Social media provides the opportunity for one to become curators of content with an authentic point of view and balancing individuality with professionalism. Female influencers use this platform to empower other women, talk about a plethora of issues that women need to consider, making it less about gender and more about the message. Azza Al Mughairy, the young, dedicated and successful brand ambassador of Saadiyat Beach Club, as well as a social media star, is an epitome of beauty, strength, and intelligence. With passion and exuberating confidence, the Emirati/Omani is a shining beacon of hope. Her exemplary devotion and dedication brushed away obstacles and continued to play a significant role in changing stereotypes. I recently had the opportunity to chat with the dynamic and truly inspirational public figure, Azza Al Mughairy.
Shabari: As the Brand ambassador of the ultimate calm picturesque escape, “Saadiyat Beach Club”, how do you maintain the balance between your professional life and being a social media sensation?
Azza: I started working in the hospitality field five years ago and it was truly an enriching experience. Being the brand ambassador for Monte Carlo beach club, a chunk of my role consisted representing the place in media, and the community. It truly helped me a lot, and soon my new title in Saadiyat Beach club had me performing the same role, in a deeply rooted manner that included me being a part of the operation as well. It also involved Public Relations, social media, communicating with the community and representing the place. If you think about it, it’s all linked together, in terms of social media. I barely catch a break since I’m always working on the beach club or my updates and somehow, I embraced it as it turned into an intricate aspect of my life.
Shabari: How and when did you come up with the idea of social media blogging?
Azza: I’ve been a part of general, old school media for 10 years as an MC, Public speaker and a reporter for Abu Dhabi TV. Media has always been an essential fragment in my life and it was a year ago when I decided to turn over from classic media to digital media. I aspire to be the girl from the GCC who becomes the voice of the community and that’s when I created my radio show. My online radio “Keep It Real with Azza” made me discover that there’s a huge demand for anything on digital and social media, hence straying away from my conception of it being uncommon in Abu Dhabi. I decided to be a Khaleeji voice and I started with social media blogging and constant Instagram updates, which started receiving a lot of acclaims. I spoke about community-related topics that were interesting, innovative and sensitive as well. As time passed, I observed a constant demand and I provided the required supply of my ideas and opinions, with great feedback.
Shabari: Through what medium do you think you can reach out to a larger range of followers?
Azza: Definitely Instagram as it enables me to reach out to a massive audience with pictures, videos, and live updates.
Shabari: What was the greatest challenge you had to tackle through your social media journey?
Azza: Being half Emirati/Half Omani and a Khaleeji, working in hospitality was a bit shocking for the community. My first five years in the field was most certainly a struggle as I received remarks and backlashes before stepping into the world of social media. By the time I ventured into my social media journey, I was always prepared since I already had the taste of negativity and was abused for doing something uncommon in the culture and the community. With time, people were extremely fine with me being a part of hospitality, and the same applied to social media. I initially had to face the difficulties that came with being a Khaleeji girl; dressing up casually and discussing sensitive topics. Social media bullying is horrendous and I was a victim, but I went about with positivity and love. It was the hardest, but with people who believe in me, my obstacles were brushed away as I was asked to be the voice of their problems. Every time I feel down, I scroll down to the old messages as it reminds me how I’m doing this for a reason, and attempting to make a difference. Sometimes it’s harsh and hurtful when you wake up in the morning to see negativity brawled with curses, but if you want to be a public figure, it’s common to be a targeted of bullying and hatred. There’s no flame without a reason and people are always going to fire back, so block and delete, and that’s how I’m immune to the hate.
Shabari: What do you love the most about communicating with your followers?
Azza: Last year was a rough time for me since I was not in a good place. I believe my followers helped me in inexpressible ways since I received amazing responses from people I don’t know. Individuals from Poland, Shanghai, London and all around the world connected for advice and I must say I’m blessed with that kind of love. I enjoy and cherish each moment of encouragement and affection, and with that being a power to my stride, I don’t think I have a place for negativity and hatred.
Shabari: How do you keep up with social media and constantly improvising new ideas?
Azza: Having a full-time job, I tried creating a schedule to assert and organize accordingly; but since people expect me to come up with topics every day, it can be a little hard to keep up. I don’t talk about topics based on a particular psychological point of view, or based on studies. I speak out of experiences and I don’t want to be in social media without content because my content involves a purpose. I try looking for topics in terms of creativity and bringing awareness to the community, subsequently, I make it a point to study through in order to avoid sentiments being hurt. Through hospitality, I started reviewing cuisines, hotels and throwing light on local attractions. I try supporting the hospitality field as much as I can to keep the conversation going, which rarely brings me to a point where I run out of things to talk about. It’s just that I always need to draw the line where my page could potentially look commercial, while people are used to it being a community page; hence making it hard to turn down businesses that approach me. My followers don’t want to see me as someone who only promotes business and it sure is hard turning down offers. It’s easy to make your page commercial, but the challenge lies in your ability to maintain your identity in that process.
Shabari: What are some of your favorite things to do besides social media blogging?
Azza: I always keep myself busy with work, food critiquing and social media, but besides that, I love spending time with my family, friends and my niece. I try hard to take a day off and catch movies with my friends or explore the city with my family. I love to jog, run and I’m a fitness enthusiast. But to be extremely honest, I find myself spending most of my time on social media as it’s such an integral part of my life!
Shabari: As a fashion influencer, if you could only wear one accessory with your outfit for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Azza: I’m obsessed with sneakers! I can’t live without them because they’re extremely comfortable. If I could pick two, I would also go for ripped jeans.
Shabari: Children these days are indulgent in the world of social media. What message do you have for the upcoming generation exposed to the virtual cosmos?
Azza: It’s always something I converse about because it’s really sad to see kids these days missing out their childhood. Children these days are in a hurry to grow up, and constantly get influenced by others in social media. You can’t be affected by everything on social media and make it your life, as for all we know; a kid could paint a pretty lie just for likes. If you’re 15, why do you want to turn 20, when you know you’re inevitably going to be 20 someday? Children need to realize that they are eventually going to reach a point where they can do everything, and for now, they just need to live their days of innocence, naivety, and spontaneity.
Shabari: As an epitome of woman empowerment, if you had to give a message to all the women out there to empower them, what would it be?
Azza: For all my ladies out there- I would call myself a feminist and I’m not against it just because my topics support both sexes. I believe every woman out there should work on themselves and their happiness. There is a great pleasure of exhilaration in learning how to be self-sufficient. Live your life for yourself, because we don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. It’s always good to have a man beside you, but never depend yourself completely on him. I believe that a woman should love and empower herself by doing something for herself as a strong, graceful and independent individual.