The daily grind: Parisheh James

The teenage model Parisheh James gives us a rare insight into what it’s like to juggle school and modelling. From coursework to makeup, Parisheh makes our teen years look rather dull

7am: I wake up, thanks to my awful alarm. Brush my teeth, wash my face and get myself dressed. I get into the car and I’m off to school.

8am: Grab my daily coffee from the school’s student lounge and head for homeroom.

9am: My first class of the day is Psychology, with the teacher that I adore the most, Mrs Pelosi.

10am: My next class of the day is English Language, which is not at all my favourite class, but I do enjoy listening to my classmates’ perspectives on things under discussion.

11am: School lunch break. I usually don’t eat in the cafeteria but stock up on some more coffee — my guilty pleasure!

12noon: My favourite class is at this time. It is Desktop Publishing, where I use my designing skills to create digital pages for my school’s yearbook. This is also a popular time for photo-shoots, so if I am participating in fashion week or have a photo-shoot scheduled, I usually leave school at this time to carry out the task at hand.

1pm: Studio Art is the next class on my schedule. If it is a shoot day, this is the time where I go into hair and make-up, which takes about an hour. I love hair and makeup! I am treated like a princess and  given the most beautiful clothes to wear.

3pm: It’s the end of the school day and I would be wrapping up my shoot about now as well. I finally get to go home.



4pm: At this time I have my lunch alone, which is usually a small meal. It’s either grilled chicken or a salad from Xanders — my favourite place for healthy food.

5pm: I’m scrolling through social media to see what is happening in the fashion world and my personal life.

6pm: At this time I usually hang out with my friends, whether it’s catching a movie, going for coffee or chilling at someone’s house.

7pm: I’m still out with friends if I don’t have fashion week.

8pm: This is the time I usually have dinner, which is almost never at home. I always like to eat out, because it is my favourite part of the day, when I am able to enjoy the Karachi nightlife.

9pm: I come home and do school work, or just continue living the life of a teenager, which means hanging out with friends or watching movies.



10pm: I drink a cup of coffee during this time to stay up if I have a lot of homework or have to rehearse something for the next day.

12am: I feel sleepy around this hour. If I am rehearsing for fashion week, rehearsals usually end at this time. It’s very draining, but the end result is worth it!

1am: I get ready for bed with my green tea, my night-time facial mask, my scented candle, and my laptop to finish the day with a TV series like Grey’s Anatomy, Empire or The Royals.

2am: Sleeping — if not, I’m probably snug in bed scrolling through Instagram.