Today an exclusive event was held at Lakeshore Hotel, Gulshan, for internet celebrity Nabela Noor. Nabela is a Bangladeshi-American YouTuber, focusing on beauty and lifestyle. With almost a million subscribers on the platform, and over a million followers on Instagram, Nabela aims to promote body positivity, challenging existing beauty standards. She recently launched her own clothing line, Zeba, named after her mother. It is a "movement," she says, and offers clothing for women of all sizes.
The meet and greet was arranged by Emerald Events, with United News of Bangladesh (UNB) as their media partner. The event was what they called Nabela's "homecoming," as she returned home after a decade.
The event was split into two sessions, one starting at 11am, and another at 5pm. The gold/platinum tickets were priced at Tk1,200, and Tk2,500 respectively.
In attendance were admirers of Nabela and her work, as well as some of the biggest bloggers and influencers in the industry. The ceremony was held in collaboration with Gala Cosmetics, Kona by Farnaz Alam, Inglot Cosmetics, Powder Room, HairBar, La vie en Rose, Sugar Rush Cupcakery, and Miniso. The entire event was covered by Snapshot.
In the Q&A session that was held in the morning, Nabela spoke about her journey as a Bangladeshi, Muslim, plus-sized woman living in America, and how she battled the stereotypes thrown at her. She is an activist and advocate for positivity, and believes that everyone should love the skin they are in, without apology. Nabela mentioned how the beauty standards set by society is a ploy for certain companies to earn more money. "There's profit in insecurity," she says.
Nabela further talked about her views on beauty, in general. She believes beauty stems from kindness. She said her rise to "fame" was a result of her being completely herself on camera. "People respond to genuine passion," she said.
During her short stay in Bangladesh, Nabela has a lot planned. She wants to show her husband her beautiful homeland, as well as use her platform to do good for the country. The proceeds from the event itself was donated to Jaago Foundation. Furthermore, Nabela hinted at an exciting new venture that will be announced soon after she is back in the US.
At the end, Nabela left her audience with some important advice. She said, you cannot wait to let yourself be happy, after you achieve a goal, or look the way you want to. "Life is short," she said, "I'm not going to waste today, thinking I'm not good enough. I'm not going to wait to be happy."
After the meet and greet, the guests had the opportunity to take photos with Nabela. There were also snacks arranged for them, as well as a corner was set up for Instagram photos.
