From TikTok to L'Oreal: Netanya Vather's rise as a social media influencer
SOCIAL media influencer Netanya Vather is now a L'Oreal girl.
The 21-year-old industrial engineering student at the University of Pretoria recently collaborated with the French multinational personal care corporation for a makeup photoshoot.
She said the pictures would be available on their social media platforms from next week.
Prior to L'Oreal, she collaborated with Mr Price and Tropica.
Vather said she previously worked with brands such as Netflix SA, Clover, Garnier, Varsity Vibe, Burger King and Puma.
She has more than 388 000 followers on TikTok and over 131 000 followers on Instagram.
“The L'oreal photoshoot, which took more than 12 hours, was at the Penthaus studio in Johannesburg with me, Melissa Nayimuli, Abigail Visagie and Onalenna Constantin.
"It was really interesting and I learnt a lot about different lighting. The makeup was great and not what I would wear casually. We got to choose clothes from Zara, Foschini and some other brands. The crew consisted of 20 people with experienced photographers."
She said she began posting on social media in 2019 but her posts became popular after she matriculated in 2020.
“In my free time during the Covid-19 pandemic, I made a few TikTok videos, which just went viral. I first got noticed for my Point Of View videos and then a lot of my other content was following trends. I mostly do makeup, fashion and lifestyle videos. I also found that my jokes and relatable content in the Indian community does really well.”
She said she started an Instagram account in 2022.
"It was a better way to engage with my followers. TikTok videos just end up on the ‘For You Page’, so there isn’t much interaction with followers."
She said she tried to show her personal side in her content to be authentic.
“I try to post every few days. Being a full-time student, it gets a bit tricky to keep active on social media or go to events, while studying but I have to prioritise my studies."
Vather, an only child, added that her parents were supportive but they had no idea she was "famous" because they were not tech savvy.
"They only found out when someone told them about my videos. They eventually saw my content and that I had so many followers."
Her dream is to work with a big brand such as Dior and be in a television advertisement.