Recently, whilst on my trip, breakfast time has become TV time. In India, I rarely put the idiot box on as I find that the whole day one is dealing with people, so when I get back home, I like to kick back in silence.
Coming back to morning time with my kids, when on holiday my daughter likes to watch America’s Top Model. Having been in the industry for almost a decade, this programme holds my interest too and I find myself mesmerised with the rules that Tyra Banks enforces on the young models — who in turn adopt them like the Bible.
The posture, the body and the vibe being the key elements in making the perfect model, there is no trade off for the slim body in the modelling industry. And I do believe ‘once a model, always a model.’ Someone who has been a model always finds it difficult to let go and put on weight.
Freedom is another important aspect for a model. A model lives out of suitcases. Trying to pin a model down and take away her freedom is like caging a bird.
So what happens when a model decides to have a baby? The two most important aspects — weight and freedom — undoubtedly go for a toss. So many stay away from having babies and carry on reinventing themselves to continue on the catwalk. As a model, the sense of power that you feel and the adulation you receive is addictive.
I remember when I was expecting Tiara, my first child, I was still in my late twenties and at the peak of my modelling career. I kept walking the ramp until the doctor told me I should now get off those high heels. I remember waking up in the middle of the night with a tight feeling of claustrophobia.
Six weeks after Tiara was born, I was back on the ramp with a vengeance, slimmer than ever before. I look back now and know that I did not want to let go.
Two years later, I retired when I was expecting my son. This time there was no desire to go back to it. I felt a sense of power when making the decision to get out of the web, even though work was coming in. I have never looked back ever since.
My friend Heather lives in New York. An absolute stunner at 5 feet 11 inches, she did several assignments for several leading brands like Carolina Herrera, Luca Luca and Hanes. And she decided to quit when she was still on top! Heather used to be on the move, doing shows between Paris, New York and Milan. “Something like Michael Jordan,” she laughed. “You quit when you are still in demand,” she said candidly.
“I did some charity and even took some cooking lessons, but there was a feeling that I wanted to have a baby,” said the happily married Heather. She too worried about her weight and after Ella was born, she went skinnier than her pre-pregnancy weight. “It’s just the model thing,” she said.
Heather seemed so relaxed with her decision to quit. “When you start working with 18-year-olds, you know it’s time to move on,” said the beauty shrugging her shoulders. She could still give many 18-year-olds a run for their money.
Unlike the film industry, the modelling world has no loyalties. “There are too many variables,” said Heather. “A client, an agent, the agency, they are always looking for someone newer, younger and fresher. There is no stability and I was looking for it,” she said. “Take control of your destiny,” said the supermodel. “Live life as you see it for yourself, and choose what’s good for you. If you let others decide for you, you will find yourself falling short,” she said.