This is a stylish book, taking a leaf from the world it explores, the world of high fashion. The writer carried out research during 2003-07, specifically interviews with thirty models, fieldwork at the annual Lakme Fashion Week(s), and tracking the growth of the Indian glamour industry. She wrote her PhD, but for the book eschews sociological jargon in favour of a lucid, quasi-light tone. Emphasizing that models are working women, the book offers a wealth of insights into their lives and varied experiences.
Tina (one of the models) asserts, ‘Modelling is a job like any other…. It is real work.’ Not only is the work fraught with uncertainties and informalities, but is a `temporary profession’, with few landmarks or rules of procedure. This leaves new entrants extremely vulnerable. For instance, Pragati, promised Rs 1,500 for her first modelling assignment with a garment company, was never paid; she recalls, ‘I just assumed that I have done work for you, you will pay me for it. I was very innocent.’
When Josy, from Kerala, set up Models United in Mumbai in 2002, a hundred models joined the union. They drew up rules regarding payment, hours of work, cancellation of shows, and sexual harassment. The industry was booming, yet clients and choreographers refused to meet the union’s demands, and it soon collapsed. With teeming young girls clamouring for a big break, models who demanded a fair deal found their assignments thinning. An international agency, claiming to protect the interests of models and promote their careers, explains how rates are set: ‘We see the work they are doing, their demand in the market, and what we can get away with.’