Irina Shayk: From India, with love

Russian supermodel walks the ramp at the Signature International Fashion Weekend in Mumbai.

MUMBAI:

Her career began in 2007 as the face of Intimissi, an Italian clothing brand. From there, she went on to grace five consecutive covers of Sports Illustrated, the covers of Elle Spain and GQ South Africa, and appear in international campaigns for Guess and Avon. Shayk is, slowly but surely, becoming one of the most high profile models in the fashion industry, and with a man like footballer Christiano Ronaldo on her arm, she certainly appears to have it all. However, a recent interview shows that even for women like Shayk, not everything comes easy.

A Taste of India

The Russian beauty was in Mumbai recently to participate in the Signature International Fashion Weekend. Shayk was the showstopper for London based fashion house Cute Circuit’s show. The supermodel took to Twitter to express her excitement about being in India. “So happy to be in Mumbai! Can’t wait for tomorrow. LOVE India — thank you for having me!!!” She tweeted on November 14.

“It is great to see how much Indian Fashion is progressing,” she said, speaking about the Indian fashion industry according to DNA India. “I am really keen to see how each designer brings a piece of Indian culture to the fashion show.”



The supermodel also quite enjoys Bollywood movies. “Bollywood is very big and constantly growing. I have watched Slumdog Millionaire five times to be exact, and completely loved it,” she said.

The life of an international supermodel

Being a supermodel continuously puts one in the harsh spotlight, and a tenaciously thick skin is as much a prerequisite for survival in the industry as being the right height or the right weight. In a recent interview with Vogue India, Shayk takes it upon herself to dispel a number of myths about the fashion industry, one of which is that models make easy money by doing almost nothing. “People think we get paid to put on lipstick and mascara. In reality, we have to travel for work and look good despite the jetlag and deal with constant pressure and high competition,” she said.

“We also face constant judgment from both the public and our own colleagues. So many times you’ll see a photo of yourself without make-up on a website, and the comments will say, ‘Oh, she’s so ugly [in real life],’” the supermodel added.

A second myth about the industry which irritates her the most is the view that models nowadays are manufactured in a plastic surgeon’s office. “This annoys me. People think we’ve had our lips done, fixed our noses, had breast implants.” She says, “But all the biggest magazines in the world won’t work with you if you’re not natural, because they don’t endorse that. When I work out a little harder at the gym, my butt gets bigger. Then people will say, ‘Look, she’s got implants’ although I’ve worked hard to get that.”

On her love life

Irina has been in a relationship with football superstar Christiano Ronaldo for over three years, but doesn’t like to discuss their relationship, especially with the media.

“I’d rather not comment on our relationship. But he is a nice person and I wouldn’t be in a relationship with him for so long otherwise.”

Future work aspirations

Shayk is transitioning from the runway to the silver screen and will making her acting debut alongside Dwayne Johnson AKA The Rock, in Hercules: The Thracian Wars, which is set for a release in 2014. Irina will be playing Megara, the wife of Hercules, while the mythological hero will be played by Johnson.

“This year I did a small role for a film Hercules. For me acting is something different from my modelling, though I’m not sure if it’s something I will continue,” she says.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 22^nd, 2013.

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