Sabine Shahda has a rare appeal as an influencer. She is an advocate for allowing your natural beauty to shine through. Forgoing the typical beauty filters that are found on social media, Sabine has gained a following through being her true, unfiltered self. Her love of natural beauty also translates into her booming flower business Stems N Pots. She hopes to spread a message of love and positivity to everyone that she encounters.
Sabine Shahda, how do you present yourself in an untraditional way?
I do my best to stay authentic to who I am, I am all for real, natural, unfiltered beauty, so I try to focus on content that highlights that fact. I just feel that our definition of beauty is constantly being defined by what we see in the media and I am simply a believer that your beauty should be defined by you. Real skin has texture, pores, and blemishes and I try to normalize what is real.
Why did you choose flowers as part of your content?
Honestly it all started when I moved to Dubai and started working with a celebrity. I barely lasted a year because I genuinely didn’t like that job, and that’s when I realized it was time for me to start my own business Stems N Pots.
I chose flowers because for me they represent beauty and positivity and that’s what I am always for. Ever since we opened, the flower company picked up and it has been doing really well for the past year.
What makes you stand out in this domain?
I think people can relate to me because I am just my spontaneous self and always trying to bring positivity. Growing up I never looked up to people who showed off their wealth. For me I always admired someone real and genuine so that’s who I try to be and maybe that’s why this has helped me stand out.
There are rarely any influencers who don’t use filters. Why did you make such decision?
I just think that filters set an unrealistic beauty standard, just like Photoshop. We should always be kind to ourselves, having imperfections and different features is simply beautiful. Just because we are used to seeing celebrities in a certain flawless way doesn’t mean that beauty is perfection. Our beauty should be defined by us not by filters, not by trends, not by celebrities.
If I feel like wearing makeup I will, if I feel like leaving the house with zero makeup that’s also my choice. Our different skin and perfect imperfections is what makes us who we are and we should embrace that.
In one sentence, how do you encourage young women to not follow these filtered beauty standards?
“You are beautiful just the way you are.”
What’s the biggest holiday for Stems N Pots?
Our most profitable holiday is honestly Valentine’s Day and in second place its Mother’s Day. Personally I would love it if we reach a place where Father’s Day is just as profitable, I believe that gifting flowers for men is simply lovely and hopefully that will be normalized in Stems N Pots.
What changed in your life after you became one of the most famous influencers in Dubai?
I feel like I have more freedom to do what I like and pursue things that genuinely make me happy. I used to think that life is short and I was always rushing my way through it, now I believe that life is long and beautiful and we should simply savor it.
Where does Sabine Shahda see herself in 5 years?
I see myself prioritizing my mental health, continuing to travel the world, adopting many more dogs and, from a business point of view, maybe Stems N Pots will become an international flower company. No matter where I am in the next 5 years I just would like to be happy and at peace.
