INTERVIEW WITH AREEJ MAGAZINE - translated in english

1.       YOU ARE MOROCCAN BUT BORN IN BRITAIN. DID YOU GROW UP THERE?  IF SO , HOW DID YOU FIND IT ?

          I did grow up in Britain , i found it a place full of opportunities and chances, I'm blessed to have been bought up and raised in a open minded and multi cultural country while still being in touch with my Moroccan culture and Arab heritage.

          I got scouted in London, Shepard's bush market out of all places, by the staff of BBC 1's programme BLUE PETER to model for there TV show.. it opened all the doors for me and got me to where i am today working it up on my own,
the opportunities are endless, if your at the right place here at the right time....wonders can happen 

2.       WHAT DOES BEING A  MODEL MEAN TO YOU ?

          For me its being an actress in still life, to create images that tell a story or to create an image full of emotion just by a single expression gives me great pleasure, pictures are everywhere...and each person perceives a picture differently , to be the center of a piece of art is wonderful.

I like being the blank canvas and seeing myself in a different light after being made up, i step in to character according to the specific brief :

I.E :  a lingerie shoot would have a different feel and way of body language as opposed to the way i would pose for a high fashion shoot. 
When the camera likes you, it brings out different sides of you

 

 

          
3.       WHO IS YOUR ALL-TIME FAVOURITE MODEL ?

I am amazed by model Flavia Lucini - represented by IMG models Paris
i love her look...her face is perfect in a sense that all her features are in order...she has simple beauty which makes it easy for her to change her look over and over...i love models who you cant recognise in each picture because it shows there versatility, when your features are too distinctive it can be hard to change your look completely.

                                

All the big named models are great in their own respect...but its the models names that you don't hear much off that are amazing as well...some models at the top are more known for their dramatic life styles then for the talent.

 

4.       IF YOU COULD WORK WITH ANYONE - DESIGNER/PHOTOGRAPHER/OTHER MODEL - WHO WOULD IT BE  ?

Well I'm in love with dresses...so when it comes to designers , the one who i adore is  Zuhair Murad

he knows how to dress a women..just by looking at the dresses you feel a million dollars , let alone when you wear one,
his dresses embrace curves, if you look at his Winter Rhasody - fall winter collection under COUTURE on his website you will see what I'm talking about...his dresses hug the right parts of your body and one day i would love to purchase one

 

5.       WHAT IS YOUR ULTIMATE GOAL ?

                  

My ultimate goal is to become an agency represented model, being involved in eye catching images.
Also along the way i want to represent Arab women and Moroccans , letting them feel that its not a degrading job, if you are photogenic that is something great...as not every one can be...your either born with it or your not , and if you are, there is no harm in making use of it.

I cant change minds but i will aim to sway views..and to open the Arab worlds mind in thinking that modelling is just for girls who's faces save them, the best thing about being a model..is you cant train to be one...you cant learn and get a degree in being one...its one of those gifts you have naturally ..so when you do and you can..that's something special

 

6.       HOW DOES YOUR FAMILY FEEL ABOUT YOUR CAREER CHOICE ?

My mum being a hijabi was very open minded about it as because she saw that i had the talent for it, she wouldn't of wanted it to be my first career choice but shes happy i followed my heart and did what i wanted to do...she also would rather me look back and do whatever i was good at , then me do something to please other people.
She always said to be the best at what you do, she's been my rock through all the hard times .
My dad is protective of me, whether its Arab genes or not, its not his ideal profession for me to have followed in to..but wishes me the luck to do well.

 

7.       HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE MODELLING INDUSTRY ?  IS IT ALL ABOUT DRUGS AND ANOREXIA AS YOU ALWAYS SEEM TO READ ABOUT ? 

No, its not all about drugs and anorexia...being slim all my life i never had to battle with a weight issue..i was nicknamed 
" sticky iky" at school. 

I think the anorexia problem lies in girls who are not the typical size 6-8 model..and they feel under pressure to look thin so they go to extreme measures to fit that criteria...
Then again there are models who are already slim and they are doing this to themselves...competition heats up between model to model about who's the slim est...if you get sucked in to that...that's when it all goes wrong.., but thank god Ive never been phased by any of that .                    

 
Some models also turn to drugs because of how much is expected of them, and i can think the modelling world can drain you out when it gets too much for you to juggle...castings,,to fittings...to shows or shoots...and weather you get the job or not you are 24/7 in competition with hundreds of other girls....

 
How you deal with a situation shows who you really are,..and when girls are turning to drugs for help i think there natures self is very weak... modelling is not all about that...they just headline the certain girls that put them selves through that...drugs shouldn't be glamorised because models seem to do them and I'm telling you not all models go down that road...I'm one of them 

 

8.       IS MODELLING AS HARD AS PEOPLE MAKE IT OUT TO BE OR DO YOU THINK IT DEPENDS ON THE TYPE OF PERSON YOU ARE ?

Modelling is hard...in a sense that there are a million girls in the world wanting the same thing...ask yourself what makes you stand out and shine out of all of them..if you name the top models in the world i can realistically count  5 on my hand from the top of my head..that shows how UN easy it is to get to the top and further more to remain there.

Its a challenging job but a creative one..you need to have thick skin and believe in your self...confidence and reality checks should go hand in hand, also talent and a pinch of good luck.

 

9.       HAS THERE BEEN A MOMENT WHEN YOU THOUGHT – YES I’M BECOMING FAMOUS ?

 

When i saw my self in a 10 page spread for ASIAN WOMEN magazine....yes...seeing your name credited does make you feel like your moving up the ladder...also the response messages i got from Friends who had seen it... 

 
from my point getting a 10 page spread on your own, without no agency or representation for me felt like an achievement because i built up my reputation for clients to book me on my own.

 

10.    HAVE YOU BEEN ASKED TO DO ANYTHING REALLY ODD SUCH AS GET COVERED IN PAINT OR WADE IN A FREEZING LAKE ?

Yes..i have a picture with pink curly hair and orange paint splattered all over me...my arms are covering my bare chest...that was a crazy and creative shoot for RUSH hair salon in baker street London , it was amazing because i didn't recognise my self in the pictures..and the pink perm was hilarious!

                                                       
 

11.    HAVE YOU COME ACROSS ANY BARRIERS THAT HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE TO GET OVER ?

Yes..i think the fact I'm 5'7, even though  some agency's are fine with that , that's one of the barriers that stop you from getting a job when free lancing, funny thing is when you put a pair of heels on you automatically become 5'10 so in pictures you will still look nice and tall...but i guess some peoples briefs are strict and that's fine.

Also most designers or photographers use allot of Caucasian looking girls for shoots or shows, and not being Caucasian , yes i find that a bit of a barrier as it seems that's the look that appeals to them more which is a shame .

 
There is beauty within every race and girl.

 

12.    SO WHICH MAGAZINE WOULD YOU LOVE TO BE FEATURED IN ?

I think any girl would love to be featured in VOGUE  but for me it has to be I-D magazine as i love the edginess of it, there front covers are very cool...but I'm very lucky to be featured in SHOUT/AREEJ magazine , 

being involved in a Arabic magazine for women is something that relates and appeals to me greatly,  makes me happy to see the Arab world being involved in fashion, luxury and Arab lifestyle.

 

13.    WHAT'S THE MOST USEFUL PIECE OF CRITICISM THAT YOU HAVE RECEIVED ? 

Not to let peoples perception of what i do for a living put me down...especially within the Arab society as its seen as selling your body , everyone is entitled to their opinion..I'm doing what i love and its not harming anybody...when it comes to religion people follow it there own way..so when it comes to someones dream why is it an issue to fulfill it?

Peoples negativity should never put you down, they either have less confidence then you... do not have the physical attributes to be a model...or the men cannot handle seeing a successful and beautiful women ...

 
No one who follows religion properly will judge you, as that's gods place, as long as your content with what your doing and not harming any one along the way, live your life.

 

14.    EVERY MODEL FACES REJECTION AT SOME POINT IN HER CAREER – HOW HAVE YOU COPED ?

It only pushes you to do better...rejection is not a bad thing..it also doesn't mean there is something wrong with you..if your not picked some where for example:  a job, its not because your not a good model...you probably just don't have the right look there going for at that time..or the fact they've shot a similar look to your look before and want something different...

there is  always a reason...all you make sure you do is focus on your good points and bring them out...and if you do your personal best..no one can ask for no more and no one can ask for no less

 

15.    IF YOU WEREN’T A MODEL WHAT WOULD YOU BE ?

I would of loved to be involved in something active ..like dance or acting..
a form of art which lets you express your self through your body and mind, i love to dance...feel good energy comes out of you when you dance...I'm too much of a positive and ''on the move '' person to sit and do an office job .

                                                                                           

 

16.    IF YOU COULD CHANGE LIVES WITH ANYBODY WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY ?

No one really ... my own life lets me tell my own story..my journey is a film script and I'm living through it..not knowing how it will all end is exciting....

No celebrity has it all...but i would like to have changed lives with some one inspiring like Princess Diana..she was a angel , helping people in need only made her more beautiful..she used her role to make good happen..now that's a great women.

17.    DO YOU THINK THAT A LEBANESE WOMEN HAD BECOME MISS WORLD IT HAS OPENED THE DOOR FOR MORE ARAB MODELS ?

Miss world is quite different to being a mainstream model in a sense that...all the women in miss world are conventionally beautiful...they are the norm of beauty..when you are a model...the camera picks up beautiful things about you...being beautiful is different to being photogenic...

saying that....yes i think it has opened doors for Arab models..in a sense that it
 has made the whole world alert to the fact that Arabic beauty is being recognised..and if a Lebanese can take a title as big as Miss world, then its opened doors for Arab girls to be noticed within this modelling industry

 

18.  WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT MAKE IT HARD TO BE A MODEL IN THE ARABIC WORLD ?

 

I think its mixing religion and culture together and then forming an opinion on modelling...
usually comes out negative, it depends what way you look at it...

Arab men don't mind seeing a beautiful women in a classy and beautiful image...but that women cannot be there wife, sister or mother , as it wouldn't be easy to handle other men looking at the women in their life's beauty, apparently it causes unnecessary attention..
also women are afraid of being disrespected if entering this profession...being beautiful is fine..but being successful at it is an issue? 

The fact that even women are putting  down other women for doing such a job is a bad thing...if women are saying negative things about each other ,what kind of message are you sending out to the men?

Its a difficult debate...it does not mean you disrespect your self because you have your picture taken, as i said it all comes down to the perception of others and that's what makes us all different, so each to their own... all i know is that if your good at something..make sure you excel in it...for every 100's of people that are against you, double are with you. 

You cannot aim to please every one... you are your own worst critic...nothing else you hear should phase you.