Getting Up Close And Personal With 'Diapers And Lipsticks' Aka Saru Mukherjee Sharma On Motherhood, Blogging And Everything In Between

Saru Mukherjee Sharma gets candid about motherhood, as one of the first mom bloggers in the industry and dealing with criticism 

When was the exact moment you knew that this is what you should be doing? 

I started blogging in 2017 with some random posts and videos after changing my account name to diapers_and_lipsticks with no expectation or plan about its potential. I never knew it would receive such a tremendous response. Not only were there many mom bloggers, blogging and social media had just started. It was not the time when you would get a mommy-to-be photo shoot done, there was a lot of taboo, shame and stereotypes around pregnancy or postpartum. When my images and posts went viral, that's when I thought that I can actually use this to potentially make a change or inspire other moms. 

Did you face any judgment when you were starting out? 

My husband, my family and my friends were actually very supportive. I am blessed to have such liberal and open-minded people in my life, but that's not always the case. My extended family, distant relatives, acquaintances, and people on social media never accepted it as a profession till much late. It was dismissed as a hobby or a time pass. I married young and had my baby early too, I was very young when I started and was so full of energy. Various people always thought that I have "settled" or "compromised" as a blogger but that cannot be more wrong.  The more criticism I faced, the more inspired I became to prove them wrong. There are people who aren't socially active or aware to actually understand what being a blogger or a content creator actually is, but the Pandemic helped to change the things and perspective on this. 

Did you really compromise to be a content creator? Is it a well-paid job? 

Yes, it is a well-paid job and no I didn't settle for this, but it is my choice. I quit my corporate job because I felt more passionate about blogging and working for myself. I am earning more than I could have in a corporate set up.  However, like any other job, this too requires hard work, there are challenges and uncertainties here too. The world is still adjusting to the idea of blogging as a full-time career especially Instagram, but I have no intention of stopping, infact I have even dived into YouTube with my channel, “The Benjabis - A mix of Bengali & Punjabi”

Will you stop working or mom blogging once Rudi grows up? How do you deal with trolls? 

Rudi is a very important part of my journey; he is my strength and also my muse, but my career is also independent of my child. A lot of moms are shamed for choosing their career over their kids but in reality, it is not a choice. They are two mutually exclusive things. They can exist simultaneously. When a father isn't asked to choose between the two, neither should the mother. 

We have come a long way but there is still a longer way to go. I am mentally prepared for all kinds of people watching my content. I recently posted a picture of me breastfeeding my son, which got a lot of hate & criticism. But instead of getting bogged down, I decided to revert with a Reel where I called out the country “where it is okay to pee in public but shameful to breastfeed"

A lot of women appreciated and supported me, and it was such an overwhelming moment which made me feel that I am actually making a difference. I think it’s time we speak up against such trollers and keep breaking the glass ceiling one day at a time.