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From Being a Child Model To Fighting Body Shaming, Inspiring Journey of Aarsh
Aarsh started his modeling when he was a child, at the age of 10. He has done shoots for a lot of brands in his childhood. Besides being a fashion model he is a fitness enthusiast. He has a very unique style sense and is extremely creative in nature.
His parents have always been supportive of his modeling career. Because, his father was also a model during his time, so he personally understands the industry. Hence. Aarsh got the inspiration to get into modeling from his father as it was from the genes in a way. He has always been curious about fashion and likes to explore it.
If I was not into modeling I would have been into travel journalism. Basically, I wanted to be a TV show host and a cinematographer. My hobbies outside of modeling are sports and fitness.
A big part of why I got into sports was because I was fat as a kid. I stopped getting work because of my weight. So, my parents suggested I should get into sports which will help me to get in shape.
Initially, I started playing cricket but it was never my thing but after I got into badminton. And, I totally loved it. I have played badminton at the national level. I also love traveling which is one of my hobbies as well.
Aarsh has faced a lot of criticism and body shaming because of his weight as he was around 100kgs. Because of which he had to stop modeling and was very much mentally affected. He went through a bad phase then. He did not have any self-confidence left because of that constant criticism. That is when he got into fitness to get in shape. Modeling means a lot to Aarsh. That motivates him to do better. He believes that criticism is a part of life and it comes in every aspect. It is necessary to have a positive impact on constructive criticism and not lose motivation due to that. People who used to bully him and pull him down are now appreciating him. Aarsh feels really good about it that he was able to prove them wrong.
In the earlier stage, rejection happened to me several times because of my weight. Being fat, people do not accept fat models, they want a guy who has six-pack apps or is lean. I used to feel sad but I was able to overcome it by gaining self-confidence and believing that first I need to be true to myself because no matter what people will always talk. But I should not lose my focus on what I want to achieve and then work for it.
Modeling according to Aarsh is a tricky business, so financial stability is extremely hard to get. As it is not a 9 to 4 permanent job, so it gets a little difficult to gain financial stability. A little change in your body or your face can lead to not getting work. So this industry is very unpredictable. Hence, Aarsh believes that it is necessary to have a separate source of income to survive in the industry.
I firmly believe that confidence helps a lot in handling stress and pressure during a shoot. You just need to be yourself and enjoy the process. I personally love being in front of the camera because I enjoy that. So, to enjoy what you do is very important. As I am the face of the shoot and behind the camera, a lot of people work really hard for it. To do justice to their hard work and my talent, I need to be confident.
The toughest part of being a fashion model according to Aarsh is to be perfect. As everything needs to be on point starting from your outfit to your body. In the beginning, you require to do a lot of investment from your end which is another tough part. While being a child model, he was mostly never paid although he worked really hard for it.
Aarsh believes that Social media helps models a lot. It helps them to get work and showcase their talent to the audience. People can be aware of the talent that models have directly through social media. A lot of brands also approach you by seeing your Instagram profile.
I aspire to be a ramp model in the future. My interest does not lie much in commercials. I want to walk for big brands like Jacquemus, Balenciaga, Gucci, Prada, etc. I want to be there in that position where people look up to me and be proud of me.
The current fashion trends in the modeling industry attract me a lot. I was earlier into basic fashion but now I am into street fashion and sustainable fashion. I am very much attracted to baggy pants and sneakers as they are very comfortable as well as sustainable. Being an environmentalist I always prefer sustainable fashion.
Currently, he is not into any kind of social cause but he wants to associate himself with it in the future. He strongly believes in saving the environment, as nowadays due to fast fashion and industrialization the environment is being polluted. Aarsh wants to work with NGOs that work towards conserving the environment. He is also aiming to open his own NGO in Himanchal Pradesh which works towards pollution and environment conservation.
Modeling has made me grow as a person. It has made me confident in life. It helped me realize that everything in life you do, will be criticized and rejected but you will overcome all of it. You just need to believe in yourself and keep grinding hard enough. There will be a chance in every aspect of life. Modeling helped me to learn a lot.
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