An Indian-origin, Dubai-based influencer has said that she wants to give up content creation as a career and look for a corporate job instead. Twinkle Stanly shared an Instagram video last week where she opened up about the emotional and creative burnout she experienced after spending nearly two years as a full-time content creator.
In the video, Stanly described the “brutal, unfiltered, honest truth” about being an influencer, saying that despite the glamour associated with social media fame, she no longer feels fulfilled by the lifestyle.
From corporate job to content creation
“I quit my job nearly two years ago to live the dream and become a full-time influencer and content creator. And now I am looking for a job again,” Stanly said in her video.
The Dubai-based influencer clarified that her decision had “nothing to do with money”, adding that she was “doing the best that I’ve ever done” financially. Instead, she explained that the issue was the lack of stimulation, structure and meaningful experiences in her day-to-day life.
According to Stanly, she first gained popularity on Instagram while working a demanding full-time job and simultaneously navigating major life changes, including leaving what she described as a toxic relationship and moving into her first studio apartment.
“There was a lot going on for me, which naturally inspired me to go a little bit out there and start making videos,” she said. “I was actively living a happening life and processing it by talking about it on socials.”
She managed both her corporate job and social media career for nearly a year before eventually quitting her job, saying content creation was taking less time while bringing in significantly more money.
The truth behind the glamour
Stanly, who is of Indian descent but has spent most of her life in Dubai, explained that contrary to what influencers say, content creation is not a challenging or time consuming job.
“We do not have to get stuck in traffic for three hours every single day. We can go on holiday whenever we want,” she said. “Social media is not that hard, okay? I’ll be the first to admit that.”
However, she added that too much freedom and the absence of routine ultimately left her creatively exhausted.
“We as humans also need pressure and contrast and friction in our lives,” Stanly explained. “Especially as a creative person, I’ve realised that I need to have a happening life that I’m deeply engaged with in order to be inspired to come and talk to you about it.”
‘This is not life’
Describing her daily routine, Stanly said her life had become limited to “waking up and checking socials, probably doing a brand deal and then thinking about what to post”, adding: “This is not life.”
The influencer admitted that returning to a conventional career path now feels uncertain after spending years outside the corporate world. “I also don’t know if I can actually go back to a job. I also don’t know what kind of jobs look like for me,” she said.
In a follow-up video shared two days later, she added that influencing is not “intellectually stimulating”.
Still, Stanly said she was actively job-hunting and hoped her video would offer followers a more realistic view of the influencer industry.
“No matter how much people glorify freedom and being your own boss and waking up with no to-do lists, I just happen to belong to that category of people who thrive when they are stimulated,” she said.