The road to getting where she is today
hasn’t been easy. Faced with many
challenges, Mala didn’t let them deter
her…
"Growing up, I was teased about my height,
particularly the length of my legs and skinny
frame. The teasing came with mixed
feelings. Some people said it for fun and
some were just being mean. It had a little
bit of an effect on me — I slouched a lot
and became very uncomfortable with my
body. But I grew up and got over it. All is
forgiven.”
Mala has a message for body-
shamers...
"To those who tease others about
their bodies, take a moment to
think about the damage you’re
actually causing. It took me a long
time to appreciate me, but today
I’m happy and grateful for every
inch. I’m now able to be strong
enough to stand tall in my 6-foot-
plus frame and feel proud.”
Rejection…
"Modeling has lots and lots of
challenges. We all get refused jobs
on a daily basis — some that we
know about because we’d go on
casting calls and don’t get the
booking, and others the agency
proposes on our behalf. So the
biggest challenge is not allowing
rejection to become a fear.”
Through it all Mala remained
resilient. With her eyes on the
prize, she went on to becoming
an international fashion model.
And if Mala weren’t a model?
“I’d probably still be working in the
hotel industry.”