DUBAI: Supermodel Shanina Shaik is the face of Harper's Bazaar Arabia this month. In the cover story, the model who is of Saudi-Pakistani-Lithuanian-Australian descent, opens up about her Middle Eastern roots, sharing that she has a “very good feeling” that next year is the year she “finally” gets to visit Saudi Arabia.
“I've never been before but I have family there and have such a strong bond and affinity with Middle Eastern culture. It’s from my dad’s side – he’s Saudi-Pakistani,” she said.
The 28-year-old was born in Melbourne to a Muslim family, previously sharing with Emirates Woman: “My father is very open to my job and understanding and he is very grateful for the woman I have become.”
Shaik, who has went on to grace the catwalks of prestigious international labels after making her Victoria's Secret Fashion Show debut in 2011, also revealed that she was bullied because of her mixed ethnicity at school.
“It was emotional abuse, every single day. And once one of the popular girls starts picking on you, it’s like a domino effect. So I became so insecure, my grades dropped and eventually I just stopped going to school,” Shaik said.
However, the discrimination that she faced at school didn't stop there as she reveals that she also had a hard time booking modeling jobs because of her complexion.
“I remember going to castings in Europe and getting turned away because of my skin color,” she disclosed to the magazine. “That was only six years ago. I had to leave Australia to book jobs in New York because I didn’t look like an average Australian girl, but then in New York they told me I was too sexy and I’d never do high fashion,” she continued.
It's Shaik's first solo cover for the Dubai-based publication. In 2017, she fronted the magazine's special 10th anniversary issue alongside Tunisian catwalker Hanaa Ben Abdesslem and Moroccan model Hind Sahli.
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