Beauty guru Deepica Mutyala is taking her brand power and spreading a powerful message about self-acceptance ahead of Halloween this year.
The Indian-American beauty vlogger launched the #BeYourOwnPrincess campaign on Oct. 21 with a video that shows quick makeup tutorials for three iconic Disney princesses and even one surprise tutorial for Prince Charming.
“The video is all about loving yourself as a person beyond ethnicity or gender,” Mutyala told NBC News.
The idea for the campaign, Mutyala said, came out of a text message conversation with friend about choosing a Halloween costume. “She asked me what I wanted to be this year and when I said a Disney princess, she automatically assumed it was Jasmine. Don’t get me wrong. I love Jasmine but I think what irked me was the assumption,” Mutyala said.
Growing up, Mutayla said she was relegated to dressing up as characters that would match her South Asian skin tone and features, despite her varied interests.
“It brought me back to my childhood playing dress up with my friends. I remember wanting to be Posh Spice so badly but because of my skin color, I was automatically picked to be Scary Spice,” Mutyala said.
She decided to channel her frustration into her work and created a video that shows her as three different Disney princesses, including Cinderella and Ariel.
Mutyala is no stranger to smashing stereotypes: growing up in a close Indian family in Texas, her father expected her to choose a career in medicine, like so many of her other family members. But Mutyala was obsessed with creating a career in beauty, which she eventually did through successful stints at L’Oreal, Victoria’s Secret, and Birchbox.
Earlier this year, Mutyala successfully launched her YouTube channel where she films makeup tutorials and discusses her favorite beauty products, and shares inspiring messages.
“I hope by using my platform to share a positive message, I can encourage others to do the same,” Mutyala said. “With everything happening in our world today, we need more uplifting content.”