest challenge creating content that aims to be relatable ?
Be authentic. When I started YouTube videos all I focused on was makeup and beauty because that’s what’s popular. That market is already saturated and there’s already so many talented people to watch rather than someone like me who just has a love for makeup.
When I started doing the funny videos and the motivational or relationship stuff, that’s when I noticed that people were actually enjoying the content I put out. My funny videos is literally who I am it’s just captured on camera for my audience.
And my motivational and Christian content is my passion. So definitely stay authentic. It’s not easy because the trend is beauty and makeup. It also sucks not getting big makeup PR drops BUT it’s worth it when you see the happiness and laughter you bring to your followers.
You’ve recently gotten married. Congratulations! Your love story is truly inspiring! Please tell us your love story. How did you guys meet?
Thank you! Trevino and I met in grade 10 in 2010. I just moved to a new school and I didn’t want to get into a relationship. Trevino was really friendly and so sweet and kind. At first I thought he was just like every other guy and was just pretending to be this way so that I’d give him my number.
When I saw that he didn’t change after I kept saying no, I knew he was different. And the fact that he’d always carry my books to my classes (even though he’d always get late for his classes) definitely sweetened the deal! We’ve been together since 26 January 2010!
We’ve been told that you’ve been with your partner for 9 years prior to getting married! What is your secret to a healthy and loving relationship?
Jesus! Our faith is so important to us and having strong relationships with God as a couple and as individuals is so important. We’ve seen what it’s like when we make each other “god” (putting the other person before God/ making them like “god”) and it was not pleasant!
Nobody fulfills you like God – not even your partner. Keeping Him at the center is the best thing we have ever done as a couple.
As a newly married couple, what became different in your relationship as husband and wife? What do you enjoy most about being married?
Well we’ve only been married for a week and just finished our honeymoon so nothing feels majorly different as yet! But we are moving into our apartment that we bought last year and we’re very excited to furnish it and live together – and to entertain family and friends!
What was your favourite moment regarding your wedding day that you’d never forget?
Walking down the aisle! I grew up without my biological father but my grandfather and uncles never made me feel fatherless. My mother also remarried in 2006 so my stepdad also played a huge role in my life. I had each of my uncles walk me down the aisle; starting from the eldest, who walked me to the next, and onto the next.
That uncle then gave me over to my father and 76 year old grandfather (praise God for his health and the fact that I had him there with me!) who handed me over to Trevino. Seeing the big smile on Trevino’s face (and tears eyes) was the cherry on top!
In the past, you’ve shared your amazing story regarding religion and being Christian. What was that journey like for you? How important is spirituality to you and why?
In the beginning I was scared to tell my family that I was a Christian because I thought that they would think it’s because of Trevino (we were 16), but they were understanding and accepted it. It’s so personal to me and it’s something that I can’t really explain.
It would be like me asking someone to tell me what the chocolate cake I’m eating tastes like! The best way to sum it up is that Jesus is my everything. I wouldn’t be where I am today without Him, nor would I have all the blessings I have if I didn’t have Him in my life.
Being South African Indian and such a public figure. What are some of the highlights you’ve experienced being in this industry and what are some challenges you’ve experienced, especially as a female content creator?
Some of my highlights would definitely be when I reached 10k followers on Instagram, to see someone with such a niche audience do that is quite something! It’s also quite cool (but still awkward for me) when people recognize me and say hi, I just need to work on not being so awkward! One of the challenges I would say is some brands perception of which content creators should be used in their campaigns.
Having 1 million followers doesn’t mean 1 million people see your content. If you pay a smaller content creator, you’re more likely to get content that’s been planned out for a few days, authentic reviews and great engagement. It’s also very hard to try be a fresh face in an industry that uses the same creators all the time. Not to mention the same 1% of Indian creators all the time!
In my professional life I always aim to have at least 1-2 Indian influencers in a campaign. It’s small but it’s a start! Another weird challenge I have is my demographic. Having witnessed a larger male audience and a lot of followers from other countries. I always go through my new followers daily. Blocking the people I don’t want following me in hopes of fixing my stats! On instagram, I read every DM I get and block A LOT of weird men!
As someone with such a public platform, how do you use your platform to inspire others and bring awareness to many social issues in society?
I always try to be real. When I talk about motivational aspects, I speak from experience of what I’ve gone through. I think that the way Trevino and I live our lives also shows my audience that there’s more to life. Especially more than “doing it for the gram”. So many people were amazed when we bought our first property.
As much as you want a flashy feed, if Instagram fails, you need to have your real life set up. I hope that my followers can be inspired by that. Even keeping the wedding off social media until the big day was amazing. Not only was it so relaxing not to create wedding content but it also helped us focus on what was most important and to us, that’s not Instagram.
As a content creator , what advice would you give to others that may want to be in this industry?
Don’t be someone else because you think it’s what the world wants to see. Yes it’s hard to create content that isn’t what’s trending right now. It sucks to not get all the new makeup or go on lavish trips.
BUT do what you’re good at and always strive to be better and better each time you create. Even if only you know that this post was better than the last. And if you are someone who wants to be in this industry but in a market that’s highly saturated; do it and do it well!
There are so many free online resources that can teach you how to beat algorithms and the techniques of posting so always up-skill and you will succeed.
Furthermore, if you love good content, motivation and all around positive vibes, Selina is the ultimate babe to follow! This phenomenal young lady will surely make your day better with her consistency and faith!
Be sure to follow her journey – @selinanaidoo_.
