“Cool Brown Girl Doing Cool Sh*t”: Muskan Sharma on Culture, Confidence and Carving Space in Australian Media

At just 24, Muskan Sharma has already become one of the most compelling new voices in Australia’s digital media scene. With a fast-growing following on TikTok, a bold personal style, and a knack for mixing humour with hard truths, Sharma is carving out space in an industry that wasn’t built with people like her in mind.

Born in Delhi and raised in Perth, Sharma moved to Melbourne at 19 and found herself creatively re-energised. “I actually first started on YouTube in 2016 posting videos of me singing covers. Then I got bullied at school about it so I had to give it a miss for a few years till I moved to a new city,” she tells Mode Lab. “The new city was just so fun and inspiring that I started posting on TikTok as a creative outlet.”

Her content defies niche categorisation. “It’s honestly everything all at once,” she says. “Fashion, lifestyle, advice, relationships, commentary… I always say I’m just a cool brown girl doing cool sh*t.”

Though her content is deeply personal, Sharma also understands the pragmatics of the digital world. She works full-time in pharmaceuticals - “Super serious corporate vibes,” she jokes - and is refreshingly honest about the duality of her life. "I’m always surprised when people don’t know that I have a 9-5 that I have been doing for 4 years!".

Sharma’s wardrobe, much like her content, is a reflection of both heritage and individuality. Some pieces carry more than style, they hold memory. “After my grandad passed away I got to keep his brown pashmina shawl that he would wear every single day,” she shares. “I don’t think I’ll ever wear it out, but it’s probably the most priceless thing I own.” It’s a quiet reminder of the roots she now proudly embraces.

Via Instagram: @__muskan_s

Then there are the fashion stories that feel pulled from a dream. “I went to Europe a while ago and met someone who was on the styling team for ASAP Rocky," recalls Sharma. "And he helped me source a vintage Fendi baguette for a very very good price!"

But success hasn’t come easy. “I clawed my way into this industry to make space for myself,” she says candidly. "I always wanted there to be a person I could look up to, who was considered “cool” while balancing their cultural identity in such a fast moving western world. I refused to believe that my only two options were a cool girl who is whitewashed and rid of all her cultural upbringing or someone who would never fit into the mainstream/commercial media because she is "too brown"."

Looking back on her time in Perth, Sharma is unflinchingly honest about the cultural tug-of-war she’s experienced since migrating from India to Australia. “I had a good few years of pretending I wasn’t Indian,” she says. “I used to tell people I was half white. The internalised racism ran DEEP," she reflects.

Sharma's turning point came years later, after moving to Melbourne and developing a crush on an Indian who embraced his identity without hesitation. “He was so loud and proud about it that it radiated to me,” she says. That quiet confidence sparked something in her. She started speaking more Hindi, watching more Bollywood and reconnecting with parts of herself she’d kept tucked away. “It’s like I was always burying a part of my personality. And now it all made sense.”"

Via Instagram: @__muskan_s

For young girls feeling caught between cultures, Sharma’s advice is gentle but firm: start small, stay curious. “Take your time to learn about yourself. You can’t rush the process but definitely make a start when you can,” she says. “Listen to some songs, drink some chai, talk to your grandparents. Be curious - you just might find something you love.”

As for South Asian creatives hoping to break into the industry, Sharma doesn’t sugarcoat the reality, but she also doesn’t want them to hold back. “Be ready for the industry to constantly make you feel like you are not good enough. It’s true that the industry will favour thin white people over us. But you have to literally get the tools out and build your own table,” she says. “You have to make noise. And believe you’re cool and important and unique before anyone else does.”

And for now, she’s doing just that - one video, one Hindi idiom, and one Fendi baguette at a time.