#WomenAcheiver – Shweta Shiware
Shweta Shiware tracks fashion and lifestyle for work and leisure and began writing on it when it wasn’t quite the opium of urban India. Her experience in research, reporting, writing and editing spans 16 years and various formats. After holding the position of Fashion Editor at Mid-Day for five years, she took a study sabbatical in 2010 to earn her masters in Fashion Journalism from Central Saint Martins, London. Upon her return to Mumbai, she worked as Fashion Features Editor with Grazia India in 2015 but resigned from the position to focus on researching and writing Aharya, a coffee table book on the aesthetics of the Kumbh Mela, as seen and discussed through cultural and fashion symbolism.
She is currently writing for some of India’s top publications, including fashion-features coverage for Mumbai’s largest independent-selling tabloid Mid-Day, and a fortnightly column in its weekend edition, Sunday Mid-Day. Speaking to Beauty Launchpad, Shweta shares her thoughts on beauty, feminism, and goals in 2020.
How do you perceive beauty for a woman of 2020?
That women place as much importance on internal intangibles such as being confident in their own skin. Nothing compares to a healthy glow of positive self-esteem.
What are your 2020 Goals?
Blimey, it’s a fairly long list starting with finally getting my act together and launching my own website, which would include a collection of my published pieces as well as personal non-fiction work. Approach a commissioning agent, and get the ball rolling on my much-delayed first book!
Personally, it’s about taking more time off from work for holidays with my partner, charming my mother to teach me family recipes, and adopting a stray dog. Learning shadow boxing is also a must-learn for 2020.
What is Feminism to you?
Is gender equality. Period.
What are your cult beauty/wellness products?
I’ve learned the benefits of weekly almond oil hair massage from my mother, which I continue to date. I never leave home without applying my dermatologist-recommended Suncros 50 sunscreen, Shahnaz Husain Kajal, Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua foundation, and my constant companion, Forest Essentials Body Mist. Before-bedtime ritual comprises Forest Essentials’ Sandalwood and Orange peel face wash followed by a five-minute massage with L’Occitane Immortelle Divine.