A hidden gem that is slowly coming out of the woodworks would be Sumedha Sailan who was the First Runner-up of Miss and Mrs. Curvy Queen 2017.
The show was the first ever beauty pageant in India for plus-sized women and the youngest participant at the show, 20-year-old Sumedha, is now a model, dancer and actor along with also being a body positivity influencer.
Winning the 1st runner-up position, Salian said that, “The journey of this pageant ended with a new beginning for me. I grew up thinking that models must be size zero, and I could never be. But this has changed the way not only I, but also the way others look at plus size people.”
During the course of the pageant, she stated that the portfolio shoot was a very learning experience, and said that, “We learnt how to get better photos. I learnt never to hold my breath or suck my stomach in and look constipated in the photographs, but instead, just be less self-conscious. And most importantly, always keep your left profile in front for a better photo.”
Her motto when getting photographed is “Why hide?”.
Bringing Plus Sized Modelling To Millennials
Sumedha is certainly working towards bringing more attention to plus-sized models, and has said that the pageant really helped to show her how models can be of all sizes.
She said that, “It was a platform for all age groups and yes this entirely changed my perception towards plus size modelling. I want to be a brand in the future so that I can encourage plus-size modelling and relate better to this segment so that they are not depressed about their body and body weight.”
Salian was covered by Voompla an entertainment page on their Instagram as Model Of The Day. In it, she shared a bad experience that she recently had to go through in her modelling career.
She recalled how, “The worst memory of my modelling career is when I was signed for a brand as its brand model. The owner of the brand was my dear friend and she made me work 12 hours and When I started getting offers from other brands She made me out without my knowledge and she did not even pay me and took other models to work without my knowledge even though I was signed but because she was my friend I did not take any actions and let it go. I learnt a lesson from This that will never repeat.”
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But that only served to make her more determined with her goals and she said that, “I have made many plans for my life and I have my list of things to do and plans of how to do them. But I also like enjoying my life, the journey of achieving my goals, enjoying each moment, whether good or bad. At the end of the day, I know that I have lived my life on my terms!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bng-CBVFJ_o/?taken-by=sumedhasalian_official
It is certainly a good thing to see the growth of plus-sized modelling in India and models like Sumedha work as inspiration and example both for the society.
Inspiration since seeing her achieving her goals will allow other plus-sized women and girls to also come forward and example to negate the stereotypes that society places on them.
Image Credits: Google Images
Quotes Taken From Sources: Pune 365, Sakal Times
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