This year’s Lakme Fashion Week which was held in Mumbai had something different. This was the first time ever that there was a plus-size fashion show as well. This was associated with aLL: The Plus Size Store. There were 6 beautiful models that were selected.
We at AAW are going to talk about the bold and gorgeous female models. They have inspired the world that you should love your body no matter what. The girls have shared their stories and how they will rock the ramp.
1) Tanvi Ravishankar:
She is 28 years old and was born and brought up in Mumbai. She is a choreographer, voice-over artist and also a freelance fashion stylist. She is a passionate dancer who has learnt Indian classical dance for more than 15 years. She has also learnt Jazz. Tanvi loves music, dancing, shopping and food. She has also had her share of criticism on her body type. Not only outsiders, but sometime even her family members would talk about her being fat and that she should lose that extra fat. But she has never let these comments affect her thinking. She says she has always been comfortable in her own skin. She says she never let the cliché norms of the society about being a big girl affected her dressing. She wears whatever she wants to. She very well knows how to shut down the stupid body shammers. She believes that the moment you stop feeling lesser of yourself and be confident, the world will change the way it sees you.
2) Vernika Jain:
She is a 21 year old Delhi ki kuddi. Loves to read, explore new places and dance. Her dream is to become a fashion diva. By taking part in the Lakme fashion week, she is a step closer to reaching her goal. Regardless of all the taunts and naggings, she is plus-size and is leading a healthy life. These comments do pinch her a little, but she listens to them from ear and lets it go from the other. She thinks that India should stop categorizing people on the bases of their size and shape. The international fashion industry is now demanding for plus-size models, now it is time even India sees beauty in a different way. Her motto has been “I, Me, Myself”. She says If you love yourself and are confident, then the world will also see the in the same way.
3) Amber Qureshi:
Born in Abu Dhabi, but raised in Mumbai, she started her career at an entrant level in Yash Raj Films. Working with talented people like Sanjay Gadhvi, Sanjeev Kohli and many more, has given her the confidence to tackle any situation, which reflected in her walk on the ramp. She describes herself as a people’s person. At the moment she is building a startup. Her hobbies include shopping, dancing, dressing up and being a foodie. Her mantra for life is ‘live each say as it comes’. Her journey of accepting herself has not been easy. She talks about once such incident. Her family loves her the way she is, but had put her on a diet when they were supposed to click a picture of her for a matrimonial agency. She was told that no one wants to marry a fat girl. That day she decided that she will not let anyone tell her the way she should live her life. Her husband and sister have been a constant source of confidence. With walking the ramp in the Lakme fashion week, she hopes to break the stereotype that only thin is beautiful. She hopes to inspire young girls who think they are not pretty and starve themselves to lose weight. She thinks of her grandmother as her idol. She was loving, caring, strong and always smiling.
4) Payal Soni
She was born in Rajasthan, but raised in Mumbai. She believes in practicality and not in perceptions. She has always taken her shape in a positive way. Because of her family being very supportive, she really doesn’t care about what people think. She talks about the incident when she wanted to take part in her college fest fashion show but was advised not to. At first it made her a little discouraged but then she dint care about other people and still took part in the show. According to her, beauty is not just the physical appearance of a person, but it is the way a person carries himself/ herself is what really matters.
5) Neha Parulkar:
She is a confident 24 year old girl who was born and brought up in Mumbai. She works with Viacom 18 Media Pvt. Ltd at the designation of senior content editor. She describes herself as fun loving, secure and an optimistic person. She is very comfortable in her own skin and loves her curves. She calls herself a total life-lover. She believes everyone has some negative and some positive traits. It’s up to how you hide your flaws and enhance your qualities. She says that negativity can breed on itself, so if she was going to be negative then she wouldn’t be able to even get out of her house. Her way is to flaunt her plusses. At an early age she understood that you can never make the entire world like you, therefore, you should only satisfy yourself and the people who really care about you. Her role models are international models like Tess Holiday and Ashley Graham. She hopes that this event is just the beginning of breaking the stereotype. She says beauty is not about age or size it is about that one thing that will take everyone’s breath away. Courage, strength, and confidence are beauty.
6) Anjana Bapat:
Living in Mumbai since birth, she is an avid reader, loves music and dancing. She is currently working as a programmer in a MNC. It took her a while to slap all the body shammers and love herself. After many diets and exercises, she realized that her happiness did not depend on her weight. She just have to set it in your mind that you are above all negative. Her friends and family have always been very supportive. She says this show is a way to get plus-size models in the Indian fashion industry.
We at AAW believe that no one in this world can define the meaning of beauty, but you yourself. Don’t let stupid people get into your head. Be strong and don’t fall for prey to the stereotype of beauty that has been set by the society.
Being beautiful is loving yourself no matter what your size or shape is. If you are happy on the inside then it will reflect on the outside too. So always keep smiling and love yourself.
