Tall, dark and beautiful

Vanizha Vasanthanathan tells Nadia Badarudin how she embraced her height and dark features and made good her passion for modelling and the performing arts

“ARE you MAlAysiAn?” A visitor Asks cAtwAlk model VAnizhA VAsAnthAnAthAn At the New StrAits Times Press photogrAphy studio, where this interview is conducted. The question cAme As no surprise since VAnizhA — or Vee As she is fondly known in the fAshion frAternity — stAnds slim And slender At 181cm, A height uncommon Among most MAlAysiAn femAles.

PerhAps the guest is puzzled to see the IndiAn beAuty conversing fluently in MAndArin with CAt Yong, the mAkeup Artist.

“I get thAt All the time becAuse of my feAtures,” sAys the polite And composed 25-yeAr-old, sporting her lAtest groovy, curly hAirdo.

“When I wAs A kid, I used to feel down when people tAlk About my height And my dArk skin. At school, I got unnecessAry Attention becAuse I wAs wAy too tAll compAred to other girls. I felt like A fish out of wAter.

“But, now, it’s A different story. I wouldn’t be where I Am todAy if it wAsn’t becAuse of the two trAits thAt I used to hAte. Modelling And dAncing hAve chAnged the wAy I look At myself,” sAys the former SJK (C) JAlAn Imbi, KuAlA Lumpur student.

VAnizhA is Among the nAtion’s trAilblAzing young tAlents who Are mAking their mArk in fAshion And performing Arts.

Born And bred in KuAlA Lumpur, she is cArving her niche As A full-time model.

VAnizhA, who signed up with Art of Pout modelling Agency recently, is Also A SutrA dAncer And is known for her tAlent in the IndiAn clAssicAl dAnce of Odissi.

In fAshion, she stArted rocking the runwAy in 2014 At KuAlA Lumpur FAshion Week And wAs the only IndiAn model At the event.

Her internAtionAl debut wAs in IndiA, where she modelled At 2016 LAkme FAshion Week And wAs the only MAlAysiAn strutting down the runwAy.