Ankush Bahuguna: There’s a shift in the gaze with which the world is seeing Indian creators now

Ankush Bahuguna has quietly rewritten what a male beauty creator from India can look like, moving from comedy sketches online to sharing global beauty spaces with names like Rihanna and Selena Gomez. With over a million followers and his growing beauty platform Wing It With Ankush, he has become one of the country’s most visible voices in beauty and self-expression. From becoming the first Indian male beauty creator at Cannes to opening for Line Outline at Lakmé Fashion Week, his journey challenges long-held ideas around masculinity and beauty.For Ankush, these milestones feel significant not just because of the people he met, but because of what they represent for Indian creators globally. He says, “It feels exhilarating to see my work being recognised on such a global scale. There is a shift in the way the world is looking at Indian creators now, and I am glad to be part of that change.” Meeting Selena Gomez at a Rare Beauty event earlier this year became one such defining moment. He shares, “It was surreal meeting Selena. She is so present and warm, and the way she respects the community her brand has built really shows. Honestly, I was still jet-lagged when I met her, so I do not think I fully processed the impact that moment would have on my journey as a creator. It felt incredibly special being the only Indian and the only man in that room.” His interaction with Rihanna left an equally lasting impression. He says, “Meeting Rihanna felt very wholesome. You look up to people like that, but you never imagine you will actually share the same space with them. She sensed I was nervous and gave me a big hug, which was incredibly sweet. I admire her and what her brand stands for.”Beyond the celebrity interactions and global visibility, it is his audience’s response that matters most to him. He says, “What means the most to me is seeing my audience celebrate my wins as their own. Nothing can replace that kind of support and love.”Long before the international recognition and fashion week appearances, Ankush’s journey into beauty content began almost accidentally. He started creating content in 2017 through acting projects, comedy sketches and viral characters like Pankaz before discovering beauty content during the lockdown in 2020. He recalls, “I started experimenting with makeup during the lockdown. I would do my mother’s makeup and my friends’ makeup. I knew absolutely nothing at the time. I was learning through trial and error, and audiences connected with that honesty. That eventually led me to start a separate page called Wing It With Ankush and, before I realised it, the community around it had become even bigger than comedy. I would never have expected that.”As his work evolved from casual experimentation to structured beauty content, it also found a steadily expanding audience, moving from India to viewers across the world. He shares, “Over time, my makeup content started reaching international audiences and brands began noticing my work. Today, I am able to connect with people far beyond India through beauty and self-expression. One of my colour corrector and concealer videos reached audiences in the US, and that is when I noticed my audience expanding beyond Asia.”He believes this international reach was not incidental but deeply tied to representation, noting, “A lot of brown people living in the West were looking for creators who looked like them and spoke about makeup for brown skin. I think that relatability created a genuine connection.”Despite the pace and pressures of digital culture, he believes authenticity remains non-negotiable. He says, “I show up as myself every day. I am not trying to imitate anyone on the internet, and audiences can sense that. Whatever I do, I do it in my own way. Just put a little bit of yourself into everything you create.”His approach to beauty remains equally uncomplicated. “Use makeup to enhance your best, not to hide your worst,” he signs off.