When we walk into a shopping mall, we see mannequins that give us an impression that only a particular size, look or skin tone are the ideal body. To change this perception among today’s generation, especially adolescents, two women, Roshni Hemdev and Mallika Angela Chaudhuri, have come up with an innovative calendar shoot — Love Every Body — to raise awareness about loving one’s body irrespective of being voluptuous or skinny.
Chennai-based photographer G. Venket Ram did the photoshoot for the calendar that includes models and mannequins of all sizes, heights and skin tones – they also had Bollywood actor Abrar Zahoor of Neerja fame come on board.
Roshni and Mallika came up with this initiative after personal experiences. In fact, Mallika faced a lot of turbulence in her life and was discouraged many a time during auditions and work interviews that she went for. “I am basically a Canadian actress. But when I came to India, and auditioned for various roles, rather than looking at my talent, I was rejected several times just because my appearance did not fit the bill! That’s when we decided to go ahead with this initiative,” Mallika muses.
An excited Venket says, “When Roshni and Mallika approached me with this idea, I found it really good and I soon became a part of it. So far, we’ve not seen mannequins that actually look like us — but on the other hand, when we look at them, we get a false idea of the so-called ‘perfect look’. But this photoshoot is to prove that there is nothing wrong in being us.”
He further added that campaigns like this would change the mentality of adolescents and make them more broad-minded when it came to appearances. “When kids turn adolescents, they start getting more conscious about their looks and that’s when they get influenced by mannequins and its myths! Even grown-ups sometimes go to the gym to change the way they look completely —but they forget that the core reason to workout is to be healthy.”
The calendar will feature 12 different models of various sizes, heights and skin tones. “We have used plus size models, short, tall models, fair-skinned and dark-skinned models, who would justify the motto of the event #LoveEveryBody.
There is also a panel discussion on this topic. I’m really looking forward to the launch that will happen on March 2. Celebrities like actor Jiiva will also grace the occasion.”
